Headhunting practices have come under the spotlight as a result of the post-11 September ‘poaching’ battle between rival brokers Cantor Fitzgerald and Icap.

Cantor – which lost hundreds of its employees in the US terror attacks – accused Icap of taking advantage of its weakness in the aftermath of the tragedy by allegedly “inducing” three of its brokers to move to Icap.

The High Court ruled there had been an ‘unlawful inducement’ in the case of one of the brokers.

David Holloway, MD of The Drax Group, warned: “The services of a headhunter are something that all firms want to see protected from legal ruling as all companies on occasion require the skills of a headhunter. Putting the technique under the spotlight could put these services at risk.”