Epiq Acquires Tenor Legal, Building Scale in Corporate Counsel Staffing

Epiq has acquired Tenor Legal, a legal talent firm serving Fortune 500 in-house departments, adding roughly 100 legal professionals to Epiq Counsel and accelerating consolidation in the flexible legal staffing sector. The deal, announced July 9, brings Tenor co-founders Rufus Caine and Din Duggan into Managing Director roles under Epiq Counsel's existing platform, which now claims a combined roster exceeding 1,000 legal professionals across six countries.

Epiq, best known for eDiscovery and legal process outsourcing at scale, has been building out its corporate-facing talent business for several years. The addition of Tenor fills a gap in sourcing quality secondees for in-house legal departments, an area where specialized providers have gained ground against generalist legal staffing firms. Tenor has marketed itself on selectivity, accepting fewer than 5% of applicants and prioritizing candidates with direct corporate counsel experience. That positioning contrasts with volume-driven competitors and aligns with what corporate legal departments increasingly demand: professionals who need minimal onboarding to function in fast-moving in-house environments.