Hiring for Big Four Forensic, Disputes and Investigations Practices
Global forensic, disputes, investigations and cyber practices operating at scale.
Where this appointment sits today.
The largest professional-services firms run investigations, disputes and forensic practices that sit at the centre of every major cross-border matter. Each firm covers similar ground at headline level - dispute advisory, forensic accounting, corporate investigations, regulatory response, digital forensics, cyber - but the emphasis, team depth and jurisdictional strength differ markedly from firm to firm and from region to region.
Senior hiring at this scale is almost never a like-for-like replacement. A new Partner is expected to bring portable client relationships, a clear point of view on a specialism, and a credible plan for growing the practice alongside adjacent service lines. Directors and Senior Directors are expected to lead live engagements, develop client pipeline, and act as the public face of the practice in an agreed geography.
The hiring brief is shaped by three concurrent pressures. Regulatory intensity is forcing investment in sub-specialisms that did not exist a decade ago. Cross-border enforcement is pulling practice teams into regions where local-language capability and regulatory relationships matter. And AI-assisted investigative work is changing the skills specification from junior up, which means senior practitioners are expected to govern AI use rather than delegate it entirely to specialist sub-teams.
Conflict is the single biggest operational constraint. Every senior hire is run through a detailed conflict map before the search starts, not after. We do the preliminary conflict read at briefing stage and adjust the target list accordingly.
Roles we are asked to search.
Mandates vary, but most fall into one of the groupings below. We brief on seniority, scope and the specific mix of technical depth versus leadership required.
Practice leadership
- Partner, Forensic
- Partner, Disputes
- Partner, Investigations
- Practice Head, Regional
- Managing Director
Senior practitioners
- Senior Director
- Director
- Associate Director
- Senior Manager
Specialist disciplines
- Expert witness - damages, quantum, valuation
- Forensic technologist
- Head of eDiscovery
- Regulatory response lead
- Cyber-investigations lead
The candidate profile we target.
The candidate pool for these mandates is drawn from the same firms and from a small number of specialist boutiques. Lateral moves between the Big Four firms are common at Partner level and expected at Director level; moves in the other direction (boutique to Big Four) are rarer and usually involve a specific capability the acquiring firm wants to add to an existing team.
Technical credentials vary by discipline. For forensic accounting and disputes practices, Chartered Accountant or CPA qualifications plus sub-specialism credentials (CFE, CFF, CAMS) are standard. For investigations, a mix of professional-services and former-regulator backgrounds is typical. For cyber and digital forensics, vendor certifications and practical tooling fluency are assessed at interview.
At Partner level, portable client relationships, written-report defensibility and tribunal or courtroom pedigree are assessed in detail. We verify prior-testimony history and carry out independent referencing on shortlisted candidates.
Where this client category concentrates its mandates.
- Financial Services
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Construction & Infrastructure
- Technology
- Life Sciences
- Private Equity
- Public Sector
- Professional Services
Frequently asked.
- How do you handle conflicts at Partner level?
- Every search begins with a written conflict map agreed with the retaining firm. We adjust the target list to the map and update it as new matters arise during the search. Candidates are only approached once the firm has confirmed the target is conflict-clear in principle.
- Will you run a team-lift for us?
- Yes. Team lifts are a regular part of our retained practice for the large advisory firms. They require sequencing, communications planning and careful coordination of notice periods - we structure the search accordingly.
- Can you place into a region where we have no existing presence?
- Yes. Regional entry mandates are among the most common briefs we accept from the large firms. We typically propose a shortlist that balances local credibility (a regionally-based practitioner) with practice portability (an existing Partner ready to relocate).
- Do you advise on market timing or compensation benchmarking?
- We share market context at briefing stage and during the shortlist review. We do not publish benchmark reports; the reference points we draw on are confidential to the individual mandate.
- Is every search retained?
- At Partner, Director and Senior Director level, every search we accept is retained and exclusive. Contingency work at this seniority is incompatible with the conflict-checking and confidentiality these mandates require.
Brief us confidentially on your search.
A Partner with direct experience of this client category will be on the first call. No shortlist is shared beyond the client on the mandate.