One of Atlanta’s original legal recruiters, The Partners Group, has merged with a Chicago-based legal recruiter, Legalpeople.

Paul Talmadge Jr., who owns The Partners Group along with Cheryl Oliver and David Gruskin, said the merger is a way to expand his firm’s national reach and add resources while retaining a personal approach to legal recruiting. "We’ve put together in size and breadth a company that can compete with any of the big companies and still do it our way as opposed to corporate America’s way," Talmadge said.