Background
Bracewell LLP is a leading international law and government relations firm, advising clients across the energy, finance, infrastructure and technology sectors. With offices spanning the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Bracewell is recognised for delivering commercially focused legal advice to many of the world's most prominent organisations.
After several unsuccessful recruitment campaigns using multiple recruitment agencies, Bracewell was introduced to Maxwell Stephens. Recognising our specialist expertise in recruiting workplace, facilities and office management professionals, the firm appointed us exclusively to recruit an Office Manager for its London office.
The Challenge
The Office Manager would play a pivotal role in the smooth day-to-day operation of Bracewell's London office, combining leadership of administrative teams with responsibility for workplace operations, Facilities Management and supplier oversight.
Working closely with senior leadership, Finance and Human Resources, the successful candidate would ensure the office continued to operate efficiently while delivering an exceptional experience for partners, lawyers, employees and clients.
Key responsibilities included:
- Leading the office administration and front-of-house teams.
- Managing staff performance, appraisals and workload allocation.
- Supporting recruitment, onboarding and training of administrative employees.
- Coordinating daily office operations and workplace services.
- Managing planned and reactive building maintenance.
- Liaising with landlords, building management and external contractors.
- Procuring and managing suppliers to ensure quality and value.
- Supporting Facilities budgets and operational expenditure.
- Maintaining high workplace standards across the office.
- Driving continuous improvement in office operations and customer service.
The role demanded a highly organised professional capable of balancing operational management with people leadership within a prestigious international law firm.
Our Approach
Having recognised that previous recruitment campaigns had failed to identify the right calibre of candidates, Maxwell Stephens adopted a highly targeted executive search strategy.
Working closely with Bracewell's leadership team, we developed a comprehensive understanding of the firm's culture, expectations and operational requirements before approaching carefully selected professionals from comparable legal and professional services environments.
Our search focused on candidates with experience in:
- Office Management within professional services.
- Facilities and Workplace Management.
- Team leadership and people management.
- HR coordination and staff development.
- Contractor and supplier management.
- Budget management and operational planning.
- Customer service and stakeholder engagement.
- Workplace operations and office administration.
Given the relatively small size of the London office, cultural fit was equally as important as technical competence. We therefore prioritised candidates who demonstrated exceptional organisational skills, professionalism, adaptability and a hands-on leadership style.
The Outcome
Following a comprehensive executive search and assessment process, Maxwell Stephens successfully identified and appointed an outstanding Office Manager.
The successful candidate brought extensive experience across workplace operations, Facilities Management and team leadership, together with the professionalism and commercial awareness required to thrive within an international law firm.
Since joining Bracewell, they have successfully:
- Strengthened office operations and administrative processes.
- Enhanced Facilities Management and workplace standards.
- Improved contractor management and supplier performance.
- Supported staff development and team leadership.
- Delivered a consistently high-quality experience for employees and clients.
- Helped create an efficient, professional and well-managed workplace.
The appointment demonstrated Maxwell Stephens' ability to deliver exceptional candidates where previous recruitment campaigns had been unsuccessful, further reinforcing our reputation as specialist recruiters for the legal and professional services sectors.
Delivering Quality Where Others Could Not
Many organisations come to Maxwell Stephens after unsuccessful recruitment campaigns because they require more than CVs—they need specialist knowledge, market insight and a genuine understanding of workplace leadership.
By focusing on quality, cultural fit and rigorous assessment, we helped Bracewell secure an Office Manager who quickly became a valuable member of their leadership team.
Client Testimonial
"Maxwell Stephens did a fantastic job. They quickly proved that we needed a different type of recruitment partner. The calibre of candidates they introduced was significantly stronger than those we had seen previously, and they clearly understood exactly what we were looking for. Every candidate was well matched to both the role and our organisation."