Director, Market & Client Communications

Foley & Lardner LLP • Washington, DC

2d • $199,100 - $298,700 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Market & Client Communications leads market-facing communications that strengthen Foley's brand reputation, elevate its visibility and engagement in the market, and advance client development, go-to-market priorities, and talent recruiting. This role shapes the firm’s narrative for clients, prospects, referral sources, lawyers, business professionals, and recruiting audiences. The position focuses on demand creation, market differentiation, thought leadership, lawyer visibility, client-facing content, external storytelling, and recruiting-aligned brand communications. It also develops targeted internal communications that help lawyers and business professionals understand Foley’s market activity and effectively position its capabilities. This unique opportunity focuses on strengthening Foley's brand reputation, elevating its visibility and engagement in the market, and advance client development in support of Foley’s strategic goals. Responsibility for other communications functions resides elsewhere within the firm, including crisis management, executive, leadership, and internal communications.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• Minimum of fifteen (15) years of strategic marketing communications and brand experience, including integrated plans across content strategy, public relations, digital, social media, SEO, and internal communications required.
• Impeccable written and verbal communications skills, with the ability to effectively tailor communications for different stakeholders and audiences.
• Collaborative relationship builder with the interpersonal skills to work well across the Business Development & Marketing Communications function and wider firm, build trust with stakeholders, and create consensus around new programs and initiatives.

Nice To Haves

• Law firm experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute integrated external and go-to-market communications strategies that support Foley’s client development, sector, practice, talent acquisition, recruiting, and market growth priorities.
• Direct and manage agency and external supplier support, including setting priorities, briefing and coordination across geographies, and managing communications budget and spending.
• Shape and steward Foley's market-facing narrative, ensuring that messaging clearly communicates the firm's differentiators, expertise, culture, and client value.
• Oversee public relations, awards nominations, rankings submission process, creative, social media, and content strategy to advance go-to-market and practice priorities, elevate the firm’s capabilities and perspectives, and strengthen its visibility through timely, relevant market commentary.
• Partner with Business Development, Client Development, sector leaders, practice leaders, attorneys, Talent, and Recruiting to create communications plans that advance revenue growth, client engagement, lawyer visibility, employer brand strategy, law student recruiting communications, and lateral recruiting campaigns.
• Develop internal sales-enablement communications, including market updates, campaign summaries, capability talking points, and materials that help lawyers, business professionals, partners, and client-facing teams understand Foley’s market activity and activate the firm’s go-to-market strategy.
• Lead thought leadership strategy, editorial planning, and content development tied to priority industries, practices, client needs, market opportunities, talent positioning, and brand storytelling needs.
• Identify and elevate high-impact stories, insights, matters, client issues, lawyer perspectives, and people-related proof points through proactive public relations, profile-raising, and content opportunities that reinforce Foley’s market position and talent value proposition.
• Develop messaging, talking points, media materials, bylined articles, alerts, client-facing content, social media content, website copy, recruiting-adjacent brand content and blog posts, internal market updates, and other external or go-to-market communications as needed.
• Partner with digital, creative, social media, events, rankings, marketing technology, Talent, and Recruiting to deliver integrated campaigns across appropriate external channels.
• Coordinate with Leadership Communications team to calendar and distribute internal sales-enablement communications via appropriate internal channels.
• Monitor market trends, competitor positioning, client priorities, talent market dynamics, media conversations, and industry developments to identify communications opportunities.
• Measure and report on the effectiveness and ROI of marketing communications using qualitative and quantitative data, including engagement, reach, share of voice, earned media quality, content performance, internal sales-enablement engagement, and contribution to client development and talent acquisition goals.
• Establish standards, processes, calendars, and governance for external and go-to-market internal communications to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment with business priorities.
• Stay abreast of developments in marketing communications to bring new thinking and creativity to the function.
• Develop training programs and best practices for the BD and marketing communications team, attorneys and others engaging with internal and external communications across the Firm.
• Lead, coach, and develop 10+ member team and manage supporting public relations, creative, social media, content strategy, thought leadership, and external communications.
• Provide strategic communications guidance and coaching to lawyers delivering market commentary through media interviews and other external platforms, and pursuing speaking, thought leadership, recruiting-related visibility, internal capability presentation, and other market-facing opportunities.

Benefits

• Salary ranges for all positions.
• Actual offered amount will be between the range minimum and midpoint based on the following factors: education, experience, geographic market, and internal pay equity at Foley.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director