Meet the Team
Beverley Ryder
Beverley Ryder is a founding Director of Ryder Reid and was previously the Director of Administration for the London office of International US Law Firm Mayer, Brown & Platt (now Mayer Brown International) for seven years. Beverley was also a founding member of the London Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. Having identified that that the recruitment requirements of US Law Firms were unique in terms of working practices, culture etc., Beverley Ryder, along with fellow Director Ciara Reid, formed Ryder Reid Legal in 1994. They quickly established Ryder Reid as the premier search and recruitment agency in London working exclusively with US and International Law Firms. Beverley continues to be actively involved in headhunting for Executive level roles as well as dealing with the day to day running of the Firm.
Ciara Reid
Ciara Reid is a founding Director of Ryder Reid Legal and has been involved in legal recruitment for US and International Law Firms since 1994. Ciara has experience of recruiting at all levels from office administrators and paralegals to accounting, IT and secretarial but now specialises in recruiting for Senior Management roles. Ciara's many years experience working exclusively with US Law Firms means that she has gained an in-depth knowledge of how they operate and can readily identify the type of candidates who will work best in these busy demanding environments. Ciara works alongside Beverley Ryder to ensure the day to day operations at Ryder Reid run smoothly and ensures that a high level of service is maintained for both clients and candidates alike.
Leticia Formosa
Leticia joined the Ryder Reid Legal Temporary Division in 2006 and was promoted to the role of Temporary Division Controller in 2007 and became a Director this year. Managing the temporary division and overseeing one other consultant, Leticia deals with the supply of temporary legal support staff ranging from paralegals, legal secretaries, receptionists and administrators to facilities assistants. Over the past 5 years, she has also become a preferred supplier of contract attorneys and litigation paralegals for document review and eDiscovery. Often these positions require specialist language skills and throughout her tenure with Ryder Reid, Leticia has recruited candidates who, between them, have spoken 14 different languages. Leticia strives to deliver a high standard of service by placing value on both her client and candidate relationships.
Andrea Prendergast
Andrea, Senior Marketing Consultant and Director joined Ryder Reid in March 2008 bringing with her a wealth of experience. She started her career in Liverpool in 2001, recruiting support staff within the Legal, Finance & Property sectors. In 2007 she relocated to London to specialise and recruit solely for Law firms across London and Europe. Her move to Ryder Reid was an ideal opportunity to increase her legal recruitment experience and also specialise within the US and International market. Andrea established and now continues to manage the Legal Marketing division. She specialises in recruiting Assistant through to Director level and covers roles within Business Development, Marketing, PR & Communications as well as Events and CRM. Andrea also works closely with Beverley Ryder and Ciara Reid specifically for the recruitment of Senior Management and Executive roles.
Callum Smith
Callum Smith joined Ryder Reid Legal in December 2006 initially working in our support division assisting the Consultants with sourcing candidates, including headhunting. Callum’s role assisting both the Consultants and the Directors meant he gained valuable experience in all areas of recruitment and quickly progressed to become a recruitment consultant on our Finance desk. Callum is now moving over to become the Office Administrator at Ryder Reid Legal and will be working closely with the Directors on day to day operations to ensure Ryder Reid remain the leader in the US law firm market and continue to provide a high level of service to candidates and clients alike.
Steve Cooper
Steve is a Senior Consultant and has been working in legal recruitment since 1996. Initially, Steve recruited for UK law firms and Barristers Chambers before finding his niche recruiting solely for the US market in 2000. He joined Ryder Reid Legal in 2003 where his extensive experience and impressive track record has ensured that he has continued to flourish within the US and International legal market. Steve’s in depth knowledge of US Law Firms means he has a great understanding of how they work, the culture and an appreciation of the calibre of candidates required to be a success. Steve has a very transparent approach to recruitment which is popular with both clients and candidates alike and, over the years, has developed expert knowledge in the recruitment Senior Administrators, Paralegals/Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Human Resources (professionals and support) and Receptionists.
Andy Brunton
Andy has over 7 years experience as a legal recruitment consultant gained in the London and Middle East markets. Andy has recruited for a variety of roles ranging from legal secretarial and HR to IT and Finance. Andy joined Ryder Reid in 2008 and was responsible for setting up the new International Division which has gone from strength to strength in the last three years as clients continue to expand into jurisdictions such as Europe and the Middle East. Andy’s main focus continues to be recruiting for the London offices of US and International Law Firms where he has developed strong client relationships. Andy’s outstanding levels of client and candidate care make him a valued member of the Ryder Reid Legal team.
Dominique Cook
Having joined a boutique recruitment agency in 2003 as an Office Manager, Dominique identified that recruitment was her forte and she progressed quickly into a full time recruitment consultant role. Dominique was dealing with Senior and Management level recruitment and, having spent 7½ years with her previous firm, she felt it was time for a change. Dominique joined Ryder Reid in 2011 initially working on the secretarial desk with two other Senior Consultants. Dominique is now assisting on the Marketing and Business Development desk where she hopes to build on her extensive recruitment experience. Dominique is extremely process driven and highly professional and works hard to fulfill client’s requirements regardless of the type or level of the role for which she is recruiting.
Dee Bhambra
Dee Bhambra is an experienced Recruitment Professional who began his legal recruitment career in 2004 and joined Ryder Reid in 2011. He now works alongside our senior consultants assisting with the recruitment of legal support support staff. He currently works on a wide spectrum of roles, assisting on recruits for Legal Secretaries, Receptionists, Paralegals and IT and Finance professionals. Dee continues to develop his knowledge of the legal market and enjoys his current position at Ryder Reid where he places a high emphasis on customer and candidate care coupled with an in depth knowledge of the legal sector. Dee is particularly strong as a resourcer of candidates and is highly skilled in identifying the the most suitable candidate for a role.
Laura Forsey
Laura Forsey is a Psychosocial Studies graduate who joined Ryder Reid in September 2011 to work alongside Leticia Formosa on the fast growing Temporary Division. Laura was previously responsible for running a busy temp desk, dealing with short and long term bookings along with ensuring full compliance with industry guidelines. Laura brings valuable experience in dealing with clients working to tight deadlines as well as managing candidate expectations at the same time.
Keira Couzens
Keira Couzens joined the administrative team at Ryder Reid Legal over a year ago and quickly made a big impression with candidates and clients alike. She showed a natural aptitude for recruitment and her organisational and people skills quickly came to the fore. Keira has a warm bubbly personality and gives 100% to every task with no job being too much trouble. She has recently been appointed to the Temp Team as an Assistant Consultant working alongside the Head of the Temporary Division, Leticia Formosa and Temp Consultant Laura Forsey and we feel she is someone who will have a long career here at Ryder Reid.