Our terms · For companies

In-house search terms: fee, guarantee and off-limits.

Every in-house search we run is retained: the fee is 25 to 30 percent of the hire's total first-year compensation, and 30 percent of it is paid at engagement and kept if you cancel. Replacement is 12 months on general counsel, chief legal officer and chief compliance officer seats, 6 months on the rest; off-limits run 24 months.

Brief a search General counsel search cost

Lorenzo Sartori — Founder, Sartori & Partners Updated October 19, 2026 — Sartori & Partners in-house search terms, October 2026

Sartori & Partners in-house search terms, October 2026: retained only, no contingency. Fee 25 to 30 percent of total first-year compensation, fixed in the letter before outreach. Retainer 30 percent of the fee at engagement, kept if the company cancels. Replacement 12 months on general counsel, chief legal officer and chief compliance officer searches, 6 months on other in-house searches. Off-limits 24 months on the client's legal department; placed lawyers are never approached while they stay. Interim and fractional work is billed by the day, and days billed are credited against a later retained fee.

01 The terms

What are your fees and terms for an in-house search?

Retained only, 25 to 30 percent of total first-year compensation, 30 percent of the fee at engagement, a 12- or 6-month replacement window and 24 months off-limits.

Sartori & Partners engagement terms for companies, October 2026. All terms are written into the engagement letter before outreach.
Term	What the letter says
Model	Retained, every search. No contingency.
Fee	25-30% of the hire's total first-year compensation, converted to one dollar figure in the letter
Retainer	30% of the fee, paid at engagement
Cancellation	Retainer kept if the company cancels, at any stage
Balance	On the dates written in the letter
Replacement	12 months on GC, CLO and CCO searches; 6 months on other in-house searches. Rerun without a second fee
Not a replacement event	Promotion out of the seat; a carve-out the board designed; a sale that retires the seat
Off-limits	No recruiting from the client's legal department for 24 months after the mandate; placed lawyers never approached while they stay
Interim / fractional	Day rate only; days billed credited against a later retained fee
Candidate	Never pays
Confidentiality	Blind both ways until mutual interest; no CV without written consent; NDA on request; conflicts checked before outreach

Source: Sartori & Partners engagement model, 2026.

The letter names the compensation figure the percentage applies to, and that figure is the hire's, not a market median. For a market check on a US general counsel package, the ACC and Empsight 2025 Law Department Compensation Survey puts the general counsel / chief legal officer median at $330,000 base and $410,000 total cash, with $503,000 median total target direct compensation, effective March 1, 2025 (ACC executive summary). Our bands by company stage are on general counsel salary 2026; the full year-one cost of the hire is in how much a general counsel costs.

02 By seat

Which guarantee and timeline does each seat carry?

The fee is 25 to 30 percent on every seat; the replacement window and the clock change with the seat.

Replacement window and our medians by seat, 2017-2026. Days = average to shortlist; weeks = median brief to accepted offer.
Seat	Replacement	Shortlist	Accepted offer	Base
General counsel / CLO	12 months	24 days	11 weeks (8-16)	n=52
Chief compliance officer	12 months	21 days	10 weeks	n=36
Deputy GC / Head of Legal	6 months	21 days	10 weeks	n=47
Senior and specialist counsel	6 months	18 days	8 weeks	n=87
Legal operations	6 months	20 days	9 weeks	n=12
Interim / fractional	Days credited if converted	-	7 days to start	n=60+

Searches counted inside 400+ placements (230+ in-house) since 2017. Interim and fractional engagements are counted separately.

Source: Sartori & Partners track record, 2017-2026.

03 Cancellation

What happens to the retainer if we cancel?

The retainer, 30 percent of the fee, is kept if the company cancels the search at any stage after signing.

It pays for the mapping and outreach that start in week 1. If the chosen candidate declines, the search continues under the same letter; the fee does not reset. Offer acceptance on our corporate mandates is 96 percent, and 92 percent of retained corporate mandates complete, since 2017.

04 Guarantee

What does the replacement guarantee cover?

If the placed lawyer leaves the role inside the window, we rerun the search without a second fee: 12 months for GC, CLO and CCO, 6 months for other in-house seats.

The window runs from the hire's start date. A promotion out of the seat, a carve-out the board designed, or a sale that retires the seat is not a replacement event. A longer window is available only if it is written into the letter.

05 Off-limits

What does off-limits mean?

We never recruit from a client's legal department for 24 months after a mandate, and never approach a lawyer we placed for as long as that lawyer stays.

The two rules are separate and both are in the letter.

Fee, replacement window and off-limits were in the letter before they called anyone. That is the only way I will sign a search firm. The hire accepted on the first offer.

CFO London-headquartered private-credit manager

06 Interim credit

How are interim and fractional counsel billed?

By the day, never as a percentage of salary; days billed are credited against a later retained fee.

If interim cover turns into a permanent search, the billed days reduce the retained fee instead of adding to it. Rates by seat are in interim general counsel day rates; when cover beats a search is in interim versus permanent in-house counsel.

07 Questions

Questions companies ask before signing.

What is a retained search fee?

A retained search fee is a percentage of the hire's first-year compensation, agreed in writing before the search starts, with part paid up front. Ours is 25 to 30 percent of total first-year compensation, with 30 percent of the fee paid at engagement.

Is the retainer refundable if we cancel the search?

No. The retainer is kept if the company cancels, at any stage after the letter is signed. It pays for the mapping and outreach that start in week 1.

Is a 90-day replacement guarantee available for legal hires?

Our replacement windows are longer than 90 days: 12 months on general counsel, chief legal officer and chief compliance officer searches, and 6 months on every other in-house search. A departure inside the window means a rerun without a second fee.

If we promote the placed lawyer, does the guarantee apply?

No. A promotion out of the seat is not a departure from the role, so it does not trigger a rerun. The 24-month off-limits on the legal department still holds.

Who pays the fee, the company or the candidate?

The company. Candidates are never billed, never asked for a registration fee, and never asked to share any part of their package.

How much is the fee in dollars for a general counsel?

About $72,000 to $390,000 for most US companies, depending on the general counsel's total first-year compensation. The stage-by-stage table and a worked example are on how much a general counsel search costs.

Keep reading

The dollar figures, the market, and when not to run a search.

Also: in-house counsel recruiting, general counsel search, general counsel succession, how to run a general counsel search, how companies hire a general counsel, hiring in-house counsel for PE-backed companies, working with a legal recruiter, our research program, a Boston general counsel succession on these terms, for companies, methodology.

The terms go in the letter before anyone is called.

Fee, retainer, replacement window and off-limits in writing at engagement, for every in-house search.