For our series this week, we’re featuring Jack Hopper, Kinney’s enthusatic managing director!

Why did you become a legal recruiter?
I practiced law for ten years and was looking for a change. My best friend had become a legal recruiter and actually placed me in-house. He thought I would make a great legal recruiter, so I decided to make the switch in 1998 and have never looked back. It has been the best decision career-wise I have ever made.

What’s been your favorite placement and why?
I placed a young lawyer in Miami, Florida with an elite litigation boutique. I met him and knew right away he had the “right stuff”. The client was very particular pedigree wise, and I convinced them to interview my candidate, even though he was not the “best on paper”. They took my advice, interviewed him and called me to say, “You were right.” They made him an offer, and he is now a partner there.

What’s the best part of your day when you’re at work?
After all these years, I still get a thrill out of making the “cold call” and recruiting an outstanding candidate, or making a new client connection and building a new relationship. It just goes to validate that you have to “reach out” and touch people, and you have to pick up the phone to do that.

What’s your favorite part of the placement process and why?
I am able to look myself in the eye every morning and say that I truly make a difference in people’s lives, and that is my career. Not many people can say that. I have built lasting relationships with both candidates and clients, many of whom I can count now as friends. For example, I am very close to a candidate I worked with in Miami in 1999. I didn’t end up placing her, but she knew how hard I worked for her, and she continues to this day to be a friend, and an advocate for my expertise and effort.

If you’re hunting for a new position or would just like to set up a call with Jack, you can reach him at .