The CWP Group Announces Expanded Focus on Legal Executive Search

Dayton/ OH, USA, August 18th, 2026, FinanceWire

The executive search firm is expanding its focus on lateral partner recruitin

The CWP Group is expanding its focus on legal lateral partner searches as the firm works with law firms seeking experienced lateral partners who may not be actively considering a move. The expansion reflects the firm’s continued growth in legal recruiting, particularly at the partner level, where successful attorneys often require a more direct and relationship-driven approach than traditional job postings can provide.

The recruiting firm specializes in reaching established professionals, including attorneys with substantial books of business, rather than relying primarily on job postings or applications from active candidates. The company says that approach allows its clients to meet people who may never appear in a traditional applicant pool.

Reaching the Partners Who Aren’t Looking

For law firms, recruiting at the partner level can present a different challenge from filling a conventional opening. Many potential candidates are already successful where they are. They may have strong client relationships, established practices, and little motivation to respond to a job advertisement.

The CWP Group approaches those searches through direct conversations and long-term relationship building. Rather than beginning with an open position, the firm’s recruiters work to understand what matters to a potential candidate and whether another firm could offer a better long-term fit and a real reason to consider leaving.

“Great talent is not hard to find. It’s devilishly hard to recruit,” said Ed Piergies, founder and managing partner of The CWP Group.

Why Culture Matters in a Lateral Move

Piergies has spent 33 years in executive search. During that time, the company built its business around a relatively small group of client firms rather than attempting to represent every available employer. CWP says it looks closely at workplace culture before agreeing to represent a firm, particularly when introducing candidates who already have successful careers.

The company also uses candidate conversations to give clients a clearer picture of how their firm is being perceived in the market. Feedback can reveal concerns about an interview process, workplace expectations, or other issues that may not surface when a candidate speaks directly with the prospective employer.

That information can become valuable during lateral partner searches, where recruiting often involves more than compensation. Loyalty to a current firm can also weigh heavily, particularly when attorneys are unsure whether a new workplace will live up to how it is presented during recruitment.

Piergies co-authored Influence and Impact with Chris Voss, the FBI’s former lead international kidnapping negotiator and author of Never Split the Difference. Piergies later received a Quilly Award once the book became a bestseller in 2024.

CWP’s legal recruiting practice has developed over decades. One longtime client has worked with the firm for approximately 30 years, during which CWP helped place 260 professionals.

Alongside its legal practice, The CWP Group also serves civil engineering design firms working on infrastructure projects (highways, bridges, buildings, municipal). Legal executive search, however, remains the company’s primary area for growth.

As that practice expands, CWP plans to continue focusing on firms it believes can compete for high-level talent through more than an attractive offer. For the company, the goal is to help clients become organizations that successful professionals are willing to consider leaving an already good position to join.

About The CWP Group

The CWP Group is an executive search firm specializing in legal and civil engineering recruiting. Founded more than three decades ago, the company works with a select group of firms and focuses on direct recruiting, long-term relationships, and alignment between candidates and workplace culture. The firm is majority owned by Terri Piergies, who oversees finance, administration, and information technology, making CWP a woman-owned business.

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