Partner-led Search for Legal & Compliance Leaders
We’re a boutique executive search firm placing exceptional legal and compliance leaders. We work closely with clients who value discretion, rigor, and partnership.
What We Do
We advise boards, CEOs, and legal teams across industries on critical legal hires. From Fortune 500s navigating global regulatory transformation to venture-backed startups building their first in-house counsel team, our search philosophy is grounded in rigor, judgment, and trust.
The Team
Ryan B. Whitacre is a counselor and talent-spotter engaged by both hiring managers and search committees at Fortune enterprises, private companies, and major nonprofits.Prior to founding RBW LLC, Ryan led executive search assignments at Bridge Partners and Major, Lindsey & Africa. Prior to search, Ryan was in legal practice for more than 12 years with the law firms Perkins Coie and Faegre Drinker (Gardner, Carton & Douglas), as well as corporate counsel for US Foods and Brookfield Retail Properties Group (General Growth Properties).Ryan is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Chair of the Board of Directors at The Cradle, the nation’s only adoption agency with an onsite nursery.Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, with honors, from James Madison College at Michigan State University, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his Juris Doctor at Cornell Law School.Based in Chicago, Ryan works across the United States as well as internationally.
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