Introduction
Christina Wells, SVP of Operations & People at Flo Recruit, sat down with Joanna Desposati, Legal Recruiting Director at Elsberg Baker & Maruri (EBM), and Nick Bradbury from Premier Technology to discuss how the firm leverages Flo Recruit Applicant Tracking to streamline its recruiting processes. As a boutique litigation firm experiencing rapid growth, EBM sought a technology-driven approach to legal recruiting. In this Q&A, Joanna and Nick share firsthand how Flo Recruit has impacted EBM’s talent acquisition strategy.
Q&A with Joanna and Nick
Q: Tell us about your role at EBM.
Joanna: I joined EBM as the Legal Recruiting Director after nearly nine years at a larger firm. What excited me most was the opportunity to work closely with elite trial lawyers and help build the firm from the ground up. Being part of a boutique firm means I get to focus on recruiting top-tier talent and attract candidates who are interested in early hands-on experience.
EBM is a firm dedicated to commercial trial, litigation, and arbitration, and we’re unique in how quickly our junior associates get stand-up experience. Within months of starting with us, even the most junior lawyers go to trial—a stark contrast from larger firms where courtroom exposure can take years. The mentorship and training at a boutique firm like ours are unparalleled, and I take pride in bringing in candidates who will thrive in our environment.
Q: What led EBM to find a recruiting platform solution?
Nick: When EBM was looking for a recruiting platform, they asked Premier to help evaluate their options. The firm, being brand new, didn’t have anything in place—resumes were coming in from candidates and recruiters, and everything was being tracked manually by one individual. After doing side-by-side comparisons of legal recruiting solutions, Flo Recruit was the obvious choice.
Q: What were the key factors in choosing Flo Recruit?
Nick:
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Ease of Use: Flo Recruit works for everyone—from recruiting teams to attorneys and candidates. Attorneys don’t have to take extra steps to find the information they need wasting non-billable hours.
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Minimal IT Burden: The implementation process was smooth, and it didn’t require heavy IT resources. Any firm, even one with limited tech support, can easily integrate it.
Q: Which Flo Recruit solutions does your firm utilize?
Joanna: We use both the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Pipeline Building features within Flo Recruit.
- Pipeline Building: We leverage Flo for all of our recruiting events—from early candidate touchpoints to tracking registrations and check-ins. Once a candidate applies, it’s easy to track where they first engaged with us. We also have a firm profile on Flo Forward which will help us to build our brand with legal talent.
- Applicant Tracking System (ATS): The ATS is the backbone of our recruiting efforts. I manage applications, screen candidates, schedule callbacks, and track every stage of the hiring process for student, clerkship, and lateral hiring. It’s a game-changer for handling all applicants all in one place.
Q: What has your experience been like using Flo Recruit?
Joanna: I had prior experience with Flo Recruit at my previous firm for student interviews, but using the ATS at EBM for student, clerkship, and lateral hiring is a new experience for me at EBM. Because I had trust in Flo Recruit and know they build high quality recruiting products, I was excited to learn it was what EBM recently chose as the firm’s recruiting platform as I was coming onboard. The transition was seamless, and the training was incredibly helpful.
The chat support team is fast and effective, but honestly, the platform is so user-friendly that I don’t run into issues often. Attorneys also find it intuitive—everything from reviewing materials to logging into virtual interviews is straightforward. It’s the most user-friendly recruiting platform I’ve ever used. Having candidates all in one system keeps my work consistent, which is crucial for effective pipeline building.
For search firms, we require all submissions to go through the Flo ATS, which means every resume is time-stamped, tracked, and organized. That level of efficiency is priceless when juggling a large amount of applicants.
Q: What stood out compared to legacy platforms?
Nick: Flo Recruit is truly built for the legal recruiting ecosystem. What impressed me most was that they partner not just with firms, but also with law schools and have a unique candidate platform, Flo Forward. That kind of end-to-end recruiting solution doesn’t exist anywhere else.
Q: How has Flo Recruit elevated your recruiting strategy?
Joanna: The candidate relationship management feature is what sets Flo Recruit apart.
- For student recruiting, I can track strong candidates we may not have a spot for during their 1L summer but we'd consider for our 2L class the following summer.
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Clerkship and lateral pipeline building: Candidates who don’t receive an offer or decline an offer for our summer program could be great clerkship or lateral hires down the line. Flo Recruit helps me maintain those relationships over time and track every touch point a candidate has ever had with our firm.
Having a structured system to stay in touch with top talent over multiple recruiting cycles is invaluable.
Q: Some boutique firms think they don’t need a recruiting platform. What would you say to them?
Joanna: I strongly disagree!
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With a smaller pool of applicants, you can build deeper relationships, and Flo Recruit makes that easy.
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Interview scheduling and attorney feedback collection is a lifesaver. Attorneys appreciate how simple it is to log in, find candidate materials, and submit feedback all in one place.
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Managing search firm submissions is effortless. Everything stays organized and trackable.
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Capturing early touchpoints from campus events allows us to build relationships that might lead to future hires, even if we can’t bring someone on immediately.
I also love the internal fields feature—I’m constantly taking notes on candidates, and having everything in one place makes it easier to track long-term connections.
Conclusion: Flo Recruit Works for Firms of Any Size
EBM’s experience proves that boutique firms can gain tremendous value from a structured, technology-driven recruiting platform. With Flo Recruit, EBM has streamlined their applicant tracking, improved candidate relationship management, and built a sustainable hiring pipeline.
For firms looking to modernize recruiting—whether a large, global firm or a boutique litigation practice—Flo Recruit provides the tools to create a smarter, more efficient hiring process while maintaining strong candidate connections.
With the right technology in place, EBM is set up to continue attracting top-tier litigators and growing its reputation for excellence in trial and commercial litigation for years to come.
