Full Name
Deborah Ben-Canaan
Job Title
Partner & Global Practice Leader
Company
Major, Lindsey & Africa
Speaker Bio
Deborah Ben-Canaan, Partner and the Global Practice Leader for In-House Counsel Recruiting, is a seasoned legal recruiter and subject-matter expert on the legal market. Since 2001, she has placed more than 1000 senior-level legal and compliance leaders in Fortune 500, for profit, private equity, nonprofit, and academic legal departments across the U.S. and overseas, often helping her clients build global teams. She brings this deep experience into her role as Global Practice Leader, where she works with CEOs, boards, CHROs and general counsel at organizations of all sizes to help them shape, grow and develop their legal and compliance departments and expand their boards of directors.
Having lived on both coasts and completed searches internationally, Deb understands the ins and outs of the legal market. She maintains a deeply rooted network of legal leaders and influencers who rely on her for her insight and expertise, and she provides counsel to them on important talent management areas, including efficiency, talent acquisition and retention, compensation, and succession planning. She was recognized for her expertise in Lawdragon’s 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting.
Deb brings a passion to her searches that invokes confidence in her clients and continually leads to long-term, trusted relationships. She takes the time to truly understand her clients' needs, cultures and dynamics and acts as a guide through the hiring process, providing a consistent, open line of communication and taking the guesswork out of hiring. While her sense of humor eases the pressures associated with the process and adds an element of fun, her no nonsense approach to identifying strong talent results in matches that transcend the basic position description needs and dig deeper into the EQ and cultural fit of each candidate. Deb takes pride in being able to connect organizations to exceptional, talented lawyers who bring unique perspectives and deep expertise into leadership and senior roles.
Outside the office, Deb spends her free time cheering on the Penn State Nittany Lions football team though she has recently adopted a love for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays now that her daughter is a student there. An empty nester, Deb enjoys relaxing with a cup of coffee in the morning and then her favorite red wine at night.
Having lived on both coasts and completed searches internationally, Deb understands the ins and outs of the legal market. She maintains a deeply rooted network of legal leaders and influencers who rely on her for her insight and expertise, and she provides counsel to them on important talent management areas, including efficiency, talent acquisition and retention, compensation, and succession planning. She was recognized for her expertise in Lawdragon’s 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting.
Deb brings a passion to her searches that invokes confidence in her clients and continually leads to long-term, trusted relationships. She takes the time to truly understand her clients' needs, cultures and dynamics and acts as a guide through the hiring process, providing a consistent, open line of communication and taking the guesswork out of hiring. While her sense of humor eases the pressures associated with the process and adds an element of fun, her no nonsense approach to identifying strong talent results in matches that transcend the basic position description needs and dig deeper into the EQ and cultural fit of each candidate. Deb takes pride in being able to connect organizations to exceptional, talented lawyers who bring unique perspectives and deep expertise into leadership and senior roles.
Outside the office, Deb spends her free time cheering on the Penn State Nittany Lions football team though she has recently adopted a love for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays now that her daughter is a student there. An empty nester, Deb enjoys relaxing with a cup of coffee in the morning and then her favorite red wine at night.
Speaking At
