Special Counsel
Special Counsel is a Jacksonville-based legal staffing and placement firm, founded in 1987, connecting attorneys, paralegals, and legal support professionals with law firms and corporate legal departments across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersJacksonville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Special Counsel does
Special Counsel is a privately held legal staffing and talent placement firm headquartered in Jacksonville, United States, founded in 1987. The firm connects legal professionals with positions at law firms and corporate legal departments, operating in the specialized legal recruitment and contract staffing market. Its stated value proposition is positioning itself as a "pillar of strength in the legal community" by matching world-class talent with employers across the legal sector. The firm operates with 101-250 employees, indicating a mid-sized staffing operation likely spanning multiple practice areas (attorneys, paralegals, legal support, and potentially eDiscovery/contract professionals).
On the business model, Special Counsel generates revenue through legal staffing services — combining direct/permanent placement fees and contract staffing billings across attorney, paralegal, and legal support roles. Its go-to-market targets both the supply side (legal candidates seeking new positions or contract engagements) and the demand side (law firms and in-house legal departments seeking talent). In October 2016, the firm executed an inorganic expansion via the acquisition of D4, broadening its service capability into adjacent legal services commonly bundled with staffing engagements. Operationally, Senior Placement Director Stacey Neumann exemplifies the placement-team structure used to drive the firm's recruiter-led, relationship-driven service delivery. No technology platform, product roadmap, pricing model, customer logos, or financial details are disclosed in the available input.
Special Counsel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Special Counsel
- Website
- https://specialcounsel.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Special Counsel is a Jacksonville-based legal staffing and placement firm, founded in 1987, connecting attorneys, paralegals, and legal support professionals with law firms and corporate legal departments across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Special Counsel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Other Legal Services (54119)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Legal & Compliance Direct Hire (BPACAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)
Keywords
Where Special Counsel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jacksonville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Special Counsel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Special Counsel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Special Counsel is a legal staffing and talent placement firm that connects world-class legal professionals—including attorneys, paralegals, and legal support staff—with job openings at top law firms and corporate legal departments. The company provides both permanent placement and temporary/contract staffing solutions tailored to the legal industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Legal Staffing and Talent Placement
Companies that use Special Counsel
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Special Counsel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Special Counsel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
Expansion highlights2 records
Special Counsel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Robert Half Legal: Direct competitor in legal staffing and direct-hire placement, serving law firms and corporate legal departments with temporary, contract, and permanent placement services — closely overlapping Special Counsel's core offering.
- Hire Counsel: Legal staffing and managed review provider serving law firms and corporate legal departments with contract attorneys, paralegals, and document review services — direct overlap with Special Counsel's staffing and D4 eDiscovery offerings.
- Major, Lindsey & Africa: Specialist legal search firm placing partners, associates, and legal executives at top law firms and in-house departments — competes directly for the higher-end direct-hire mandates that Special Counsel pursues.
- Solomon Page Legal: Legal staffing arm of Solomon Page placing attorneys, paralegals, and legal support professionals on temporary and direct-hire bases — direct peer in the same legal talent placement vertical.
- BCG Attorney Search: Legal recruitment firm focused on attorney placement at law firms and corporate legal departments — competes directly with Special Counsel for associate and partner-level permanent placements.
- Kelly Legal: Legal staffing division of Kelly Services placing attorneys, paralegals, and legal support staff — operates in the same niche with a similar staffing-conglomerate parent backing.
- Beacon Hill Staffing Group: Specialized staffing provider with a dedicated legal division placing attorneys, paralegals, and legal support professionals — closely comparable niche-focused legal staffing peer.
Broad incumbents
- Adecco: Global staffing conglomerate and reported parent organization of Special Counsel — provides corporate scale, shared services, and cross-sell infrastructure underpinning Special Counsel's operating model.
- Hays: Global staffing firm with a legal and HR services practice placing professionals across multiple verticals — broader incumbent whose legal arm competes for cross-border and senior legal placements.
Emerging players
- Axiom Law: Alternative legal services provider offering on-demand legal talent and managed services to corporate legal departments — represents the structural shift toward flexible legal staffing that both pressures and creates opportunity for traditional recruiters.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Special Counsel social profiles
Digital presenceSpecial Counsel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Special Counsel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Special Counsel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Special Counsel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Special Counsel
What does Special Counsel do?
Special Counsel is a legal staffing and talent placement firm that connects world-class legal professionals—including attorneys, paralegals, and legal support staff—with job openings at top law firms and corporate legal departments. The company provides both permanent placement and temporary/contract staffing solutions tailored to the legal industry.
When was Special Counsel founded?
Special Counsel was founded in 1987. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Special Counsel based?
Special Counsel is headquartered in Jacksonville, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Special Counsel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Robert Half Legal, Hire Counsel, Major, Lindsey & Africa, Solomon Page Legal, BCG Attorney Search, Kelly Legal and Beacon Hill Staffing Group. Broad incumbents are Adecco and Hays. Axiom Law is listed as an emerging player.
Does Special Counsel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Special Counsel.
What industry is Special Counsel in?
Special Counsel's product category is Legal Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAJ, Legal & Compliance Direct Hire, with a secondary code of BPAHALAG, Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services. Its NAICS code is 54119 and its SIC code is 7361.