Legal Recruiting Manager

Buckingham Search•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Buckingham Search is representing a Chicago-based law firm seeking a Legal Recruiting Manager to lead attorney hiring and support the firm’s summer associate program. This is a high-visibility, individual contributor role for a recruiter who enjoys owning searches from beginning to end and building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders. The ideal candidate likely began their career in agency recruiting before transitioning in-house, preferably within a law firm or professional services environment. The position is based in Chicago and follows a hybrid schedule with three days in the office, including Tuesday as a consistent team day. MUST BE LOCATED IN CHICAGO

Requirements

Full-cycle recruiting experience within an agency, and/or law firm.
Agency recruiting followed by an in-house recruiting role is ideal.
Experience recruiting lateral attorneys or other specialized professional talent.
Exposure to summer associate recruiting, campus programs, or early-career hiring.
Ability to advise and build credibility with partners, practice leaders, and senior stakeholders.
Strong sourcing and candidate-development skills, including experience engaging passive talent.
Excellent organization, judgment, communication, and follow-through.
Ability to manage multiple searches and competing priorities without sacrificing candidate experience.
Experience with LinkedIn Recruiter.
Familiarity with Leopard Solutions is helpful.
Collaborative approach and comfort working as an individual contributor without direct reports.
Must be located in Chicago.

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary recruiting partner to firm leadership, working directly with the hiring partner, practice group chairs, and members of the HR team.
Manage the full recruiting lifecycle for lateral attorney searches from initial intake through accepted offer.
Partner with practice group leaders to understand hiring needs and develop effective search strategies.
Identify and engage legal talent through direct sourcing, referrals, external relationships, and recruiting platforms.
Manage candidate screening, interview coordination, feedback, offer development, and closing.
Build relationships with promising candidates who may not be ready to make an immediate move.
Oversee the summer associate recruiting process and help deliver a well-organized summer program.
Coordinate onboarding activities to ensure new attorneys have a seamless transition into the firm.
Maintain accurate candidate records, recruiting data, and pipeline updates.
Use LinkedIn Recruiter, Leopard Solutions, and other resources to research and engage prospective candidates.
Evaluate current recruiting practices and recommend ways to improve efficiency, communication, and the candidate experience.
Represent the firm professionally with candidates, law schools, search firms, and other external partners.