Manager of Non-Partner Lateral Recruiting
About The Position
The Manager of Non-Partner Lateral Recruiting manages the firm's lateral non-partner attorney hiring process, search firm relationships, offer negotiations, and coordination of due diligence and onboarding. The role works closely with Section Chairs, Department Administrative Partners (DAPs), and Hiring Partners to identify and meet lateral hiring needs across the firm. The manager oversees lateral recruiting activities from defining hiring needs and sourcing candidates through interviews, negotiations, offers, and onboarding handoffs. The position also manages recruiter relationships, visa and compensation matters, search firm fee agreements, the lateral hiring budget, and hiring statistics. It collaborates with Attorney Integration, Professional Development, HR, entry-level recruiting, and firm management on hiring processes and strategy. The role reports to the Senior Manager of Lateral Recruiting and supervises Lateral Recruiting Coordinators and Lateral Recruiting Assistants. The work takes place in a professional office environment with hybrid or remote flexibility as applicable. It involves frequent interaction with attorneys, firm leadership, search firms, and candidates, and requires handling highly confidential information. Work can be fast-paced with unpredictable timing, extended hours as searches require, and occasional travel to firm offices or recruiting events.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree required.
- Minimum of 4–5 years of legal recruiting experience.
- Thorough knowledge of lateral legal recruiting.
- Understanding of law firm compensation structures, partnership tracks, and practice group economics.
- Knowledge of conflicts clearance processes, background screening, and immigration and visa requirements.
- Proficiency with applicant tracking systems, including viRecruit, HRIS platforms including Workday, and recruiting platforms.
- Strong organization and planning skills, including overseeing lateral hiring and onboarding, managing due diligence and conflicts processes, developing and tracking budgets, and monitoring market and compensation data.
- Clear communication skills, including providing feedback on candidate fit, engaging search firms, directing teams toward outcomes, and presenting hiring metrics and reports to leadership.
- Relationship-building skills with Section Chairs, DAPs, Hiring Partners, search firms, Attorney Integration, and HR.
- Professionalism in handling confidential compensation and personnel matters, communicating candidate decisions empathetically, and fostering an inclusive hiring culture.
Nice To Haves
- Lateral hiring focus in legal recruiting experience.
Responsibilities
- Work with Section Chairs, DAPs, and Hiring Partners to identify and define lateral hiring needs.
- Circulate search checklists and opening announcements to appropriate stakeholders.
- Manage relationships with preferred recruiters, communicate firmwide hiring needs, and facilitate high-level recruiter and partner conversations.
- Work with the Research Recruiting Coordinator to identify and source candidates.
- Address visa issues in coordination with Immigration Counsel.
- Handle HR and compensation questions and strategy for lateral candidates.
- Manage search firm fee agreement issues and negotiate terms.
- Send evaluation emails to interviewers and recommend next steps to decision-makers.
- Negotiate offer terms and compensation packages with Hiring Partners.
- Draft and send offer letters and offer emails to candidates and search firms.
- Introduce new lateral attorneys to the Manager of Attorney Integration.
- Oversee the lateral hiring budget and maintain comprehensive hiring statistics.
- Work with firm management on lateral process and strategy changes.
- Coordinate lateral new-hire onboarding with the Attorney Integration team and ensure a smooth handoff to integration and Professional Development teams.
- Collaborate with the entry-level team on shared processes and firm strategy.
- Participate in city group activities and industry events.
- Contribute to quarterly board reports and firmwide hiring statistics.
- Stay current on lateral market trends, compensation benchmarks, and competitor activity.
- Represent the firm at lateral recruiting events and industry conferences.
- Perform additional duties as assigned by the Director of Attorney Recruiting.
- Mentor and develop lateral recruiting team members.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
