I'm sure many people have similar stories, but the first thing that went through my mind was when a new dev joined my old company. He'd been recruited directly,

I'm sure many people have similar stories, but the first thing that went through my mind was when a new dev joined my old company. He'd been recruited directly, and after a successful week trial he was given a full-time role. A week later he answered his phone. It was a recruiter for a popular recruitment agency in Bristol. This recruiter unloaded on this poor guy about how he'd sent him the opportunity to work for his new employer, and how he was cutting him out. The recruiter threatened the dev by saying that he'd pull every string to make sure he didn't work in Bristol again. After a heated back-and-forth with the MD, the head of the recruitment agency said that there was no "recruiter black list" that this guy was threatened with, but it's a common enough story that I'm willing to bet that it exists in some form, at least for that recruitment firm. The point of that rant was that there's nothing illegal about freezing the recruiter out. Obviously, there's a dilemma around whether you'd want to join a company that's happy to do such a thing, but one thing worth considering is whether the recruiter is going to sit back and accept it. At best, you'll be hired and the recruiter will learn a lesson. At worst, this recruiter might take it out on what he/she considers to be the weakest link in the chain - you.