Hire an esquire
Philadelphia, US · Founded 2011 · Delaware corporation · 20 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
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HireAnEsquire (HAE) is an online marketplace that connects law firms and corporate legal departments with vetted freelance legal professionals for contract engagements. It handles candidate vetting and matching for legal staffing needs.
Also known as HAE · Hire an Esquire · MLA's Hire an Esquire
Founders & leadership
Hire an esquire was founded in 2011 by Shapiro C. Julia and Julia Shapiro.
Investors · 5
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$5M disclosed across 5 rounds · 2013–2020
▶$453.2KraisedDec 2022 · 7 investors · Business ServicesRule 506(b)
- Julia C. ShapiroExecutive Officer, Director
- Ram JambunathanDirector
- Frank ByrneDirector
- Elizabeth FentonDirector
- Catherine EnckExecutive Officer
- Offering amount
- $1.5M
- Amount sold
- $453.2K
- First sale
- Sep 2020
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.4MraisedDec 2022 · 44 investors · Business ServicesRule 506(b)
- Catherine EnckExecutive Officer
- Ram JambunathanDirector
- Elizabeth FentonDirector
- Frank ByrneDirector
- Julia C. ShapiroExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $1.5M
- Amount sold
- $1.4M
- First sale
- May 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.8MraisedNov 2022 · 39 investors · Business ServicesRule 506(b)
- Elizabeth FentonDirector
- Catherine EnckExecutive Officer, Director
- Frank ByrneDirector
- Catherine EnckExecutive Officer
- Ram JamunathanDirector
- Offering amount
- $3M
- Amount sold
- $1.8M
- First sale
- Jul 2015
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$988.5KraisedNov 2022 · 12 investors · Business ServicesRule 506(b)
- Catherine EnckExecutive Officer
- Elizabeth FentonDirector
- Frank ByrneDirector
- Ram JamunathanDirector
- Shapiro C. JuliaExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $2M
- Amount sold
- $988.5K
- First sale
- Mar 2015
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$350KraisedApr 2014 · 19 investors · Business ServicesRule 506(b)
- Julia C. ShapiroExecutive Officer, Director
- Julia MillerExecutive Officer
- Offering amount
- $350K
- Amount sold
- $350K
- Minimum investment
- $5K
- First sale
- Dec 2013
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2011
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Hire an Esquire (HAE) operates an online legal hiring platform that matches law firms and corporate legal departments with vetted contract attorneys and paraprofessionals. Hiring organizations post a job on the platform and receive recommendations from HAE's network of legal professionals whose skills and expertise are matched to the stated hiring need; the platform also provides tools for managing the hiring process end to end, from posting through making an offer. On the supply side, attorneys and paralegals create profiles and apply to engagements selected to fit their expertise and schedule.
The platform is presented as "MLA's Hire an Esquire," indicating operation under the MLA brand. Beyond self-service job posting, the company offers demos and sign-up onboarding for prospective hiring clients.
Business model
Two-sided marketplace connecting demand (law firms, in-house legal departments) with supply (contract attorneys and paraprofessionals). Hiring organizations post jobs directly on the platform and are matched with vetted candidates from the company's network, then manage candidate selection, offers and engagements through the platform's tools.
The company charges for job postings on its platform, priced at $250 per job posting.
Traction
The company reports more than 1,200 legal professionals hired and over 460 law firms and legal departments having hired through the platform, with 17,467,503 billable minutes worked by HAE legal contractors and a network of more than 29,000 attorneys and paraprofessionals. It also cites an average of nine vetted and qualified applications per posting, an average of 13 days to make an offer to a candidate, and an average engagement length of 141 days.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
Positions itself as a modern alternative to traditional legal hiring processes, giving hiring organizations direct, self-managed access to vetted contract legal talent.
Emphasizes vetted, high-quality candidate pools, instant skills-based recommendations from a large network, flat-fee self-service job posting, and client control over the full hiring process.
Technology
A job posting wizard collects hiring requirements and generates instant candidate recommendations from the company's network of legal professionals, combined with vetting of candidates and workflow tools for managing hiring from posting to offer and engagement.
Go-to-market
Self-service sign-up and direct job posting on the platform, supported by booked demos for prospective hiring clients, alongside recruitment of attorneys and paraprofessionals who build profiles and apply to posted jobs.
Law firms and corporate legal departments seeking contract legal talent, and attorneys and paralegals seeking flexible contract legal work.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 4
by search overlap
Companies competing with Hire an esquire for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structure▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Hire an esquirehireanesquire.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Hire an esquire do?
- Hire an Esquire is an online platform matching law firms and legal departments with vetted contract attorneys and paraprofessionals.
- Who founded Hire an esquire?
- Hire an esquire was founded by Shapiro C. Julia, Julia Shapiro in 2011.
- Who are Hire an esquire's investors?
- Hire an esquire's investors include 125 Ventures, 37 Angels, Astia, TIGER 21, Ulu Ventures.
- How much funding has Hire an esquire raised?
- Hire an esquire has disclosed $5M raised across 5 rounds.
- Where is Hire an esquire headquartered?
- Hire an esquire is headquartered in Philadelphia, US.