Principals

Martha Ann Sisson, Esq.

Martha Ann collaborates with law firms, corporations and other non-firm consumers of legal counsel in structuring and enhancing their search efforts for associate, partner level and practice group additions. Her practice also focuses on working with individual attorneys and practice groups in evaluating and obtaining opportunities most compatible with their interests and practice needs.

Martha Ann regularly participates in local and national bar association panels and speaks at NALP and WALRAA sponsored programs. She has spoken or written on topics concerning strategic growth prioritization, effective lateral integration techniques, job transition issues and best practices regarding hiring and retention of attorneys. Recently she contributed a chapter on vetting lateral partner and practice group acquisitions for inclusion in Maximizing Law Firm Profitability, Law Journal Press, 2008. In connection with her extensive in-house counsel practice, she has advised corporate law departments on the establishment of offices of general counsel and provided related guidance on the structure and function of roles within legal departments. Martha Ann also has served as an advisor to a consulting firm on its inaugural study of corporate law departments’ resource allocation strategies.

Martha Ann is a former board member of a national not for profit organization and served on the Executive Committee of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia for six years. She also is a past recipient of the BADC's Young Lawyer of the Year Award. Martha Ann is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and the University of Richmond, magna cum laude. She lives in McLean, Virginia with her husband and their welsh terriers.

Recent Publications and Speaking Engagements:

  • Author, Hocus Pocus or Reality: Evaluating the Soundness of Portable Client Relationships and Revenues—Proof or Poof?
    (Excerpt from Maximizing Law Firm Profitability, Susan G. Manch and Marcia P. Shannon, Law Journal Press, 2008)
  • Author, “A Primer on Becoming An In-House Counsel,” (Article prepared for and published on Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s Alumni Extranet, 2008)
  • Author, “In Pursuit of In-House: Interviewing Tools,” (Article prepared for and published on Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s Alumni Extranet, 2008)
  • Speaker, “All About Recruiters” (Georgetown University Law Center, April 2009)
  • Speaker, “Lateral Partner and Associate On-Boarding” (NALP Conference, April 2009)
  • Speaker, “Your In-House Job Search” (Washington Metro Area Corporate Counsel Association, Spring 2007)
  • Speaker, “How to Maximize Working with a Legal Recruiter” (Washington Area Legal Recruitment Administrators Association luncheon, January 2007)
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Nancy M. Palermo, Esq.

Nancy joined G&S as an attorney recruiting consultant in 1999. She became a principal of the firm in 2006 and serves as its president.  Previously, she worked as corporate counsel to The Marathon Group, an environmental services corporation, where she advised corporate management on acquisitions and franchise development matters and supervised outside counsel.  She also has private practice experience as a litigation associate with a Maryland law firm. In addition to her legal background, Nancy possesses five years of business management experience serving as a marketing and sales executive for two international manufacturing and consumer product companies in New York City.

After developing a strong foundation in associate level lateral recruiting for AMLAW 200 and boutique law firms, Nancy expanded her practice into retained and contingent partner level search placement.  She also devotes a significant amount of her time to recruiting attorney candidates at all levels and various practice disciplines for in-house positions with companies in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. She has participated in panel presentations to bar association and specialty groups, the Association of Corporate Counsel, and law school audiences on topics including interviewing techniques and effective resume drafting, current legal market and compensation trends, and how to obtain an in-house legal position.

Nancy is a graduate of Catholic University, Columbus School of Law in 1997, where she served as Co-Chair for the National Conference of Law Reviews and Senior Associate Editor for the Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy. In 2007, she was appointed to a three year term on her law school’s Board of Visitors.  She is Chairperson of the Board’s Career and Professional Development Committee. Nancy received her B.A. from the University of Richmond in 1989 with departmental honors.  She and her husband, a small business owner in the construction industry, reside in North Potomac, Maryland with their three children and basset hound.

Recent Speaking Engagements:

  • Presenter, "The In-House Job Market and Compensation Trends" (Association of Corporate Counsel (Baltimore Chapter), Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, March 12, 2009)
  • Panelist, “How to get an In-House Counsel Job” (Asian Pacific American Bar Association (D.C. Chapter), The Edison Electric Institute, March 11, 2009)
  • Panelist, "Searching For A Legal Position In Challenging Economic Times — Current Market Trends and Ways To Distinguish Yourself" (Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, January 29, 2009)
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Of Counsel

Charles W. Garrison, Esq.

Charlie assists law firm clients in identifying and evaluating practice expansion opportunities involving associate, partner and group acquisitions. He also recruits attorneys for in-house counsel positions. Charlie has testified as an expert witness in federal and state courts around the United States in litigation involving the employability or marketability of lawyers.

Prior to the founding of G&S in 1987, Charlie was a regulatory and legislative partner in the national law firm of O’Connor & Hannan, where he also served as the lateral attorney hiring partner. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked as an advertising and marketing executive with corporations in San Francisco, California, and Montreal, Quebec. Charlie is married and has two sons. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland and spends time during the summer at his house on the Maine Coast. He is actively involved in several community not-for-profit organizations.

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Attorney Search Consultants

Sadie J. Madole, Esq.

In 2006, Sadie joined G&S as an attorney recruiting consultant after practicing law for ten years. Before affiliating with G&S, Sadie served as Senior Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel of the Treasury Department. Sadie advised the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management on procurement and appropriations, privacy, employment law and health and pension benefits. Prior to public service, Sadie worked for five years as an associate in a litigation boutique in Northern Virginia where she specialized in ERISA and health law matters. Sadie also worked as an editor for NBC Network News where she covered news events including Supreme Court arguments and congressional hearings and interviewed Congressional and Cabinet Members, the Attorney General and numerous federal attorneys. Her practice experience in both the public and private sectors provide her with a keen understanding of the challenges involved in career planning while managing the demands of legal practice. Her insight enables her to work effectively and productively with attorneys considering a career transition and employers in need of lateral attorneys.

Sadie is a 1994 graduate of Catholic University, Columbus School of Law, where she served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy. She received her B.S. in Political Science, cum laude, in 1991 from Arizona State University. Sadie and her husband live in Montgomery County, Maryland with their son and two labrador retrievers.

Recent Articles and Speaking Engagements:

  • Author, “An Interview Must: Do Your Homework” (Legal Times, January 5, 2009)
  • Author, “Tell Me About Yourself: The Best Interviews” (Legal Times, September 3, 2007)
  • Panelist, "Searching For A Legal Position In Challenging Economic Times -- Current Market Trends and Ways To Distinguish Yourself" (Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, January 29, 2009)
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Jennifer L. Rappaport, Esq.

Jennifer joined G&S as an attorney recruiting consultant after practicing law for over seven years. Jennifer has the distinction of being the only recruiter who also is a former G&S client. Before joining G&S, Jennifer was an associate in the Washington office of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP. Jennifer advised employers in all aspects of employment discrimination and wrongful termination law including litigation, internal investigations, statutory and regulatory compliance counseling, and the preparation of employment handbooks and agreements. She also served as a member of the firm’s Recruiting Committee for two years.

Prior to working at Paul Hastings, Jennifer was also an associate in the labor and employment department of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Philadelphia, PA.  Her extensive experience as an attorney in private practice and working with and counseling employers on their employee relationships enable her to work effectively and productively with attorneys considering their career advancement and transition as well as employers in need of lateral attorneys.

Jennifer is a 1999 graduate of New York University School of Law, where she served as student article development editor for the Review of Law and Social Change. She received her B.S. in Psychology with honors in 1996 from Brown University. Jennifer and her husband, a pediatrician, are the parents of two daughters.

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Samantha J. Yakutiel

Samantha rejoined G&S as an attorney recruiting consultant in 2003 after working with a federal contractor providing consulting services to government agencies including the Department of Defense, Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration. Previously, she served as a recruiter with the Corporate Executive Board (“CEB”), a publicly traded research and management consulting firm. While at CEB, Samantha managed the MBA and undergraduate campus recruiting programs, assisted with lateral hiring, and developed and managed a formal summer internship program. In doing so, she conducted interviews, represented CEB at career fairs, made recommendations on hiring, and extended and negotiated terms of offers. In addition, she led diversity recruiting initiatives and created an Internet recruiting and sourcing strategy. Samantha also served on the company’s Public Relations Task Force, assisting in developing the company’s recruiting brand.

Samantha’s involvement with legal recruiting began during her undergraduate studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs, at The George Washington University. For a period of two years during her time at GW, Samantha clerked with G&S and assisted in associate recruitment. Samantha lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband, a product manager for a technology company, and their daughter.

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Recruiting Operations Analyst

Valerie M. Mooney

For the past 14 years, Valerie has worked in the field of human resources, with specialized expertise in benefits, compensation and human resource management systems (HRMS). She has held various positions with Automatic Data Processing (ADP), the National Research Council, BTI Americas/USTravel, and Titan Corp (formerly BTG, Inc.). Most recently Valerie served as an information technology project manager and functional business analyst with GTSI Corp.

As the firm’s Recruiting Operations Analyst, Valerie is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the firm’s database and Intranet, evaluating and making recommendations to improve organizational efficiencies, developing marketing initiatives, and conducting targeted research projects.

Valerie received her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, cum laude, from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY. Valerie and her husband, a technical marketing manager at an environmental equipment manufacturer, have two young children and a bichon frise.

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Recruiting Assistants

Katherine M. Charlwood

Kathy began employment with G&S in 2007 in the dual role of recruiting assistant and bookkeeper. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Kathy has resided in Virginia for the past nine years. She has performed office administration and bookkeeping services for companies in the legal, accounting, real estate, and manufacturing industries. Most recently, she served as an office manager for Greater Virginia Realty.

Kathy received her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, CT. She resides in Fredericksburg, VA with her two sons and labrador retriever.

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Mary K. Simonds

Mary joined G&S in July of 2008. A Washington area native, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Salisbury University in 2008 with a major in journalism and public relations and a minor in psychology. As a recruiting assistant, Mary is responsible for supporting client and candidate search strategies, for developing attorney profiles, facilitating interview scheduling, maintaining and updating the firm’s database system, and conducting targeted research projects. Mary also serves as our office manager. She currently lives in Potomac, Maryland with her family and springer spaniel and plans to attend law school in the near future.

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