When businesses decide to work with a recruitment agency, the instinct is often to go with the biggest name. A large, generalist firm with hundreds of consultants and a broad database feels like the safest bet. But in legal, finance, HR and private family office hiring, the consultant you actually speak to matters far more than the brand name above the door.
At Achieve Professionals, every member of our team was hired because of what they bring to a specific discipline – not because they can fill any role on any desk. Here is what that means in practice.
Working with Andrew and the team was refreshingly efficient. They grasped the nuances of our family office requirements straight away. It was rare and reassuring to find a corporate recruitment agency that truly understands how private offices operate.
Chief of Staff, UHNW Family Office in Geneva
The Generalist Problem
A generalist recruitment agency might place a range of different roles in the space of a week, from Solicitors to Marketing Managers to Warehouse Operatives in all different industries. The consultant handling your brief has likely never worked in law, never advised a family office principal, and is working from a job description rather than sector knowledge.
The result? Candidates who look right on paper but miss the nuance. Slow shortlists. Interview processes that drag. And a consultant who moves on to the next vacancy the moment yours is filled.
Who This Matters Most For
If you are hiring a Solicitor for a Legal 500 firm, a Finance Director for a family office, or an HR Director for a scaling business, the consultant you work with needs to understand the environment, the culture and the candidate market – not just the job description.
For solicitors considering a move from private practice into an in-house legal role, specialist recruiter knowledge becomes even more important. The in-house market works differently from law firm hiring, with fewer advertised roles, longer processes and a stronger focus on commercial judgement, business fit and sector experience. We explain this in more detail in our guide to choosing a private practice to in-house legal recruiter, including what qualified solicitors should look for when selecting a recruitment partner for their first or next in-house move.
Achieve Professionals was built specifically for those briefs. Every consultant on the team was chosen because they bring that understanding to their discipline. Hiring in legal, finance or family office? Tell us about your brief.
What Sector Expertise Actually Looks Like
Lewis Clennell – Founder & Managing Director
Lewis co-founded Achieve Professionals in September 2023 with a clear vision: that relationship-led recruitment, built on genuine market knowledge, would consistently outperform volume-driven generalist models. His background spans international business management and hospitality, giving him a commercial lens that most recruitment founders lack. He built the business from the ground up across the UK, US, Europe and the Middle East – not by chasing volume, but by building partnerships.
A generalist agency is run by people who understand recruitment as a process. Lewis built Achieve Professionals to understand it as a relationship.
Molly co-founded the business alongside Lewis, bringing the operational and strategic grounding that underpins how Achieve Professionals delivers. The founding team’s shared vision – high quality over high volume – runs through every hire the business makes, both for clients and internally.
Andrew is the reason Achieve Professionals is trusted by UHNW principals, family office founders, CFOs and investment partners across London, Geneva, Dubai and beyond. He began his career in senior management and HR within luxury markets before moving into recruitment, which means he understands the environments his candidates are walking into – not just the job titles.
He progressed from Associate to Senior Consultant at Achieve Hospitality before being appointed to establish and lead the Family Office practice at Achieve Professionals. His approach is consultative and long-term. Clients describe him as a recruitment partner, not a transactional vendor.
A generalist consultant briefed on a family office CFO search will post a job advert and wait. Andrew works his network, understands the discretion required, and delivers a curated shortlist – not a database dump.
Sophie-Jo has not come into recruitment from a sales background. She qualified as a Solicitor.
After completing her Master’s degree in Law at Northumbria University, Sophie-Jo worked her way through the legal profession – Legal Secretary, Trainee Solicitor, Qualified Solicitor – before moving into recruitment. That career path means she reads a CV the way a partner reads it, understands what a law firm actually needs from a hire, and can have a credible conversation with candidates about the realities of practice.
When a generalist recruiter screens a Solicitor, they are matching keywords. When Sophie-Jo screens a Solicitor, she is drawing on lived experience of what that role demands. The shortlists she delivers reflect that difference.
Charlie Hill – Principal Recruitment Consultant – Finance
Charlie specialises in the recruitment of finance professionals across accountancy practices, financial institutions and corporate organisations. Before moving into specialist recruitment, he built his career in banking and progressed to Bank Manager, giving him a practical understanding of the technical demands, commercial pressures and career paths within the finance market.
That background makes a difference – a generalist recruiter may understand how to fill vacancies. Charlie understands what strong finance talent looks like in practice, how different finance environments operate, and why the right hire is about more than matching a CV to a job description.
His approach is consultative and relationship-led and he works closely with clients and candidates to understand both the technical brief and the cultural fit. This helps businesses secure finance professionals who are credible, capable and suited to the environment they are joining.
Charlie uses his sector knowledge and this difference shows up in the quality of the shortlist, the relevance of the conversations, and ultimately the strength of the hire.
Here is an example of the same brief at a generalist agency versus Achieve Professionals:
Generalist Agency
Achieve Professionals
Brief Taken By
Junior resourcer
Sector specialist consultant
Legal Consultant’s background
Sales or general recruitment
Qualified solicitor
Family Office experience
None
Direct background in luxury and private client environments
Candidate sourcing
Job board database
Active network and direct approach
Shortlist quality
Volume based
Curated, vetted, sector matched
Discretion
Standard process
Built into every assignment
Post Placement
Invoice sent
Regular check is for both parties
Average time to placement
Industry average: 4-6 weeks
12 days average
What Clients Actually Say
I appreciate the Achieve Professionals’ efforts (thanks to Andrew) in helping me secure my dream job within a week. Thank you for your support throughout the process.”
Legal Counsel, Private Family Office in London
I would highly recommend Achieve Professionals to help you find your next opportunity. Andrew was fantastic from start to finish – always professional, responsive and supportive. He replied promptly to all my questions and guided me through every step of the process, making the experience smooth and stress-free.”
HR Specialist, Private Family Office in London
Alex has been amazing, from spotting my CV and matching it to a vacancy to following up after I started the job. She has provided encouragement and feedback all the way. Finding work has never been such a positive experience.”
Solicitor, Law Firm in Teesside
Get In touch
If you are looking for high-quality talent in legal, finance, HR or private family office, speak to the team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a specialist and a generalist recruitment agency?
A generalist recruitment agency works across multiple industries and job types, often filling roles in completely different sectors. Consultants may handle legal roles one week and marketing or operations roles the next.
A specialist recruitment agency focuses on a specific discipline and develops deep knowledge of that market. At Achieve Professionals, consultants specialise in areas such as legal, finance, HR and private family office recruitment and have experience in these fields. This allows them to understand the expectations, career paths and candidate networks within each sector.
Why should businesses use a specialist recruiter?
Specialist recruiters bring sector knowledge, targeted networks and a better understanding of role requirements. Instead of relying solely on job descriptions, they understand how roles function within the industry and which candidates are most likely to succeed.
This often results in more relevant shortlists, faster hiring processes and stronger long-term placements, particularly for senior or specialist roles.
Do specialist recruitment agencies find better candidates?
Specialist recruitment agencies often have access to passive candidates who are not actively applying for roles but may be open to the right opportunity. Because consultants work within the same sector every day, they build long-term relationships with professionals in that market.
This means businesses are introduced to candidates who are carefully matched to the role, team culture and long-term career goals, rather than simply those who have applied through a job board.
How do I choose the right recruitment agency for my business?
Choosing the right recruitment agency often comes down to the expertise of the consultant handling your search. Businesses should look for recruiters who understand their sector, ask detailed questions about the role and organisation, and demonstrate clear knowledge of the candidate market.
It can also be helpful to work with a firm that prioritises long-term relationships over high-volume placements. At Achieve Professionals, consultants specialise in defined disciplines such as legal, finance, HR and private family office recruitment, allowing them to deliver carefully curated shortlists rather than large volumes of applicants.
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