Michelle J. Foster, Doctor of Jurisprudence, is the celebrated founder and managing partner of The Foster Group Legal Search, established in 2014 in New York City. Throughout her storied career, Ms. Foster has steadily built her hard-earned, trusted status and network by demonstrating her prowess in the law, career counseling, and recruitment in the legal profession. She expertly engages potential candidates, oversees their interview preparation, and guides them through the full process to achieve the best chance for success. For these reasons, clients and candidates clamor to work with her, and countless individuals have benefitted from her vast legal knowledge and connections.
Ms. Foster ascribes many of her accomplishments to her indefatigable work ethic and determination. To date, in her long career, she has placed more than 600 attorneys. Positioned at the pinnacle of her field with an unrivaled reputation for excellence, she takes immense pride in starting and managing a woman-owned business in a highly competitive marketplace. Ms. Foster plans to continue making significant impacts as a recruiting expert well into the future by continuing to partner with the broad cross-section of candidates and clients who seek out her expertise. In addition to mastering the legal recruiting process, The Foster Group Legal Search produces articles for publication as a sought-after, subject-matter authority.
Foundationally, Ms. Foster’s academic journey began at Johns Hopkins University, where she completed coursework in political science. At the University of California, Los Angeles, better known as UCLA, she studied history, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts. She concluded her academic efforts when she earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence at the University of California College of the Law, Hastings, now known as UC Law San Francisco. After graduation, Ms. Foster was admitted to practice law in New York. For the next five years, she impressively secured experience as a litigation associate at Greenhill Speyer Thurm, leaving in 1989 to become a partner at Jones Hirsch Conners & Bull P.C. In 2003, Ms. Foster joined Major, Lindsey & Africa, where she was a key partner, consistently a top ten recruiter, and enjoyed years of being the top recruiter worldwide. When she left the firm to launch The Foster Group Legal Search in 2014, Ms. Foster was ranked third globally.
Alongside her personal drive to reach her goals, Ms. Foster has cultivated an extensive professional network of robust relationships, empowering countless individuals to achieve meaningful career advancement. She strongly believes that one must be fully invested in their pursuits to achieve anything, especially in a complex environment like the law. Ms. Foster owes many of her accomplishments to her gift for attracting and retaining exceptional talent and acknowledging the instrumental role of her support system. Sharing the benefit of her experience, she advises aspiring legal professionals to always remember the importance of having quality colleagues and finding collegial and collaborative environments. This is because Ms. Foster recognizes the dedicated assistance of the people around her and how that has resulted in the many accomplishments of the company. Expanding on her advice, she encourages young professionals to maintain their focus, work hard, avoid wallowing in discouragement, and always look to the future.
Ms. Foster’s words of wisdom stem, in part, from having seen people prejudge their own chances of success before trying their hand at a task or challenge. As a woman in the workforce, she understands what it means to overcome obstacles. Hoping to help others learn from her decades of being hands-on, Ms. Foster recalls that in her first year of legal recruiting, she placed only five candidates. In her second year, that number grew to 35 placements, and through her diligence and commitment to excellence, she rose to the top of her field.
Still, Ms. Foster has always believed in balancing her life. Away from work, the longtime married mother of three children cherishes time with her family, loves to cook, and is a voracious reader. Moreover, Ms. Foster gives back to her community by supporting Doctors Without Borders and organizations dedicated to uplifting women.