Engineering offers into Magic Circle and US corporate law firms, front-office investment banking and markets, and buy-side investing roles — for international families across London, New York, Hong Kong, and the Middle East.
10,000+ candidates screened • 56 documented outcomes • Starting salaries £145K–$234K • 100% training contract offer rate for flagship clients
Hassan Akram grew up on Leopold Street in Derby — one of the most deprived streets in one of England’s most deprived cities. Single-parent household. State comprehensive school. No connections, no network, no inherited advantage.
He achieved A*A*A at A-level and read History at University College London, ranked in the top 10 globally (QS World Rankings). From there, he entered tier-1 recruitment, sitting inside selection teams at leading corporate law firms, banks, and investment funds — learning exactly how decisions were made at the table.
Hassan has worked directly with individuals from Harvard, MIT, and Oxford, and with professionals at Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and Kirkland & Ellis. His advisory work operates at the level of the global top 0.1% — the families, candidates, and institutions where the margin between success and failure is measured in precision, not effort.
That perspective from both sides — understanding what recruiters actually look for, and knowing how to engineer a candidacy to meet those criteria — became the foundation of the ECS Offer-Engineering System™.
Today, international families from over 15 countries across 5 continents — from London to Singapore, Zurich to Hong Kong, New York to the Gulf — engage Hassan on multi-year retainers to engineer their children’s entry into the most competitive career paths in law and finance.
Leopold Street sits in Derby 016A — ranked 74th out of 33,755 neighbourhoods in England. Fewer than 1% of areas in the country are more deprived.
This is where Hassan grew up. No connections, no network, no inherited advantage — just a state comprehensive school in a single-parent household in one of the most deprived wards in England.
The journey from here to delivering sessions at Harvard, MIT, and Yale, and engineering offers at the world’s most competitive firms, is the reason the ECS system exists. It was built by someone who had to figure out how the system actually works — because nobody was going to hand it to him.
Each case study below is documented with offer letters, portal screenshots, and evidence held on file. The majority of our clients work under NDA — every outcome shown here is independently verifiable. Click through to read the full transformation.
“Probably the best investment we’ve ever made. Absolutely exceptional.”— Mother of a flagship client
“The programme exceeded every expectation. The outcome has been transformational for our family.”— Parent of a flagship client
“I consulted other firms, no other company provides this level of rigour. Exceeded my family’s expectations.”— Parent of a flagship client
“The best investment we ever made. Now never need to worry about money for the rest of my life.”— Private advisory client
“Very good and deeply knowledgeable in this space. I recommend.”— Former Deputy Director of Careers
“The best decision we ever made.”
Historical outcomes; candidate statements used with permission and evidence held on file. The majority of our clients work under NDA, which limits the number of photographs and named testimonials we can share publicly. Every outcome listed on this site is documented and independently verifiable. Third-party names and marks are for context only — no affiliation or guarantee. Results vary based on individual performance, academic profile, and market conditions.
Spanning Magic Circle corporate law, US elite corporate law, bulge bracket investment banking, and buy-side investing — across London, New York, and Hong Kong.
We work with a limited number of international families each year on multi-year retainers, typically on a referral basis. Engagements span 12–48 months — from first assessment through to final offer.
We work with candidates who have very strong academic profiles — tier-1 careers are genuinely challenging. We do not work with families looking for shortcuts, guaranteed outcomes, or a quick fix. We do accept bespoke mandates, so apply in all cases.
We do not accept engagements without a parent or guardian meeting. And we do not take on more than 30 families per year globally.
If you’re looking for generic CV advice or a one-session review, this is not the right service. If you’re committed to a systematic, multi-year process with documented outcomes — we should talk.
Every engagement begins with a conversation — not a sales pitch. Here’s what the process looks like.
“Probably the best investment we’ve ever made. Absolutely exceptional.”— Mother of a flagship client (White & Case, £175K NQ)
Six trademarked frameworks built from thousands of hours sitting on both sides of the recruitment table — inside selection teams and engineering offers for candidates.
Every framework was developed by sitting inside selection teams at leading firms — and then reverse-engineering the criteria into a repeatable system that candidates can apply.
The result: six proprietary tools that transform generic applications into offers — systematically.
Hassan has been invited to speak and write about elite career entry at the highest levels.
26,000+ LinkedIn followers • Verified thought leader in elite career entry • View Profile →
Hassan Akram is the founder of Elite Careers Strategy (ECS), a specialist advisory practice that engineers offers into the world’s most competitive corporate law firms, investment banks, and buy-side funds. He works exclusively with international families on multi-year retainers, typically spanning 12–48 months.
Hassan has delivered sessions on elite career strategy at Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, and Yale School of Management. He writes a regular column in The Times of India read by over 500,000 professionals, and delivered the keynote at the Wellington College Festival of Education in 2024.
Before founding ECS, Hassan worked in tier-1 recruitment, sitting inside selection teams at leading corporate law firms, banks, and investment funds across London. He read History at University College London (top 10 globally, QS World Rankings) and grew up on one of the most deprived streets in Derby.
He has screened over 10,000 candidates and holds 56 documented career outcomes across Magic Circle corporate law, US elite corporate law, bulge bracket investment banking, and buy-side investing — spanning London, New York, and Hong Kong.
We take on a limited number of families each year. If you would like to discuss whether your child is a fit for the programme, please reach out below.
Flagship programme places are limited to 30 clients per year globally.
