Leadership
Garfield B. Simms
Ph.D., J.D. — Founder, Kingston Legal
Experience Shapes Better Advice.
Kingston Legal is led by Garfield B. Simms, Ph.D., J.D., an attorney and former AmLaw partner. Clients who engage a legal talent advisor seek judgment before they seek a service — this page is about the perspective behind it.
Biography
Four questions, rather than a chronology.
A career is easier to understand through the decisions behind it than through a list of titles and dates.
Why law?
A fascination with how careful reasoning resolves consequential problems. Practice confirmed it: the work that matters most is rarely the work that is loudest.
Why intellectual property?
Technology and innovation sit at the center of modern commerce. IP practice offered the rare combination of technical rigor, business impact, and constant change.
Why recruiting?
Inside an AmLaw firm, the decisions that shaped the institution most were talent decisions — who joined, who led, who stayed. Too often they were made without real market insight.
Why Kingston?
To advise on those decisions the way a trusted counselor would: with judgment, discretion, and a long-term view rather than a transaction mindset.
Professional Philosophy
“The most successful legal careers—and the strongest law firms—are built through thoughtful decisions, trusted relationships, and a long-term perspective.”
Built by a lawyer. Designed for the legal profession.
Career Highlights
Experience, not a list of positions.
Ph.D. and J.D. credentials
Former partner within an AmLaw 10 law firm
Extensive experience advising sophisticated legal clients
Intellectual property and technology background
Deep understanding of partner economics and practice growth
National legal network across firms and legal departments
Executive recruiting and market intelligence leadership
Managing Director
Scott Brown
MHSA, J.D.
Scott Brown, MHSA, J.D., is an experienced legal and executive recruiter focused on connecting accomplished attorneys, executives, and senior-level professionals with leading organizations. Drawing on his legal background and years of recruiting experience, Scott brings a knowledgeable and strategic perspective to every search. He works closely with clients and candidates to understand their objectives, identify the right fit, and build professional relationships that extend beyond a single placement.
Career Highlights
Guided by strategy and relationships.
MHSA and J.D. credentials
Experienced legal and executive recruiter
Legal background informing search strategy
Connects attorneys, executives, and senior professionals with leading organizations
Strategic fit assessment across clients and candidates
Relationship-driven approach extending beyond a single placement
National reach across firms and legal departments
Why Clients Work With Kingston
The Kingston Difference.
Four perspectives in one advisor — the combination is what distinguishes Kingston Legal from a recruiting firm.
Lawyer
Practice experience inside a major firm. Conversations begin with an understanding of the work, the clients, and the pressures involved.
Advisor
Business strategy fluency — partner economics, practice group profitability, integration risk, and the arithmetic behind growth.
Recruiter
Disciplined retained search process, national reach, and the discretion sophisticated candidates and firm leaders require.
Analyst
Kingston Intelligence™ applies research and AI-enhanced analysis to compensation, mobility, and market mapping.
Thought Leadership
Research, writing, and speaking.
Articles, white papers, interviews, and firm retreat programs on the questions law firm leadership is asking now.
White Paper
AI in Legal Recruiting
Article Series
Law Firm Growth Strategy
Research Brief
Partner Compensation Structures
Speaking Program
Evaluating Portable Business
The Team
Structured to grow.
Kingston Legal is designed as an enduring advisory institution. These are the roles the firm is building toward as consultants, recruiters, and researchers join.
Next Step
Speak directly with Garfield B. Simms.
Every Kingston Legal engagement is led personally — not delegated to a research desk.