Lateral Recruitment Manager (law firm)

Job Description

A leading law firm in NYC is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior Lateral Recruitment Manager to lead lateral attorney recruitment across the firm's Litigation and Corporate practice groups. This role will partner closely with practice group leaders, the Hiring Committee, and firm management to identify, attract, and integrate top-tier partners, attorneys, and associates in various groups.

The ideal candidate is a strategic legal recruiting professional with deep experience in lateral attorney hiring at a large law firm or leading legal search firm. This individual will possess exceptional relationship management skills and the ability to manage multiple high-priority partner and associate searches simultaneously.

Key Responsibilities

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• Manage full-cycle lateral recruitment for partners, counsel, and associates in the Litigation and Corporate practice groups.
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• Partner with practice group leaders and firm management to develop lateral hiring strategies aligned with the firm's growth priorities.
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• Map the competitive market and identify high-caliber candidates and groups through direct sourcing, networking, referrals, and legal search firm partnerships.
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• Lead the lateral partner due diligence process, including Lateral Partner Questionnaires, business plans, and book-of-business analysis.
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• Coordinate conflicts, background, and bar admission checks with the General Counsel's office, Conflicts, and Finance.
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• Manage all aspects of the interview and offer process, including compensation discussions and negotiations.
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• Manage relationships with legal search firms, including fee agreements and candidate ownership.
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• Oversee onboarding and integration of lateral hires to support long-term retention and success.
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• Serve as a trusted advisor on lateral market trends, competitor activity, compensation benchmarking, and recruiting best practices.
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Qualifications

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• Bachelor's degree required; JD a plus.
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• 7+ years of legal recruiting experience, including at least 5 years of lateral attorney recruitment at an Am Law 200 firm or leading legal search firm.
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• Demonstrated success recruiting lateral partners, groups, and associates in Litigation and Corporate practices.
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• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
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• Proven ability to handle highly confidential information with discretion.
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