Sarah Van Steenburg Returns to MLA as a Managing Director in the Partner Practice Group

Hanover, MD (October 29, 2024)—Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world's leading legal search firm, announced today that Sarah Van Steenburg has returned to the firm as a managing director in its Partner Practice Group. Based in Washington, D.C., Sarah will leverage her extensive experience and market expertise to provide strategic consulting and recruiting services to partners, counsel and senior government officials transitioning to the private sector.

“Sarah’s astute knowledge of the law firm landscape in DC and nationally, combined with her extreme care for her candidates make her a perfect fit for the Partner Practice Group,” said Carlos Pauling, executive director of the Partner Practice Group. “I am honored to welcome her back to MLA with open arms, and I am excited to see how many lives she will change as she refocuses her practice back to serving the very top level of partners in the DC market.

Prior to rejoining MLA, Sarah served as a consultant at a global executive search firm, where she worked across various industry sectors on C-suite, general counsel and Board of Director searches. Her experience spans public, private, non-profit and private equity-backed companies, and she has a particular focus on uplifting executives from underrepresented groups. In her previous tenure at Major, Lindsey & Africa, she co-led a managing partners forum, founded a Women of Color (WOC) attorneys’ group and developed a notable expertise in working with senior-level government officials. Her return to MLA marks a continuation of her mission to connect top legal talent with leading law firms and organizations.

Sarah holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

“I have been working in the legal industry almost 20 years—12 of which with MLA—and the welcoming reception I have received feels like coming home to family,” said Sarah. “I am looking forward to re-engaging with everyone, establishing new ties and relationships in the market, and using my now broader business perspective to the benefit of my clients and candidates.”