Director of Attorney Recruiting

Job Description Summary

The Director of Attorney Recruiting is responsible for overseeing attorney recruiting firmwide, including lateral associates and counsel, entry level attorneys, and summer associates. The Director of Attorney Recruiting will develop strong internal relationships across all practice groups and business departments and become a strategic advisor to Firm leaders on all matters relating to legal recruiting. This position will also require investment in relationships with search firms and other recruiters, employing successful tactics for sourcing and contacting potential candidates. This position can be based in any of our U.S. offices.

Job Description

Lateral Associate/Counsel Recruiting

• In close collaboration with Practice Group Leaders and the Practice Management leads, understand and identify lateral associate and counsel needs, and define and execute recruitment strategy for meeting those needs. Work with them to develop understanding of the Firm’s practice areas to ensure that there is alignment on hiring criteria, particularly when specialized expertise is targeted.
• Implement best practices in lateral associate recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and offer processes.
• Establish strong, effective relationships with third-party search firms. Regularly communicate hiring priorities and strategy, articulating the value proposition for various key hires. Through relationship building, create brand ambassadors for the Firm in the marketplace. Manage search firm agreements.
• Facilitate strategic decision-making throughout the hiring process and implement scalable structures and processes for lateral recruiting.
• Oversee efforts to improve candidate experiences, from initial application submission through onboarding.
• In collaboration with Legal Personnel, deep understanding of associate market compensation, bonuses, and competitive lateral associate offer packages.
• Work collaboratively with the Legal Personnel and Practice Management departments to ensure each hire makes a smooth transition into the firm.
  
  

Summer Program and Law School Recruiting

• Work with Hiring Chair and Hiring Partners to ensure that entry level hiring needs are met, based on Practice Group projected needs.
• Advise and lead efforts to hire summer / entry-level associates that are exceptionally qualified for Fenwick’s legal practices and locations.
• Facilitate strategic decision-making throughout the hiring process and implement scalable structures and processes for law student and entry-level associate recruiting.
• Build and deepen law school relations. Oversee communications and engagement. Help ensure development of Firm ambassadors within law schools.
• Direct the Firm’s summer associate program, including onboarding, work assignment system, feedback, summer associate reviews, social events, and offer process. Work closely with Hiring Partners and Recruiting Committee on active engagement.
• Manage and support an environment of open feedback throughout summer program.
• Be a firm champion of the summer associate program, encouraging involvement across the firm at all levels to create the best summer associate experience possible.
  
  

General Responsibilities

• Establish trust-based advisor relationships with firm leadership. Become the face of the department and go-to resource to share expertise, judgment and guidance on firm recruiting strategies.
• Manage and analyze firm-wide recruiting data; prepare and deliver presentations to firm leadership on recruiting goals, successes, challenges, strategies and market trends. Propose hiring projections and analysis and general recommendations as to hiring goals and strategies. Track market trends and propose policy modifications.
• Develop attorney interviewer trainings for all levels of attorney recruiting and implement recruiting and hiring best practices. Stay abreast of market trends.
• Prepare, manage and track spend to a detailed annual budget. Be accountable to Hiring Committee and Firm management on managing department costs, programing and event expenditures, search firm costs, on campus interview programs, etc. with an emphasis on strategic judgment and decisions on recruitment expenditures.
• Support lateral partner recruiting process and efforts as needed.
• Represent the Firm at various national and regional forums relating to hiring and recruitment.
• Work collaborative across all groups and departments within the firm to ensure the candidate experience is well coordinated.
• Strategically recruit diverse talent and lead efforts to comply with the Mansfield Rule.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Desired Skills And Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership qualities, including excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills, strategic and innovative thinking, an ability to persuade and influence, and strong professional presence.
• Proven experience with the ability to retain, develop and motivate exceptional talent development professionals.
• Strong managerial skills, including the ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.
• Executive presence, tenacity, integrity, and professionalism that will engender confidence with attorneys, administrative leadership, and prospective candidates.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively in a consensus-driven organization and to create consensus-based support.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  
  

Reporting to the Senior Director of Legal Personnel, Training, and Recruiting, the qualified candidate will have a bachelor’s degree plus at least 10 years’ experience in legal recruiting in law firms or law school (master’s degree or JD a plus). Experience overseeing attorney recruiting programs, including lateral partner recruiting, and a proven track record of effectively leading a team.

Benefits And Compensation Details

At Fenwick, we believe that our partners and employees are our most important asset. Helping you and your families achieve and maintain good health - physical, emotional, and financial - is the reason we offer a comprehensive benefit program. We provide benefits to eligible employees under plans such as Healthcare, Life Insurance, Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Wellbeing.

The Anticipated Range For This Position Is

$172,000 - $233,500

Depending on the role, the actual base salary offered may depend upon a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

A discretionary bonus for eligible employees may also be available based on performance. Additional information about employee eligibility for benefits and discretionary bonus will be made available upon request.