SSQ - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Co - CEO / London, New York
- Co - Chief Executive
Adam is SSQ's Co-Chief Executive and is widely regarded as one of London's leading partner recruiters and strategic advisors to law firms.
Over the last 18 years he has placed partners and teams into many of the world's leading international law firms and helped several Am Law firms launch offices in London and Europe. His practice covers a wide range of areas, but he is particularly well known for his track record in the M&A, private capital and complex commercial disputes markets, where he has been responsible for many of the most high-profile lateral moves in Europe.
In his role as Chief Executive Adam has overall responsibility for driving strategy and growth for the SSQ Group.
Adam joined SSQ in 2004 after qualifying and practising as a lawyer in the City.
Education
University of Leeds, International Studies
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Hong Kong, Singapore
- Consultant in SSQ 's Hong Kong
Alex is a Consultant in SSQ's Hong Kong office, specialising in recruiting lawyers at all levels with a focus on law firms and in-house. He also works extensively in the Singapore market, dealing with top global and US firms, as well as Silver Circle and local domestic practices.
Prior to relocating to Hong Kong with SSQ, Alex studied Journalism at City, University of London and at Hong Kong Baptist University. He also previously held a position as Senior Executive Officer in a climate change-focused NGO, and taught English, Journalism and International Relations at Beijing University of Science and Technology. Alex initially joined the SSQ team in Germany, working there for a year before transferring permanently to the Hong Kong office. He has a strong interest in learning foreign languages and can speak German, Cantonese and Mandarin fluently.
Languages
English
Job Titles:
- Manager / Paris
- Manager in SSQ 's Paris
Alix is a Manager in SSQ's Paris office. She recruits lawyers at all levels of seniority on behalf of a broad range of international and domestic law firms. Alix studied law at University Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne and at University Paris-Dauphine. Before moving into legal recruitment, Alix qualified and practiced as a tax lawyer and was an associate at Aramis law in Paris.
Languages
French
Amber is a Consultant in SSQ's China In-House team.
Amber specialises in placing lawyers at all levels of seniority, for both multinational and domestic companies, and has extensive experience in recruiting for a wide range of industries including TMT, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, consumer goods, private equity and venture capital.
Prior to joining SSQ in March 2021, Amber worked as a consultant in a multi-disciplinary recruitment agency for three years.
Languages
English
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager
- Senior Manager / Paris
Anne Pichon is a Senior Manager at SSQ.
She specializes in placing lawyers at all levels of seniority into corporates, banks, (PE-) funds and start-ups. She has extensive experience of working with a wide range of clients both in France and internationally. She is passionate about finding helping companies building and structuring their legal teams.
She started her legal career by working for a judicial Administrator's firm in restructuring for three years. Before joining SSQ, she worked for another major recruitment firm focusing on in-house legal recruitment. She joined SSQ in London in 2016 before relocating to Paris one year later. She has led successful campaigns to recruit lawyers for high profile In-House clients across a whole range of sectors, at all levels with a focus from Senior Legal Counsels to General Counsels. She has notable expertise recruiting in legal and compliance (including privacy).
Education
Law at the University of Rennes I
Law at the University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne
Languages
French
Ben is a Director at SSQ and co-heads the Law Firm Associate team, based in London.
Ben specialises in recruiting and representing lawyers at all levels, from newly-qualified associates to partners across a variety of practice areas in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. Ben works closely with candidates from top global and domestic firms as well as the Magic Circle, elite US firms and smaller boutique practices.
Ben re-joined SSQ in 2018, following three and a half years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he worked as a Corporate Associate on a range of public and private M&A matters. He had previously worked at SSQ between obtaining his LPC from BPP Law School and studying Law at Cambridge University.
Languages
Spanish
Education
University of Cambridge, Law
BPP Law School, LPC
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Associate Director / Beijing
Betty Chen is an Associate Director at SSQ and co-heads the Law Firm team in China. She joined SSQ in 2016, where she recruits partners and teams for both international and domestic law firms.
Betty has extensive knowledge of the legal community in China, together with the necessary market knowledge to provide clients and candidates with highly focused advice. Prior to joining SSQ, she worked with two legal search firms in China.
Betty studied law at a top law school in China and received her LLB in 2006.
Languages
English
Job Titles:
- Associate Director / Shanghai
Job Titles:
- Consultant / New York
- Consultant in SSQ 's New York
Charlotte is a consultant in SSQ's New York team and specialises in placing associates, counsel and day one partners into AM law firms. Prior to joining SSQ in 2023 Charlotte worked for a boutique legal recruitment agency. Charlotte graduated from the University of Manchester in 2019 and went on to complete the GDL.
Qualifications:
University of Law, GDL
University of Manchester, ancient history
Job Titles:
- Manager / Beijing
- Manager in SSQ 's Law Firm
Cherry is a Manager in SSQ's Law Firm team based in Beijing. She focuses on recruiting associates at all levels for leading international and top PRC law firms across China.
Cherry graduated from Peking University with an LLB in 2009 and Boston University with an LLM in 2010. She worked as an associate at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in their New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong offices for four years, focusing on commercial litigation and international arbitration. After moving back to Beijing, Cherry worked at Tiantong, Simmons & Simmons and Shearman & Sterling as a Business Development Manager. Cherry also provided legal marketing services to several leading US, UK and large PRC firms as an independent consultant before joining SSQ in 2020.
Languages
Mandarin
Job Titles:
- Office Manager / Hong Kong
Job Titles:
- Director / London
- Director in SSQ 's Law Firm Associate
Danielle is a Director in SSQ's Law Firm Associate team, working with the elite US, Magic Circle and Silver Circle firms. She also heads up our Australia/New Zealand desk, working with associates looking to relocate into the London market.
Danielle trained as a lawyer before starting a career in legal recruitment. She has worked for two of the largest global recruitment firms prior to joining SSQ.
Danielle is committed to building long-term relationships with clients and candidates across the globe. She is passionate about helping people find their dream role and truly invests the time and effort to understanding people and their perfect match.
Education
Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Communications (Majoring in Marketing) from Bond University
Job Titles:
- Managing Director / Madrid
- Managing Director in SSQ 's Spanish
Alejandro is a Managing Director in SSQ's Spanish office. He started his career in legal recruitment in 2007, and has built up considerable experience, combining top quality recruitment advice with an in-depth understanding of the legal market and the highest standards of professional ethics.
Alejandro has experience working with partners and teams in both Madrid and Barcelona, and has been responsible for a number of high profile moves, including the opening of several international law firms in Spain. He also works closely with law firm clients on a number of strategic issues in Spain, Portugal and Latin America. On the in-house side, he focuses on recruiting lawyers across a range of sectors on behalf of leading companies and financial institutions.
Alejandro works across Spain, Portugal and Latin America as well as in a number of other jurisdictions including the USA, Kazakhstan, and the British Virgin Islands.
Alejandro studied law at ICADE (E-1), later qualifying in Spain. Prior to joining SSQ in 2007, he practised as a lawyer in the communications sector and worked in recruitment, management and strategy consultancy for leading Spanish companies and multinationals, both in the public and private sectors.
Alejandro holds a Master's Degree in E-Business and a Postgraduate Degree in International Relations, having completed his PhD with highest honours in Projects and Systems Engineering (Data Protection and Technology) at the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña. He speaks Spanish, English, German, French, Italian and Portuguese.
Languages
Spanish
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Associate Director / Shanghai
Emily is an Associate Director at SSQ. She co-heads the China In-House business and is based in Shanghai. Emily specialises in placing legal, compliance and IP professionals at all levels of seniority into diverse corporate platforms, including pharmaceutical, FMCG, TMT, industrial automation, AI, financial institutions (PE, VC, asset management, IBD), sports and entertainment.
Emily has worked in recruitment for 10 years, helping clients fulfil critical positions from general counsel to head of litigation. Prior to joining SSQ in April 2020, Emily worked for one of the largest global search firms in China. She studied Law and Journalism at the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, before getting her MSc in International Business and Marketing from the University of Newcastle, UK.
Emily believes an insightful understanding of industry knowledge and business strategy is essential to bring value to clients and achieve the best talent match.
Languages
English (business fluency)
Job Titles:
- Resourcer
- Resourcer / Beijing, Hong Kong
Eva joined SSQ Beijing as a Resourcer in April 2022. She focuses on sourcing top-quality candidates for domestic and international law firms across China.
Prior to joining SSQ, Eva worked briefly as an Operations specialist within the legal tech industry.
Languages
Mandarin
Job Titles:
- Senior Director
- Senior Director / Hong Kong, Singapore
Felix Lee is a Senior Director at SSQ. He is based in the Hong Kong office, which he helped to found after working for three years in SSQ's London Law Firm team. Felix has a track record of placing lawyers at all levels into various international and domestic law firms, as well as in-house for non-legal organisations.
Felix studied Human Resource Management and Employee Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is business fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Languages
Mandarin
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Beijing
Hillary Huang is an Associate at SSQ. She is part of the China In-House team and based in Beijing.
Hillary specialises in placing lawyers at all levels of seniority into private equity/venture capital funds, financial institutions and multinational companies. She is passionate about providing clients with a quality service whilst helping candidates achieve their professional goals.
Prior to joining SSQ in July 2021, Hillary spent five years at one of the top PRC domestic law firms and a Magic Circle law firm as a transaction lawyer. She earned an LLB and a double degree in Economics from Peking University in 2015, and an LLM from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016.
Languages
Mandarin
Job Titles:
- Financial Controller / London
Job Titles:
- Associate Director / New York
James is an Associate Director at SSQ and runs SSQ's operation in the USA, having relocated to New York in 2023.
James specialises in assisting Am Law clients with strategic team, partner and attorney hiring and has extensive experience in conducting exclusive searches for key clients across all practice areas and all markets.
James joined SSQ in 2017 having graduated from Durham University and completed his LPC.
Languages
English
Education
University of Law, LPC
University of Durham, LLM Global Finance Law
University of Newcastle, LLB Law
Job Titles:
- Co - CEO / London, New York
- Co - Chief Executive
Jonathan is SSQ's Co-Chief Executive and is widely regarded as one of London's leading partner recruiters and strategic advisors to law firms.
Over the last 15 years he has placed partners and teams into many of the world's leading international law firms and helped several Am Law firms launch offices in London and across Europe. He has a broad practice that covers a wide range of areas but is particularly well known for his work in private equity and M&A where he has been responsible for many of the most high-profile lateral moves in London acting for law firms and partners focused on private capital.
In his role as Co-Chief Executive, Jonathan has overall responsibility for driving strategy and growth for the SSQ group.
Jonathan moved into legal search after training and qualifying as a finance lawyer with Allen & Overy
Education
University of Leeds, International Relations
Justin is Head of SSQ's German In-House business.
Justin specialises in placing lawyers at all seniority levels into corporates, banks and financial services institutions. He has extensive experience in recruiting at a senior level for a wide range of clients throughout Germany and internationally, across various sectors, including automotive, pharma & life sciences, manufacturing, real estate and technology.
Job Titles:
- Team Administrator / London
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor, Asia Pacific / Shanghai
Kenny advises our in-house and law firm clients on legal business strategy across people, process and technology, including lawyer management issues involving assessing and matching talent, individual development and coaching, team building and restructuring.
Kenny studied law at Columbia University School of Law in 1987 before being admitted to the New York State Bar in 1988, and later working at Coudert Brothers in Shanghai playing a key role in projects such as the GM Shanghai Auto JV negotiations and establishment. As in-house counsel, he worked as Chief Legal Counsel of Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd and Greater China General Counsel at Kodak. His previous positions also include Legal Director/General Counsel in Greater China/Asia at PepsiCo, Goodyear and Honeywell.
Kenny is a native speaker in Mandarin, Shanghai dialect and Cantonese and can read and write in Chinese.
Languages
Mandarin
Job Titles:
- Senior Researcher / London
Job Titles:
- Senior Resourcer / London
Lucrezia is a Senior Resourcer at SSQ, having completed a BA in Political Science and French at UMBC (USA) and two Master's degrees at the University of Essex.
Based in London, she specialises in headhunting associates at all levels within UK and US law firms. Lucrezia has experience recruiting for a wide range of practice areas including finance, banking, corporate, litigation and construction.
Languages
Italian
Job Titles:
- Senior Director / Paris
- Senior Director in SSQ 's Paris
Marc is a Senior Director in SSQ's Paris office where he is part of our Law Firm team, specialising in the recruitment of partners, counsels and associates for French and international law firms.
Having graduated from the University Paris II Panthéon-Assas and from EDHEC Business School, Marc interned at Gide and Linklaters. He worked as an associate in intellectual property at Bird & Bird and Hoyng Monegier. Marc joined SSQ in 2011.
Languages
English (Business fluent)
Meghan has been with SSQ since 2019 and is a Manager in SSQ's Law Firm Associate team.
Meghan specialises in placing lawyers, on a permanent basis, into leading US, UK and boutique law firms. She covers all levels - from trainee solicitors to counsel, across all practice areas. Meghan graduated from The University of York in 2015 and went on to complete the GDL.
Education
Graduate Diploma in Law, BPP University
BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of York
Mélanie Tremblay is a Partner at SSQ and, as a member of the company's Board, she is responsible for driving strategy and growth.
Mélanie founded SSQ's Paris office in 2009 and acts for a wide range of domestic and international law firms, specialising in the recruitment of partners and teams.
Mélanie has been responsible for some of the most prominent office launches and team moves in the Paris market and is widely recognised as one of the leading strategic advisors to law firms in France.
Prior to joining SSQ, Mélanie founded the Paris office of a UK based search firm and founded the legal division of a Montreal based search firm. Mélanie trained and qualified as a lawyer in Quebec in 2000 and practiced litigation with the Canadian law firm, Cain Lamarre.
Languages
English
Nicky Walsh is a Senior Manager at SSQ. Nicky is part of our Law Firm team for Germany, specialising in placing lawyers at all levels to local, UK and US law firms. In addition, he has a track record of recruiting lawyers in the private investment space from the investor and advisory side.
Prior to joining SSQ, Nicky has been working in legal recruitment specifically since 2018, leading a team focused on Switzerland and Germany. He brings an academic background in finance, which provides unique insights to the investment and banking sectors.
Nicky is based in London, however regularly spends time in SSQ's German offices.
Education:
University College Cork, Finance
Nish Balasunderam is a Managing Director at SSQ. Nish is head of SSQ's resourcing function globally as well as recruiting for the Law Firm Partner team and the Law Firm Associate team.
Prior to joining SSQ in 2009, Nish studied Law at Leeds University before moving to a commodity finance recruitment business for two years.
Nish recruits new graduates into the business where he runs the recruitment process and then oversees the training process internally. Graduates who start at SSQ are managed by Nish until they are promoted to consultant.
Languages
Tamil
Education
University of Leeds, LLM
University of Leeds, LLB Honours
Job Titles:
- Managing Director / London
Job Titles:
- Office Executive / Shanghai