David Claypoole is the founder and President of Claypoole Executive Search LLC (CES). He personally handles all of CES’s General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer searches. David has placed over 300 investment management lawyers and compliance professionals. He is an acknowledged expert on legal and compliance compensation structures in hedge funds and the salary survey he produces annually has become indispensable to clients and candidates alike. He is frequently quoted in top industry and business publications on compensation trends and structures and has been featured on ABC World News.
Prior to founding CES, David ran Parks Legal Placement, a recruiting firm with a similar focus to CES. He has a wealth of personal contacts in the legal and investment management industries developed over more than 25 years in the business, which include stints with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft as Director of Professional Development; with Schulte, Roth & Zabel as Director of Lateral Hiring; and as a partner in a large national recruiting firm. Having been on “the inside,” David has an understanding of the hiring process that is rare among recruiters. This “both sides of the table” experience enables him to cut through issues from introduction to negotiation and save clients and candidates time and headaches. David devotes his personal attention to every search CES undertakes and makes every effort to meet both clients and candidates.
In his spare time, David enjoys cooking, wine, theatre and impersonating Elvis.
David received his B.A. in Economics from Vassar College.