Macrae Expands Transatlantic Team, Enters LA Market, and Launches Macrae+
Macrae today announced the expansion of its transatlantic team with the appointment of Ryan Belville as a Partner in New York and Naomi Kaplan as a Managing Director in California. These strategic additions strengthen Macrae’s recruitment capabilities in two key legal markets. In addition, the firm has bolstered its proprietary data and analytics capabilities with the hiring of Ian Amanor as Director of Technology & Innovation and Judith Albert as Director of Research.
Strengthening Macrae’s Recruiting Expertise
With nearly two decades of experience in legal recruiting, Ryan Belville has spent the past 10+ years specializing in partner placements and advising leading law firms on high-profile lateral moves. Based in Macrae’s New York office, he becomes the second partner in the office, joining Office Managing Partner Jon Truster as the firm continues its strategic growth in the region.
A seasoned legal recruiter, Naomi Kaplan has built a distinguished career spanning agency and in-house roles, including running her own firm. In recent years, she has focused exclusively on partner placements, working with top law firms in California and beyond. As a managing director based in Los Angeles, her deep market expertise and entrepreneurial approach will further expand Macrae’s footprint on the West Coast
“Finding the right platform for your practice to flourish as a law firm partner has always been key to business success and personal satisfaction; today’s legal market presents significantly greater complexity and variables to partners considering a move,” said Melinda Wallman, Global Practice Leader at Macrae. "With equity and non-equity dynamics evolving, partner compensation reaching new heights, and leading firms choosing very different strategic road maps to growth, it is more important than ever to have the right recruiting partner guiding you – whether as a candidate or a law firm. With the addition of Ryan and Naomi, Macrae continues to attract and retain the best team in the industry.”
Investing in Technology and Research
Macrae has also strengthened its data and analytics team with the addition of Ian Amanor as Director of Technology & Innovation and Judith Albert as Director of Research.
A skilled data engineer and architect, Ian Amanor will leverage his expertise in designing and optimizing information flows to integrate public datasets with Macrae’s proprietary data. By developing real-time data streaming systems and enhancing data models, Ian will enable Macrae to generate unique insights into the lateral marketplace (and beyond), empowering both clients and candidates with data-driven intelligence.
With deep expertise in legal industry research, Judith Albert will play a pivotal role in maximizing the value of Macrae’s data. Drawing on her extensive experience in investigatory techniques, information sources, and uncovering analytic insights, she will support Macrae’s recruiters in identifying the best candidates for clients and provide partners with unparalleled market insights on their career options. Judith’s leadership will further strengthen Macrae’s research capabilities, ensuring the firm remains at the forefront of legal industry intelligence.
"Our recruiters are the best at what they do, but our collective intelligence is the backbone that elevates our capabilities," said Carter Brown, CEO at Macrae. "The addition of Ian and Judith reinforces our commitment to investing in technology and data-driven solutions to complement the deep market expertise of our recruiters."
Introducing Macrae+: A New Era of Legal Market Intelligence
Coinciding with these key hires, Macrae is launching Macrae+, a premier platform delivering real-time intelligence on AmLaw100, elite London-based, and top-tier international law firms and partners. Combining multiple public databases with Macrae’s internal data, overlaid with dynamic analytics and interpreted with expert human insights, Macrae+ provides accurate firm and partner data, relevant news, and proprietary research
Macrae and Macrae+ have already launched industry-focused thought leadership, including the New York M&A Market Report and the Italy Private Equity Market Report, providing critical insights into key legal markets.
"Macrae+ is a product we’ve been developing for some time, and we are thrilled to officially launch it," said Brown. "It equips our recruiters with up-to-date law firm and partner data in minutes while also expanding our industry thought leadership, providing our clients and candidates with critical insights to navigate the ever-changing legal industry."
Continued Strategic Growth and Leadership Expansion
Macrae’s recent hires reflect the firm’s commitment to strengthening its capabilities across key legal markets. With Naomi Kaplan joining, Macrae has now established a presence in Los Angeles, further expanding its reach across California’s key legal markets. As the London and European legal markets remain active, Macrae continues to seek strategic additions to its London team.
Alongside this expansion, Macrae has also strengthened its leadership team to enhance collaboration and collective intelligence across its transatlantic offices. Melinda Wallman has been appointed Global Practice Leader while continuing in her role as Office Managing Partner for London, ensuring a unified approach to supporting law firms and partners across Macrae’s global network. Jon Truster has been named Office Managing Partner in New York, and in Washington, D.C., Lauren Drake joins Jane Sullivan Roberts as Co-Office Managing Partner. Joe Macrae remains Office Managing Partner for the Bay Area, where the firm has a strong and established presence.
With a focus on thoughtful, market-driven growth, Macrae remains dedicated to providing top-tier strategic guidance to law firms and partners navigating an evolving legal landscape.
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+44 20 7092 3999Gabby Kitney
Director of Marketing
gabby.kitney@macrae.com
+1 646 516 6290