Why Deacon
Gideon Krotosky

Gideon Krotosky

Consultant

Gideon Krotosky has been with Deacon since 2009 – most of his legal recruitment career. He spends around 80% of time recruiting associates for UK, US and international law firms in London, with the remaining 20% spent recruiting partners.

Gideon had originally planned to work in finance. “I studied economics and accountancy at university, but quickly realised that I didn’t want to be an accountant. Whilst I considered other routes in the finance sphere , they ultimately didn’t materialise and this ended up being a blessing in disguise!”

A friend that worked in recruitment suggested that it would suit Gideon’s people skills, and he joined a graduate recruitment scheme at a leading multi-sector national recruiter in the summer of 2006 where he spent the next three years recruiting lawyers. “I was so nervous at first and hated having to be on the phone. I’d had a previous temp job at a high street firm recruiting retail workers, which was my only previous experience of the recruitment world. But the graduate scheme was excellent and I learned the ropes and the legal market very quickly.”

Gideon was so successful that he won a prize from his employer within his first full years’ service which paid for his honeymoon in Australia! It was around this time that the effects of the global financial crisis were being felt on the legal sector, and his company subsequently moved him into recruiting policy professionals for charities. “I initially resisted the internal transfer as I had invested so much time in getting to know the legal sector and building relationships with clients and candidates and wanted to persevere with it.”

Gideon already knew Deacon’s founder Paul Deacon socially, and Paul offered him the opportunity to join his team as its second associate recruiter – enabling him to use his existing legal network and build up his own desk. One of his strengths is in building long-term relationships with candidates. “I’m still in touch with people that I placed as juniors that are now partners and are instructing me to find lawyers for their own teams. I also keep in contact with people I didn’t end up placing – one later set up his own company and I have placed lawyers in his team. Nurturing relationships is so important and it helps that I genuinely enjoy speaking with and helping people and always want to learn.”

One of the things that Gideon likes most about recruitment is that he can help make a difference to peoples’ lives. For example, when he is assisting lawyers that are moving to the UK from jurisdictions such as India, Australia or New Zealand, they tend to not know the UK legal market as well and trust his judgement on which firms would best suit their skills, experience and personality.

He is always honest and realistic with his candidates and sometimes finds he needs to manage their expectations. “Some candidates moving to London from Scotland, Ireland or the regions for example can be really clued up on the market but may not understand what it is really like to work in a major US or international firm in London and what will be expected of them. I can help dispel the myths and provide them with the pros and cons of each firm to help them make a decision. This includes advising them not to make a move just yet if I don’t think it would be in their best interests.”

It’s this honesty that Gideon’s candidates appreciate, since referrals are very important in building his network. “I’m lucky in that I genuinely enjoy what I do for a living, and am very appreciative as I know that not everyone does. I want to do what I can to help individuals find a great role for the next step in their career and source great candidates for my clients.”

Of course, like any job, legal recruitment has its ups and downs. “I’m naturally competitive and I will admit to getting a buzz when I place someone over a rival recruiter. It’s very satisfying when placements work out really well and I get lovely feedback and testimonials from appreciative candidates . On the flip side, it can be frustrating when I’m ghosted by candidates, or they change their minds about what they want.”

Gideon feels that Deacon has a very special culture and he wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. “It’s rare that people leave Deacon, and when we interview new recruits they sometimes ask ‘what’s the catch?’ as everyone gets on so well and it can sometimes feel a bit too good to be true when we talk them through the culture of the business. We all trust each other implicitly and genuinely work well as a team. Despite the high financial stakes involved, it is very rare for internal disputes to materialise within our team. It’s also a non-hierarchical and mature environment, you’re not micro-managed and trusted to work in whatever way best suits you.”

Outside of work, Gideon is devoted to his wife Joanne and children Chloe and Noah. He is an active member of his local synagogue having been on the board of management for over 10 years and tries to volunteer with his children for local charities and food banks. He enjoys most sports including football, golf, athletics and boxing and is well known for his dedication to his beloved Everton FC! He is a huge fan of professional development and regularly listens to inspirational podcasts such as The High Performance Podcast and The Diary of a CEO.