A Fireside Chat with Delia Swan, Part I

We sat down with our Founder Delia Swan for a fireside chat discussing legal market trends, the early days of Swan Legal, the SLS edge, succession and family. Our conversation arrives in three cozy parts for the holidays, with our first diving into the origin story of Swan Legal: from Attorney, to Mom, to California’s top Legal Recruiter.

You started Swan Legal Search in 1997 and have achieved an incredible 25 years of business since. Can you tell us about those early days and what you remember most about them? 

Before SLS, I worked for law firms from sunrise to sunset.  After my daughters were born, I was able to negotiate a part-time situation with my law firm, but litigation did not lend itself to a part time commitment.  So, I started my own law firm to have flexibility to be with my children. That transition was scary but I needed to be with my girls.  After several years practicing law, I felt again that the demands of the legal profession didn’t sync with my family plans.  

But I love people.  Having been called by legal recruiters over the years, I thought recruiting might be a better fit for me.  I understood the law, I understood the job, and, as I said, I love people.  I went to work for a legal recruiting firm and found that I enjoyed the challenge.  Again, however, the demands of the professional collided with my ambitions as a mother.

I decided to create a legal recruiting company where intelligent, ambitious lawyer moms could succeed on both the professional and personal fronts. I wanted to provide a place for women like myself who wanted to realistically balance motherhood and a profession — something not available to women in law firms at the time. 

I put my head down and worked.  I remember loving the flexibility - so different from practicing law or recruiting in traditional firms.  I was able to enjoy my daughters’ school field trips and was able to participate more as a Mom to young children.  I worked hard, but I controlled my time, and loved seeing my ideas blossom.

What was it like transitioning from legal practice to entrepreneur? What were some of the unexpected challenges and opportunities you discovered when launching SLS? 

Oh boy.  Those early days.  I sat with a computer a day or two downloading Martindale Hubble, a lawyer directory into my computer.  Then I spent the next week or so culling through, eliminating lawyers who were not qualified to be a potential SLS candidate.  An odd way to build a database, but back then, there was nothing else, so I created my own. 

There were some small bumps in the road.  When I started up the company in 1997, I was greatly bootstrapped by a lawsuit brought by a former employer accusing me of poaching their candidates. Their intent was to break me and stymie my efforts to start my own firm. They litigated and papered me hard. They sought to avert my time to defending myself.  In a deposition it became clear they bet on the wrong horse, and they backed off (I had not contacted any of their candidates).  It was a disturbing, distracting experience though, but I persevered and was freed from that experience. I steered my ambitions to one goal:   to succeed, to be the best, and to always maintain integrity.

Continue reading >> Part Two