Edwards Gibson
Edwards Gibson is a London-based legal recruitment consultancy that places partners and senior lawyers into private practice firms and in-house legal departments, monetising through contingency fees on a curated boutique dataset tracking London partner moves since 2007.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Edwards Gibson does
Edwards Gibson is a London-based legal recruitment consultancy that serves private practice law firms and in-house legal departments, specialising in partner-level hires, team moves, and senior in-house placements. The firm operates as a boutique practice with three to four senior practitioners — Director Scott Gibson, Director Sloane Poulton, and Senior Adviser Jon Vivian — and runs five core service lines: Partner Representation, Team Moves, In-House Recruitment, Retained Search, and a Live Search job portal. The company does not operate a technology product or platform; its differentiator is human expertise, market knowledge, and proprietary market intelligence built on a dataset tracking London partner moves since 2007, published bimonthly as the 'Law Firm Partner Moves in London' report.
Edwards Gibson earns revenue primarily through contingency recruitment fees, typically 25% of a placed candidate's first-year salary and up to 30% in some cases, with retained search available for exclusive mandates and rebate periods applying if a placed candidate leaves within a defined window. Live job postings show partner-level compensation ranging from c. £250k for day-one partner roles to £2m+ for senior practice leaders and £/$5m for elite private funds partners, establishing a high-value, senior-tier deal profile. Distribution is entirely direct and relationship-led, with no digital self-serve channels; the firm complements this with content marketing through its bimonthly Partner Moves report, thought-leadership articles, podcast appearances, and participation at events such as MIPIM. Media citations by the Financial Times, Bloomberg Law, Law360, and Legal Business reinforce its positioning as the reference source for London legal partner hiring data.
The firm is privately held as Edwards Gibson Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 7302354), with headquarters at 71-73 Carter Lane in the City of London. The operating geography is concentrated in London, though job postings span US and international firms, implying cross-border mandate activity. No external funding, parent company, or acquisition activity is disclosed, and the business has remained a stable boutique since its founding, with growth driven by the underlying London partner-hiring market — which hit a record 668 moves in 2025 — rather than headcount or capital expansion.
Edwards Gibson firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Edwards Gibson
- Legal name
- Edwards Gibson Ltd
- Website
- https://edwardsgibson.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Edwards Gibson is a London-based legal recruitment consultancy that places partners and senior lawyers into private practice firms and in-house legal departments, monetising through contingency fees on a curated boutique dataset tracking London partner moves since 2007.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Edwards Gibson industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Legal & Compliance Direct Hire (BPACAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)
Keywords
Where Edwards Gibson is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Edwards Gibson business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Legal Recruitment Placement Fees: The company operates on a contingency recruitment model, charging clients (law firms and organisations) a fee when a candidate is successfully placed. Fees are typically calculated as 25% of the candidate's first-year salary, though can range up to 30% of first-year remuneration. The company also offers retained search services for exclusive mandates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Standard contingency placement - 25% of first year salary |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Edwards Gibson product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Edwards Gibson is a London-based legal recruitment consultancy that places partners and senior lawyers into UK, US, and international law firms, and recruits in-house lawyers into corporate legal departments. The firm provides partner representation, team moves, in-house recruitment, and retained executive search services, supported by proprietary market intelligence on London partner moves tracked since 2007.
Product overview
Edwards Gibson is a dedicated legal recruitment consultancy providing specialist services for private practice partner hires, team moves, and in-house lawyer recruitment. The firm operates a portfolio model offering six interconnected service lines: Partner Representation, Team Moves, In-House Recruitment, Retained Search, and Search Live Roles (a job portal). The consultancy also publishes proprietary market intelligence through its Partner Moves Report (bimonthly since 2007), Articles, and News & Events coverage. The offering is centered on human expertise and market knowledge rather than technology products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Partner Representation
Quantifiable outcome
- 668 partner moves tracked in 2025 - record high since tracking began in 2007
Companies that use Edwards Gibson
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Edwards Gibson technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Edwards Gibson partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- KPMGminorJon Vivian, Senior Adviser at Edwards Gibson, also serves as an Ambassador for KPMG, suggesting a professional relationship with the firm.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Edwards Gibson competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Laurence Simons: Specialist legal recruitment firm with similar boutique positioning and focus on partner-level lateral hires across UK and European markets. Closest comparable in target customer, fee model and product scope.
- Taylor Root: Legal recruitment specialist focused on in-house legal placements and partner moves across major legal markets. Comparable customer base and senior-level legal search offering.
- Pure Search: Executive search firm with a dedicated legal practice serving private practice and in-house legal clients. Comparable partner-level hiring focus and boutique consultancy model.
- BCL Legal: UK legal recruitment specialist covering law firm and in-house legal roles across multiple levels. Comparable boutique-style operating model focused on the legal sector.
- Sellick Partnership: UK legal recruitment specialist serving private practice law firms and in-house legal teams with both contingency and retained search services. Comparable fee-based legal recruitment model.
- Lewis Gilbert & Co: Boutique UK legal recruitment consultancy with comparable focus on partner-level legal recruitment across UK and international law firm markets.
Broad incumbents
- Robert Walters: Global specialist recruitment group with a dedicated legal recruitment division covering partner, in-house and associate-level placements. Larger scope and resources but overlapping customer base.
- Hays Legal: Arm of global recruitment major Hays with dedicated legal recruitment services covering private practice and in-house legal roles. Broader portfolio including legal sector staffing and consulting.
- Michael Page Legal: Legal recruitment arm of PageGroup, one of the world's largest recruitment firms. Covers legal roles from associate through partner with comparable customer base.
- Badenoch + Clark: Executive search and professional services recruitment including dedicated legal practice covering senior legal placements. Owned by Adecco Group, broader resourcing base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Edwards Gibson social profiles
Digital presenceEdwards Gibson financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Edwards Gibson leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Edwards Gibson funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Edwards Gibson M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Edwards Gibson
What does Edwards Gibson do?
Edwards Gibson is a London-based legal recruitment consultancy that places partners and senior lawyers into UK, US, and international law firms, and recruits in-house lawyers into corporate legal departments. The firm provides partner representation, team moves, in-house recruitment, and retained executive search services, supported by proprietary market intelligence on London partner moves tracked since 2007.
Is Edwards Gibson a public or private company?
Edwards Gibson is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Edwards Gibson founded?
Edwards Gibson was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Edwards Gibson based?
Edwards Gibson is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Edwards Gibson make money?
One revenue line is on record: legal Recruitment Placement Fees.
Who are Edwards Gibson's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Laurence Simons, Taylor Root, Pure Search, BCL Legal, Sellick Partnership and Lewis Gilbert & Co. Broad incumbents are Robert Walters, Hays Legal, Michael Page Legal and Badenoch + Clark.
Does Edwards Gibson have an API?
No public API is recorded for Edwards Gibson.
What industry is Edwards Gibson in?
Edwards Gibson's product category is Legal Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAJ, Legal & Compliance Direct Hire, with a secondary code of BPACAAAA, C-Suite & Board Search. Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.