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Onward Insights - April 2026

NewsletterCandidates

Apr 28

Written by Lacie Marshall

Lacie Marshall https://www.onwardrecruiting.com

Why "Director of Innovation" Is Not One Job

Onward Insights - March 2026

What clients say

The people behind the placements.

We recently hired a programmer for an extremely unusual role, a full-time data scientist with LLM/AI experience and an understanding of patent law. James came to us after multiple rounds with other recruiters failed to generate any viable leads. Within days, James identified four candidates, each highly qualified, any of whom would have done an excellent job. We had our role filled almost immediately. James is easy to work with, understood our unique requirements, and skillfully pivoted as we learned more. He will be my first choice for a technical recruiter in the future.

TB

Thomas Barr

Scientific Fellow, Irell & Manella LLP

I recently worked with James during my search for a senior BD leadership role in the legal marketing industry, and I cannot recommend him highly enough. What set James apart was how informed and well-connected he was. He had real insight into the firms and opportunities he was presenting, which gave me confidence that his guidance was grounded in something more than a job description. Throughout the entire process, he was attentive, responsive, and genuinely invested in a positive outcome. I never felt like I was chasing him down for updates. He was consistently one step ahead. I'm thrilled with where I landed, and a meaningful part of that is due to James's support and expertise.

JA

Joey Anderson

Associate Director of Corporate Finance, Kirkland & Ellis

I had the opportunity to work with James and I'm grateful for all of his help throughout the process. He was always responsive, thorough, and willing to make time to answer questions or discuss concerns. What I appreciated most was how seriously he took every question I had. If he didn't have an answer right away, he would find the right person or follow up quickly to make sure I got the information I needed. James was also a strong advocate for me and played a big role in helping me land a great opportunity. I would gladly recommend him to anyone looking for a recruiter who is knowledgeable, communicative, and invested in helping people succeed.

ER

Edward Reed

Director of Business Development, Kirkland & Ellis

I had the pleasure of working closely with James and am grateful for his role in helping me find a new position in the AI/ML field. James demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to understanding not just the needs of the role, but also my professional aspirations. He was very thorough and did an excellent job of keeping all parties informed and moving the process forward. I can confidently say that I would not have found my career transition as smooth or successful without James's support and guidance. Definitely a recruiter worth working with if you are trying to find or fill a position with quality people.

JA

Joe Ashmore, PhD

Senior Data Scientist & ML Engineer

When we set out to build our practice-specific strategic business development team, we knew we needed a search partner who could truly understand the complexity of what we were trying to accomplish, not just fill roles but help shape a high-performing function in one of the most demanding legal environments in the world. James Shenton and Lacie Marshall exceeded those expectations for us at every turn. From our very first conversations, they listened carefully, asked the right questions, and demonstrated a genuine understanding of our AI-focused mandate. What followed was an executive search process that was thorough, consultative, and attuned to both the specialist nature of the roles and the intensity of the New York market. We needed the best. The senior hires they delivered are not just qualified on paper, they are thriving in our fast-paced environment and making a real impact on my team. I have no hesitation in recommending the strong partnership of Opus Resourcing and Onward Recruiting to any organization looking for recruitment capability that combines deep expertise with a truly client-centered approach.

CM

CMO

AmLaw 10 Firm

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