Direct-hire & contract staffing

We fill the roles that keep you running.

Senior-led recruiting that moves at the speed your operation needs, at a fraction of standard agency fees.

Request talent See our fee model

Detroit-based · Serving mid-market & multi-entity employers

What partners get

10–14%placement fee vs. 20–25% standard
<30 daystarget time-to-fill on core roles
1:1you work directly with the recruiter, not a call center
Why Lawson

A modern search partner, built by an operator.

Most staffing firms sell volume and hide the person doing the work. Lawson Search & Advisory does the opposite: one accountable recruiter, measurable outcomes, and lower fees than the contingency model you're used to.

01

Lower, transparent fees

Placement fees start at 10–14% of first-year salary, versus the 20–25% most agencies charge. Priced up front, no surprise markups.

02

Measured on outcomes

We report on time-to-fill, submittal-to-interview rate, and hiring-manager satisfaction: the numbers that tell you the search is working.

03

One accountable partner

Nearly a decade of full-cycle recruiting and HR operations behind every search. You talk to the person running it, start to finish.

Core expertise · where we started

Manufacturing & skilled trades.

We entered the market where hiring is hardest and agencies are still working the phones: production floors, maintenance crews, and the plant leadership that keeps them staffed.

Maintenance technicians
CNC machinists
Industrial electricians
Welders / fabricators
Production supervisors
Quality engineers
Plant & site HR
Operations managers
Versatile by design. Manufacturing and skilled trades are where we prove the model, not the ceiling. The same search process supports corporate, HR, and operations roles across industries as we grow with our partners.
How we source

Legacy relationships, modern tooling.

Skilled-trades recruiting still runs on job boards and cold calls. We pair real market relationships with AI-assisted sourcing and screening, so you get a qualified slate in days, not weeks.

STEP 01

Map the role

We turn your intake (even a rough email) into a structured scorecard covering skills, certifications, shift needs, and must-haves.

STEP 02

Source & screen with AI assist

AI-assisted search widens the candidate pool fast; every profile is then pre-screened against the scorecard before a human ever calls.

STEP 03

Deliver a qualified slate

You receive a short, ranked shortlist with notes on fit, not a stack of unfiltered resumes to sort through yourself.

AI-enabled Faster sourcing and consistent screening. The judgment on who to hire always stays human.
Fee comparison

The same hire, for less.

Traditional contingency agencies charge 20–25% of first-year salary per placement. Our direct-hire fee starts at 10–14%, with the option to move to an embedded, fractional model when you're hiring at volume.

Traditional agency
20–25%
of first-year salary, per hire
  • Fee set by the agency, often negotiated late
  • Candidate shared across multiple clients
  • You're routed through account managers
  • Limited reporting on search progress
Lawson Search
10–14%
of first-year salary, per hire, priced up front
  • Transparent fee agreed before the search starts
  • Candidates worked exclusively for your role
  • Direct line to the recruiter doing the work
  • Reporting on time-to-fill and slate quality
On a $70,000 role: a 22% agency fee costs $15,400. At Lawson's 12%, the same hire costs $8,400, a $7,000 saving on a single placement.
Hiring at volume? Ask about our fractional / embedded recruiting option: a dedicated recruiter working inside your team on a monthly basis instead of per-placement fees.
Proof

Results we report on.

Case studies from recent searches. Every engagement is measured on the same metrics, so you always know what you're getting.

Case study · placeholder
27 days to fill

Maintenance tech, 2nd shift

Multi-entity manufacturer had the role open 90+ days through two prior agencies before the search was reset.

Skilled trades · Direct hire
Case study · placeholder
$7,000 saved per hire

Production supervisor

Lower placement fee versus the client's incumbent agency on an equivalent first-year salary.

Operations · Direct hire
Case study · placeholder
4.8/5 manager rating

Plant HR generalist

Hiring-manager satisfaction score on slate quality and communication across a three-role project.

Corporate / HR · Direct hire
Louis Lawson, founder of Lawson Search & Advisory, professional headshot in a navy suit FOUNDER · LOUIS LAWSON
About

Built by someone who's run the hiring function.

Lawson Search & Advisory is led by Louis Lawson, a senior talent acquisition professional with nearly a decade of full-cycle recruiting, ATS administration, and HR business-partner experience across multi-entity, multi-state employers.

That operator's background is the difference. Every search is run by someone who has sat on the hiring side, someone who understands scorecards, stakeholder alignment, and what a good slate actually looks like, not a call center reading from a script.

M.S., Human Resources Workday / ATS administration Multi-state & multi-entity TA Time-to-fill & cost-savings wins
Request talent

Tell us what you're hiring for.

Share the role and we'll come back with a plan, a fee, and a realistic timeline, usually within one business day.

  • A fixed, transparent fee agreed before we start
  • A qualified shortlist, not a pile of resumes
  • Direct access to the recruiter running your search

No obligation. We'll reply with next steps, not a sales sequence.