Nextstep Recruiting

Nextstep Recruiting is a boutique legal staffing company founded and led by Kelsey McCann, who brings extensive experience from her tenure as Chief of Staff and Head of Recruiting at a national boutique firm. The company operates with a fundamentally different philosophy from traditional legal recruiters, prioritising quality over volume and treating both candidates and employers as valued individuals rather than fungible commodities. Nextstep Recruiting works with a limited number of candidates and employers, investing significant time in understanding firm culture, candidate aspirations, and practice area requirements to ensure genuinely aligned placements. The company specialises exclusively in legal recruitment, serving law firms ranging from large defence practices to high-stakes plaintiff's firms, as well as in-house legal departments and public interest organisations. Nextstep Recruiting's approach includes comprehensive candidate support such as resume refinement, employer insights, and interview preparation, whilst also providing employers with carefully vetted candidates who have been researched and pre-screened for cultural and professional fit. Operating across the United States, Nextstep Recruiting has established itself as a thought leader in legal industry modernisation and diversity initiatives. Kelsey McCann's leadership has earned recognition including back-to-back Diversity Initiative Awards from The National Law Journal in 2021 and 2022, acknowledging the firm's successful efforts to promote diversity within the legal profession. The company's commitment to ethical recruiting practices, candidate autonomy, and long-term industry transformation distinguishes it from conventional legal recruitment firms that prioritise commission-driven volume placements.