Recruiting Experience:
Dan has advised the most significant lateral partner transactions of the past 15 years. Emblematic of his practice are deals that opened numerous major law firm offices, including Wilson Sonsini, WilmerHale, Stradling, Cooley, Goodwin Procter, and Kelly Drye offices in LA, along with Gibson Dunn’s office in Singapore. Most recently, Dan is responsible for Cooley’s new DTLA office which opened in 2022. These office openings are complemented by his numerous other signature deals (i.e. his partner placements starting a real estate group for Kirkland in California). His placements have been repeatedly listed on The American Lawyer’s annual short list of the top lateral partner moves worldwide.

 

Resume:

Before recruiting, Dan practiced with Allen Matkins and was subsequently hired by Home Depot to spearhead and run its West Coast legal department (a $20B Division). Dan’s work there earned him recognition as one of the “Top 20 Lawyers under 40” in California by the California Daily Journal. Dan transitioned into legal recruiting by founding Major Lindsey & Africa’s partner recruiting practice in Southern California.

Thought Leadership:
Dan is a regular speaker at Sandpiper Partners Annual Los Angeles/California Legal State of the Market conference, most recently offering commentary into the current year’s lateral partner market. Dan has also been a content contributor for notable legal publications, including his Law360 article on the six most pervasive myths about lateral partner movement, their most widely read guest article of the year.

The Bottom Line:
Dan’s experiences as a big law firm lawyer, a Fortune15 client, and the founder of legal and recruiting departments, gives him an unparalleled “in the trenches” perspective for the unique career challenges facing today’s law firm partners. It’s why one partner describes him as “…a powerful combination of objective counselor, law firm liaison and personal advocate.” Additional testimonials can be found here.

Personal:
Dan is married with three kids, and is an avid sports fan for his UCLA Bruins, and his dyed in the wool childhood teams - the San Diego Padres and “Los Angeles” Chargers.