NALSC Member Profile: Jennifer Gillman

Jennifer grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey, where the local library—one of the few places she could walk to from her house—was her second home. It’s not surprising, then, that Jennifer was an English major at Brandeis, specializing in the Victorian novel. Jennifer already knew she was heading to law school (her father was a lawyer and people had been telling her since second grade that she would make a great lawyer). So she followed the advice she’d received from “everyone” and chose a major based purely on interest rather than practicality, and used her time in college enjoying the many classic books she’d always wanted to read.

Jennifer followed in her father’s footsteps to NYU Law. She initially planned on going to Georgetown and was really excited when admitted there, but NYU accepted her, too. Her dad suggested they visit his alma mater before she made her final decision and gave her a wonderful tour of the campus, sharing his memories and experiences. At graduation, her father placed the hood on Jennifer, which he said was the favorite thing he ever did. Jennifer reminisces, “He was my favorite human, so it was a very special day.”

There were a lot of lawyers in the family, so Jennifer knew what they actually did and found it genuinely interesting. Before recruiting, Jennifer was an employment lawyer and loved it. She says, “There was such a human element to the work.” She enjoyed giving clients advice that helped them avoid lawsuits and do their jobs better. She conducted training sessions to help people understand harassment and discrimination laws and how to create more inclusive, respectful workplaces. By the time Jennifer left practice, however, the litigation side was becoming taxing. “Things had already gone wrong and we were just fighting. Often, we weren’t even fighting over the merits of a case, but over procedural issues like deposition dates and document production. It didn’t feel meaningful.”

At that point, Jennifer was looking to go in-house, closer to home, because she had a baby and a toddler, and had barely seen her toddler in two years. While interviewing for an in-house role, another recruiter called about the same position. Jennifer informed him that she already was through three rounds and was scheduled to meet the general counsel. He then offered to take her lunch and tell her about other in-house roles, but instead spent the entire time trying to convince her to become a recruiter. Previously, when recruiters called and sometimes mentioned that she might like recruiting, Jennifer responded that she liked being a lawyer. But when the choice became litigating in New York with a long commute versus never seeing her kids, recruiting started to sound more appealing.

When Jennifer didn’t get the in-house role, that recruiter said, “Give me two weeks. If you don’t like it, I promise I’ll never bother you again.” For those two weeks, Jennifer says, “It felt like all I had to do was talk to people – hear their stories, understand why they liked or didn’t like their current situation, and learn what they were looking for. It never felt like work.” And the flexibility was incredible. She continues, “Recruiting let me have a career I was interested in while still being present for my kids, volunteering at school, and being involved like the other moms. It felt like a good compromise.”

After Jennifer’s kids got older and didn’t need her at school as much, Jennifer realized she had a fundamentally different philosophy about recruiting than her boss. He was law firm-focused; she was candidate-focused. Her boss told her that the only people you could represent like an agent were partners who have their own books of business to move. So, she got to work making phone calls. After Jennifer made two partner placements, her boss admitted, “All right, you were right.” Jennifer concluded that cold calling wasn’t the best way to find partners who want to move, but she proved that the concept worked. When she asked for more resources to brand and market the partner placement practice, her boss refused, not wanting to let clients know they were recruiting their rainmakers.

That’s when Jennifer knew she had to start her own firm.

Jennifer founded Gillman Strategic Group seven years ago with a clear mission: to be candidate-facing rather than firm-facing. Her team helps rainmakers, especially those who have the potential to be superstars with the right resources and support. They work with rainmakers from any law firm. While they might recommend certain firms to specific candidates or identify firms they think are great places to work, they’re never bound to submit any particular candidate to any particular law firm. They never take retainers because it would compromise their ability to put candidates first. If she were to start her recruiting career over again, Jennifer says that she would be candidate-facing from the very beginning.

Jennifer thinks the most challenging part of recruiting is “the stops and starts.” She says, “Many lawyers don’t believe in themselves enough to make a move. They get worried and imposter syndrome kicks in. They think, ‘Maybe my clients won’t follow me. Maybe this is what I deserve. Maybe I shouldn’t make more money. Maybe it’s worse over there.’” She says the lawyers give up on themselves a little too often. But, she says, “I love it when those same people come back a year or two later and say, ‘I’m ready now. Can we get started?’” The best part is getting that phone call: “Oh my god, you were right. It’s so much better. I had no idea how bad it was before.” She believes that those moments make everything worthwhile.

When asked how she learned to deal with the inevitable disappointments that occur in recruiting, Jennifer responded that she believes very strongly in karma. “If I treat everyone well and try to do the best thing for them, even if I can’t place a particular candidate or a deal falls through at the very end, something good usually comes out of it later.” For example, she’s had wonderful introductions from candidates who didn’t take offers, and good things have happened with firms where deals didn’t work out.

Jennifer says;

“If you treat people well throughout the entire process and keep their best interests in mind, even when that particular deal doesn’t work, something positive often emerges down the road.”

Jennifer credits this advice with fundamentally changing her approach: When you’re reaching out to people, you’re not trying to sell them something, and you’re not bothering them. You’re just trying to solve their problem if you can. You’re offering them something valuable. You’re not a used car salesman trying to sell to everyone; you’re trying to see if there’s something you can do to help.

Along those lines, Jennifer is especially excited about the recent release of her book, The Happy Rainmaker (https://gillmanstrategicgroup.com/the-happy-rainmaker/). It’s a business parable about Bob BigLaw and how he uses the 6 Pillars to Be(coming) a Happy Rainmaker to find success and balance. She believes it will help address the mental health and wellness crisis in the legal profession.

Jennifer is a positive person and is drawn to happy things. Her favorite TV shows are Ted Lasso, Shrinking, and Only Murders in the Building. When Harry Met Sally is her favorite movie. She’s a big Billy Joel fan, though she married an even bigger Bruce Springsteen fan, and has slowly come around to Bruce.

Although Pride and Prejudice is her all-time favorite book and influenced her choice of college major, The Go-Giver was transformational for her professionally. It helped her understand that you can be a nice person and still be successful in business. It also showed her the power of a business parable for busy people who don’t think they have time to read. That’s why Jennifer and her team authored a book, which is launching this month, The Happy Rainmaker: A Little Tale About a Lawyer Who Found Success and Happiness Too, as a business parable. Look for it!

Family is important to Jennifer. She will be celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary this summer and hopes to return to the south of France, where she and her husband honeymooned. They have “two amazing kids,” and she loves to cook and host family holidays. Jennifer says, “I would pit my brisket recipe against anybody’s – I’ve perfected it over the years, making six at a time for Hanukkah with potato latkes!” Also, she brags, “If you give me 20 minutes at Trader Joe’s, I can put together a cocktail party. I’d prefer 30 minutes, but I can make it work in 20!”

OK, Jennifer, the timer is running. When’s the party?

Jennifer can be reached at 908-389-7996 or gillman@gillmanstrategicgroup.com.

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