Garcia Legal Search has earned a reputation for professionalism, discretion, and attorney-led expertise. Every member of the consulting team is a former practicing attorney, providing clients and candidates with informed, strategic guidance. From Miami to Pensacola and Fort Myers, the firm partners with law firms and legal departments statewide to place top legal talent.
We recently spoke with Lisa Machado Garcia, President and founder of Garcia Legal Search, a Tampa-based, woman-owned legal recruiting boutique established in 2008. With over 22 years of experience in attorney search, Lisa brings deep insight into the evolving legal landscape across Florida.
Garcia Legal Search works with clients across Florida’s most active legal markets, including Tampa, Miami, Naples, Jacksonville and Orlando.
Florida’s Legal Market
In our conversation, Garcia shared her perspective on Florida’s legal market.
Shifting to International Business across Cities
“We’re seeing a diverse influx of international businesses coming to Florida,” says Garcia. “There’s been a noticeable increase in corporate international mergers and acquisitions, as well as international tax activity, which suggests more global companies are choosing to relocate here. Florida is very welcoming to business—with favorable tax laws, a supportive culture, and an attractive climate. Cities like Tampa, Orlando, and Naples are all experiencing growth and are becoming highly desirable places to live and work.”
Sweet Spots: Tampa, Miami, Orlando and Naples
Tampa continues to be a steady hub for corporate and healthcare law, while Orlando, with its hospitality and real estate-driven economy, sees consistent demand in business, land use, and litigation practices.
According to Garcia, Naples is now attracting significant attention. Once considered a quieter corner of Florida’s legal landscape, firm partners with second homes in the area are helping drive expansion into this affluent and strategically located market. With a growing population of high-net-worth individuals and business owners, demand is rising for legal services in corporate, real estate, and trusts and estates. At the same time, local firms are increasingly embracing legal technology to streamline operations and better serve clients, reflecting a broader shift toward innovation in Florida’s emerging legal hubs.
“It’s a great place to be in Florida for business for a lot of reasons, it’s centrally located; you can get to South Florida easily. You can get to North Central Florida easily,” she explains. “With a robust local economy and a wealthy demographic, it presents a prime opportunity for business development.”
Orlando
Legal Recruiter Spotlight: Garcia Legal Search, LLC
Garcia Legal Search, LLC is a firm devoted exclusively to attorney placement. We assist law firms and corporations in locating the best and brightest legal talent in the Orlando area.
Tampa
Legal Recruiter Spotlight: Garcia Legal Search, LLC
Garcia Legal Search, LLC is a firm devoted exclusively to attorney placement. We assist law firms and corporations in locating the best and brightest legal talent in the Tampa area.
Miami
Legal Recruiter Spotlight: Garcia Legal Search, LLC
Garcia Legal Search, LLC is a firm devoted exclusively to attorney placement. We assist law firms and corporations in locating the best and brightest legal talent in the Miami area.
Law Firms are Grappling with a Candidate Market
The legal hiring landscape in Florida remains active in 2025, with Garcia Legal Search reporting consistent placement activity across attorney and support roles. “It’s a fast-moving, high-energy hiring market, and we’re thriving in the challenge—it’s an exciting time to be in legal recruiting.”
As hiring continues across Florida’s legal market, law firms and legal departments face growing pressure to adapt to candidate-driven conditions.
“Right now, it’s a candidate-driven market,” explains Garcia. “There are numerous opportunities available for job seekers. This makes it a bit challenging for law firms, as candidates often receive multiple offers. As a result, firms need to be highly competitive with their initial offers to attract top talent.”
“It’s a candidate-driven market. As a result, firms need to be highly competitive with their initial offers to attract top talent.”
– Lisa Garcia
Garcia Legal Search
Firms that hesitate or assume candidates will wait often lose talent to competitors who move faster and present stronger offers upfront. In a market where top attorneys may be fielding multiple options, even small delays can lead to missed opportunities.
Law Firms aren’t Making Hiring Decisions Fast Enough
When it comes to timeliness in placements, another challenge is internal decision-making speed. “Sometimes law firms cannot make decisions as quickly as they would like to because of the administration,” Garcia notes. The hiring process in a law firm can slow things down.
This lag can be especially problematic when hiring during a candidate’s market, when firms are competing with multiple other firms for talent.
In addition to speed and competitiveness, many firms are also contending with changing candidate expectations, particularly around remote work flexibility, compensation transparency, and professional development. For example, a 2023 ALANET survey found that roughly half of younger attorneys said they would resign if required to attend the office more than 3 days weekly—showing how critical hybrid or remote flexibility has become.
These evolving preferences require firms to not only act quickly but to find attorneys who align their values, and vice versa.
Construction Litigation is Driving Demand
One of the most notable legal trends is the surge in construction-related hiring in Florida. Florida’s ongoing infrastructure and real estate development boom is creating new demand for attorneys experienced in construction law, real estate litigation, land use, and related disputes. “We’re having a year where there’s a lot of hiring in the construction arena” Garcia notes.
According to industry sources, projects across Florida are fueling an uptick in lien disputes, construction defects litigation, and contract advisory work, especially as fast-paced timelines increase the legal complexity for developers, contractors, and property owners. Law firms are expanding their construction litigation teams to meet this need.
AI Adoption Hasn’t Reduced Human Hiring
“AI can really only do so much. It still can’t do what a human being can do.”
Despite the growing use of artificial intelligence across the legal industry, Garcia emphasizes that it hasn’t reduced demand for skilled staff. “We’ve seen an increase in requests for support staff. AI can really only do so much. I use it a lot in our business, but at this point, it still can’t do what a human being can do.”
Support roles such as paralegals, legal assistants, and intake coordinators remain essential in delivering responsive, high-touch service, particularly in busy practice areas like litigation and real estate.
Legal Recruiters can Tap into Passive Candidates
With long-standing connections across Florida, Garcia and her team are able to identify and engage passive candidates. These are individuals who are not actively applying but are open to the right opportunity. “I can contact passive candidates that I’ve known for many years and ask them, ‘What are you looking for in your next position?’ The recruiters have the expertise and the time that the law firms really don’t have.”
Finding the Right Talent takes Time and Communication
A common mistake is underestimating the competition for talent. “Firms often are unaware of how many other opportunities a candidate might have, and they sometimes underestimate how long it takes to find a really good candidate,” Lisa explains.
Time constraints and limited outreach can hinder law firms and legal departments. “After more than 22 years in this field, I’ve come to understand that employers simply don’t have the time to sift through countless resumes.”
Calling a recruiter helps secure an effective placement for those reasons: a recruiter is dedicated to the placement, and has a pulse on the legal hiring landscape. The more an employer shares about their culture, challenges, and team dynamics, the better a recruiter can tailor the search. “When clients take the time to share details about their firm’s culture with me, I’ve found that building a strong relationship with them significantly improves both the placement process and the longevity of the placement.”
Communication also Matters to Candidates
A successful attorney placement is more than matching a résumé to a job description. For legal recruiters like Lisa Garcia, it starts with trust and clear communication.
“When I work with a candidate, I try to develop a relationship with them and understand what their goals and needs are ,” Lisa explains. “It makes my job more challenging when they work with multiple recruiters, or don’t communicate clearly with me. While it is understandable that candidates may speak with more than one recruiter, miscommunication can complicate the process. If a candidate is submitted to the same firm by more than one party, or applies directly while a recruiter is advocating for them, it can appear disorganized or even unprofessional to the employer.
Lisa encourages candidates to keep all parties informed. “Keep everybody in the loop and communicate. That is the key to making a successful placement for them.”
Final Thoughts
Transparency and collaboration help recruiters advocate more effectively, avoid duplication, and increase the odds of a placement that aligns with both the candidate’s goals and the employer’s needs.
Garcia Legal Search’s attorney-led approach and long-standing relationships continue to make a strong impact in connecting top talent with the right opportunities.
To explore more experienced legal recruiters across the U.S., or to find a trusted partner in your metro, visit the Legal Recruiter Directory.
