Lawyer Headhunter | Trevin Sewell, Smith Legal Search

Trevin Sewell Headhunter

Trevin Sewell Headhunter

A Legal Recruiter with a Human Lens

At SLS, I help law firms and companies find exceptional legal talent, and help lawyers figure out what comes next.

I have spent years immersed in the Canadian legal market, working with lawyers at every stage of their career and with the law firms and in-house legal teams that need to find the right person for a critical role. Lawyer recruitment is all I do. That focus is deliberate.

At Smith Legal Search, I work across private practice and in-house mandates, from associate placements to partner-level lateral moves and all levels of in-house searches.

The lawyers I work with get an honest read on the market, a clear sense of what is realistic, and a recruiter who will tell them the truth about where they stand and what their options actually are.

Visit Smith Legal Search

How I work is built on one thing, trust.

Every conversation is confidential. Nothing moves without your explicit go-ahead. Your name, your resume, your situation, none of it goes anywhere until you say so.

"Most lawyers do not need more options. They need someone who can help them think through the right one."

No resume spammingYour resume goes where you say it goes

No pressure tacticsI would rather wait than rush a bad move

No hidden agendasYou always know where your info is going

No ghostingThe relationship does not end when the deal closes

No bad fitsIf a role is wrong for you, I will say so

No transactional thinkingLawyers talk. I am building a reputation

Representative Search Experience

The work I have actually done.

A straight look at the kinds of searches I run, across private practice and in-house, from associate placements through partner laterals and full legal team builds.

Private Practice

National & International Firms

Regional Firms

Specialized Boutiques

Associate Search

Partner & Group Laterals

In-House

Public Companies

Private Companies

Crown Corporations & Institutions

Legal Counsel → General Counsel

Legal Team Builds

Build In-House Legal Teams

Partnered with public companies, private organizations and institutions to build out internal legal functions, from first legal hires through to full team builds.

Associate to Partner Search

Search experience spanning junior and senior associates through partner and group lateral mandates for national, regional and boutique firms.

Legal Counsel to General Counsel

In-house search experience across public companies, private companies and institutional organizations.

British Columbia + National Reach

BC-led search practice backed by Smith Legal Search's national platform across Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

Selected Organizations

SLS

For Law Firms & In-House Companies

Legal is all we do. Our team is immersed in firm structures, compensation trends, and in-house dynamics. We speak your language because we live in this space, and we focus on strategic hires with staying power, not transactional placements.

Most of the opportunities we work with are never on a public job board. We reach lawyers who are not actively looking but might be open to the right move. Deliberate hiring. Sustained performance. Trusted partnership.

Services

Partner & Associate

Private practice at every level across Canada

In-House Legal

First counsel to GC, we know what companies need

Office Opening

New markets, new teams, expansion planning

Confidential Search

Succession planning and sensitive replacements

The SLS Blueprint

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Scope, align on success beyond the job description

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Market Map, custom talent landscape for your search

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Outreach, we reach lawyers not actively looking

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Shortlist, only candidates who align on every level

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Offer & Integration, we see it through to day one and beyond

Start Hiring, Contact Trevin View SLS Perfect Hire

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you decide which opportunities or candidates to bring forward?+

Every conversation starts with understanding what actually matters to the person, not just their CV. I only bring forward opportunities that make sense for where someone is and where they are trying to go. And I only bring candidates to clients when I genuinely believe it is a fit worth exploring.

I am worried that my firm or employer will find out I am speaking to a recruiter. What then?+

Nothing goes anywhere without your consent. Not your name, not your resume, nothing. I do not share any details about our conversation with anyone unless you have explicitly told me to.

If I share my resume and consent for a specific opportunity, does that mean it goes out for everything?+

No. Consent for one opportunity is consent for that opportunity only. I will always come back to you before sharing your information anywhere else. You are in control of this process at every step.

Do you work with lawyers outside of BC?+

Yes. I commonly work with lawyers from all over North America who are looking to relocate to British Columbia. I also selectively work with some of the top US national firms with offices in California who are looking to recruit Canadian talent. At Smith Legal Search, we are national, I have colleagues in Alberta and Ontario who are able to assist with searches and placements across the country.

Is there a cost to a candidate to work with you?+

No. There is zero cost to the lawyer we place. Placement fees are not something a candidate ever needs to worry about.

How do you stay close to the legal market beyond active searches?+

I stay in ongoing conversations with lawyers and legal leaders whether or not there is an active search happening. The market moves fast and the best opportunities often do not get posted publicly. Relationships built over time are how I know what is actually available.

How do you approach conversations when a move or hire may not be the right decision?+

I say so. My job is not to close a placement, it is to give you an honest read on the situation. If the timing is wrong, if the opportunity is not the right fit, or if staying put makes more sense, I will tell you that. The relationship matters more than the transaction.

The best teams are not assembled. They are found. People who already understand what it means to show up, for each other, for the client, the candidate, every time.

This is who I go to war with.

Meet the Team