917-415-0284
Where Building Relationships Comes First
Founded by Andrea K. Fisher, AKF Legal Search Consultants is a premier legal recruiting firm that focuses on the permanent placement of associates, counsel and partners with Am Law 100 and 200 firms and companies in New York and other major cities. With an approach that is direct, supportive and goal-oriented, Andrea takes an extremely collaborative and holistic approach to recruiting and gets results!
As a member of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC), AKF Legal Search Consultants will fully adhere to the organization’s Code of Ethics.
References are readily available.
Named to the 2026 Hunt Scanlon Legal Recruiting Power 100
HOW I WORK
WHAT DO CANDIDATES AND CLIENTS SAY?
MEET THE TEAM
Andrea Fisher
Owner
I have always dreamt of having my own company and based on that dream, I founded AKF Legal Search Consultants after working for many years at another search firm, where I handled placement of associates, counsel and partners with law firms and companies in New York and California.
I graduated from Tulane University and received my law degree from Cardozo Law School. As a bankruptcy attorney at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and Squire Patton Boggs, I mentored dozens of associates – both formally and informally – guiding them with respect to the management of their careers and assisting in their long-term development. In addition, I was a member and leader of a range of law firm groups and initiatives, notably those aimed at mentoring women.
A true New Yorker (though I grew up in Connecticut), I am thrilled to have fulfilled my dream of living here with my family. Known as “Siri” by those who know me, my candidates benefit from my vast and somewhat esoteric knowledge of New York. From interesting ethnic restaurants and the best doctors in the city, to how to find a clean public bathroom in midtown, I become more than a recruiter to all my candidates; I become a reliable resource and a friend!
Justina Gonzalez Fabrizio
Partner
Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with exceptional attorneys, law firm leaders, colleagues, and many talented professionals across the legal search community, for which I am incredibly grateful for the relationships, partnerships, and experiences that have shaped my professional journey.
Joining AKF is an exciting opportunity to contuse the work I love in an entrepreneurial, relationship-driven environment where collaboration, trust, and a personalized approach to legal search are at the center of everything we do. It also reaffirms how much I value building relationships, connecting talented people with new opportunities, and helping organizations grow.
I am excited for what lies ahead
Michelle Soto-Alba
Partner
I am excited to join AKF Legal Search Consultants, as a partner, specializing in law firm placements. With a career spanning over 20 years of experience in legal recruitment, talent management, and integration at firms such as Kirkland & Ellis, Fried Frank, and Dechert LLP, I have collaborated with attorneys at all levels across a diverse range of practice areas.
My experience working within recruitment departments at top-tier law firms, has provided me with in-depth market expertise and insider knowledge of law firms' recruiting and hiring strategies. I have leveraged this experience most effectively counseling candidates and law firm clients, while working to ensure successful outcomes for both parties. I also enjoy assisting candidates with interview preparation and general career guidance.
In addition to my recruitment career experience, I have cultivated many strong relationships within the legal recruiting community and have been an active member of the National Association of Law Placement (NALP), since 2005.
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HOW WE WORK
WE LOVE TO PARTNER WITH CANDIDATES AND LISTEN
We take an extremely collaborative and holistic approach to recruiting. We work with fewer candidates, so that we can be laser-focused on your needs. With this in mind, our goals for each ofour candidates is for them to be happy and successful in their careers. By asking you a lot of questions about what is important to you professionally and personally, we get you to think about what is best for you at this time in your career.
Our candidates tell us that they feel we take a vested interest in them, and appreciate the fact that we don't focus on law firm opportunities during our first meeting. For us, talking about firms at a first meeting is a little bit like discussing marriage on a first date. We need to understand who you are and what your goals are before we start mentioning specific opportunities.
WE DON’T THROW SPAGHETTI AT A WALL
Unfortunately, the recruiting industry has become commoditized in terms of how it approaches candidates. There are many recruiters out there who toss all candidates into a pot and throw them at as many law fIrms as possible with the hope that one will stick! That is not our method. We approach each of our candidates as an individual, with a unique brand identity and set of goals. You are never interchangeable with any other candidate. How do we do that? Well that’s secret sauce that we will discuss!
WE VALUE OUR LAW FIRM AND COMPANY RELATIONSHIPS
In addition to building strong relationships with our candidates, we have built equally strong relationships with our law firm and company clients. Through our years of recruiting, we have gained the reputation of being trusted and valued recruiters. We are often brought in to meet with partners to discuss their lateral needs, and are go-to recruiters when a firm has a needle-in-the haystack search to fill. In addition, having lived and worked in New York for many years, we have built a network that includes some of the leading partners at many of New York’s top firms, as well as top in-house counsel. As recruiters, we are able to leverage the insights that we have gained from these relationships, including first-hand knowledge of the market, law firm culture and job opportunities, to help candidates find career success and satisfaction.
MOVING YOU IS NOT OUR GOAL
This may sound crazy, but our end game is not to get you to move. We want you to be happy and fulfilled in your career! Sometimes that means moving, but it can also mean staying where you are and having us support you in creating ways to make your current role more fulfilling. We love being a sounding board and partnering with our candidates, and we find it very satisfying to see our candidates succeed with whatever decision they make, whether they move or not.
CHANGE IS HARD BUT WE MAKE IT EASIER
Having made a few career moves ourselves, we understand first-hand that change is hard, but often necessary to be happy and fulfilled in your career. If a move is right for you, we create a supportive environment where you can freely discuss your sentiments about your current situation and goals for your next step. We support you in every aspect of the process. We review your materials and make changes where appropriate. (We catch every typo!) We liaison between you and any prospective law firm. Candidates have told us that the way that we do interview prep was a game-changer for their interviews. We debrief after each interview, and if given an offer(s), we support you in figuring out the best decision. Of course, everything we discuss is confidential!
When I was senior associate at a large firm, I worked with AKF Legal Search with the hope of finding a role that would give me a title change. Utilizing their vast network of law firm recruiters and partner connections, they helped me transition to a counsel role at one of the top Am Law 25 firms.
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As a person of color, I felt at ease talking to AKF Legal Search about the importance of being at a firm where I would be comfortable. They culled together a list of target firms and helped me move to a top-tier law firm, where I am really happy with the level of diversity.
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As a busy partner, I did not want to waste my time with recruiters who were not familiar with the market and the nuances of my practice. As a former bankruptcy attorney herself, Andrea had tremendous insight into the market but also personally knew a number of key attorneys and was able to assist me in finding the perfect landing spot!
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I recently re-located to New York during Covid for an amazing opportunity. AKF Legal Search ’s knowledge of the New York market was spot on. In addition to being awesome recruiters, they know everything and anything about New York City and they have been amazing about giving me insights about living here.
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After having spent about a year in a new partner role that I realized was the wrong fit, I was given AKF Legal Search's name as trusted recruiters. I immediately realized how invested they are in their candidates and how relentless they are in finding the right fit. AKF Legal Search helped me move to an amazing firm and I only wish that I had worked with them from the get go!
I reached out to Andrea because of her background as a bankruptcy lawyer. She knew the market inside-out. It took a little longer than expected to find the right role, but I did find a great opportunity. I appreciate the fact that she never gave up. Andrea also makes a huge effort to stay in touch with her candidates after they have moved. I moved 3 years ago and she still checks in on me.
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AKF Legal Search is one of our go-to recruiters for our searches. They understands our needs and especially our firm's brand. It is always a pleasure to work with them.
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On many of our searches, we will inviteAKF Legal Search to meet with our partners and discuss the needs of the group. Their insights and suggestions on how we can make our searches successful are invaluable.
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CONTACT
Please contact me directly to discuss your career or legal hiring needs.
All contact is confidential.
Phone:
Email:
917-415-0284
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