In-House legal recruitment
Building High-Performing In-House Legal Teams
We recruit In-House legal professionals for organisations across Australia, London, the USA, the Middle East and beyond, supporting clients from high-growth scale-ups to multinationals, government bodies, private and listed companies.
We hire across all levels of seniority, including Legal Counsel, Senior Legal Counsel, General Counsel, Company Secretary and Governance, Legal Operations and Contract Management, as well as specialist positions spanning regulatory, employment, privacy and disputes.
Our consultants understand how in-house legal teams operate, from navigating commercial pressures and cross-functional demands to finding lawyers who combine technical accuracy with clear, practical judgement. We support businesses at every stage of their journey, from making a first in-house legal hire to building and scaling regional teams across multiple markets.
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Looking to hire an in-house lawyer?
Beacon Legal is a leading specialist legal recruitment firm for placing In-House Lawyers.
Our team has an unrivalled track record placing Legal Counsel, Senior Legal Counsel, General Counsel and all internal legal roles.
Contact one of our team today to discuss your hiring needs.
get in touch with usPartners You Can Trust
We work closely with legal teams to understand the pressures they face and the type of lawyers who will thrive. Organisations trust us because we:
- Take a practical, commercial approach
- Understand how in-house teams are structured, report and operate
- Provide honest advice throughout the process
- Present only aligned, well-qualified candidates
- Represent your brand accurately and professionally
Whether it’s a key strategic hire or long-term workforce planning, we act as a genuine partner to your legal function.
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Your In-House Experts
Matthew Edwards
DirectorMatthew Edwards is a Director at Beacon Legal and leads Australia’s largest dedicated In-House legal recruitment team.
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Jake Hayden-Smith
Associate DirectorJake Hayden-Smith is a Associate Director at Beacon Legal, specialising in in-house legal recruitment across the construction, projects and energy sectors.
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Charlotte Everett
Head of InterimCharlotte Everett is the Head of Beacon Legal Connect, our interim resourcing arm, focusing on flexible in-house legal resourcing across Australia.
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Toby Orr
Senior ConsultantToby Orr is a Senior Consultant at Beacon Legal, specialising in in-house legal recruitment across Australia.
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Emma Johnston
ConsultantEmma is a Consultant within Beacon Legal’s Sydney In-House team, specialising in financial services recruitment across the Australian legal market.
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Trusted by legal professionals
across the globe
Matt was great to work with – I would definitely recommend him and would engage him/Beacon again if we have another legal recruitment. Ours was a challenging brief but he presented a number of strong candidates and we ended up with a great result.
Louisa -
Hiring Manager
We engaged Jake for the first time to support us with a Legal Counsel role and he absolutely nailed it. He is an exceptional recruiter and provided us with high-quality candidates, which reflected his deep understanding of the role, the business and the industry. His follow-up and follow-through are impeccable—he always does exactly what he says he will, which builds immense trust and confidence.
Amanda -
Hiring Manager
I had a great experience working with Toby on a recent legal hire for my in-house team. He was knowledgeable, responsive, and really understood the brief. Toby presented a strong shortlist of candidates, and I was able to make a successful hire from the process. I’d happily recommend Toby to anyone looking for a recruiter for building their in-house team.
Sarah -
Hiring Manager
Frequently asked questions
We start by understanding your operating environment - your stakeholders, risk appetite, industry and team culture - then tailor the search around what success actually looks like inside your business.
We recruit across financial services, technology, energy, construction, government, FMCG, healthcare, professional services and more. If your organisation has a legal function, we can support it.
Yes - many companies come to us for their first Legal Counsel. We advise on structure, seniority, salary, scope and expectations to set the role (and your new hire) up for success.
Absolutely. Many in-house searches - particularly GC and senior leadership roles - require discretion. We run a targeted, confidential process from start to finish. We also have an Executive Search function.