Talent Acquisition Manager

Talent Acquisition Manager

Hand Arendall Harrison Sale LLC is one of the largest law firms in the state of Alabama, with more than 90 attorneys serving clients from offices strategically located across Alabama and Northwest Florida. Founded in 1941, the firm merged with Harrison Sale McCloy in 2018, expanding its regional footprint and deepening its capacity to serve clients throughout the Southeast and beyond through its TAGLaw Alliance membership. The firm provides legal services across all areas of traditional civil practice and is built on a fundamental commitment to creating long-lasting relationships, staffing cases and projects with the goal of achieving success for the client with maximum efficiency. At Hand Arendall Harrison Sale, you are known by name.

Hand Arendall Harrison Sale is seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial recruiting professional to serve as the firm's first Talent Acquisition Manager. This is a newly created position, and the person hired will have the unique opportunity to design, build, manage, and lead the firm's internal recruiting function from the ground up.

This role will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive, firmwide talent acquisition strategy encompassing attorney and professional staff hiring at all levels, including lateral associates, law students, summer associates, and professional staff across every office and practice group. This role carries genuine strategic importance as it will help the firm proactively anticipate and plan for future talent needs. The position also carries a meaningful marketing and employer branding dimension, as the role will serve as a visible representative of the firm's culture and values in the talent marketplace.

This role reports to the Director of Human Resources and works closely with members of firm leadership, practice group chairs, and office managing partners.

Key Responsibilities

Recruiting Strategy and Firmwide Talent Acquisition

• Design and implement a comprehensive, firmwide recruiting strategy aligned with the firm's growth objectives, practice area expansion plans, and long-term workforce needs
• Manage the full recruiting lifecycle for attorney and professional staff positions, from needs assessment and candidate sourcing through interviews, offers, and onboarding
• Partner with practice group leaders, office managing partners, and the Executive Committee to develop hiring plans that anticipate future talent needs rather than simply responding to vacancies
• Assist in training lawyers and management in behavioral and legal interview techniques to enhance the candidate's experience.
• Track, analyze, and report on recruiting metrics to inform strategy, measure effectiveness, and drive continuous improvement
• Manage applicant tracking systems, sourcing platforms, and other recruiting technology as appropriate

Lateral Attorney and Professional Staff Recruiting

• Identify, engage, and cultivate relationships with passive candidates for lateral attorney and professional staff positions across all offices
• Manage relationships with external legal search firms where appropriate, including fee negotiations, performance evaluation, and information security considerations
• Conduct thorough candidate due diligence, including reference checks, conflicts screening coordination, and assessment of cultural fit
• Lead the lateral integration process to ensure new attorneys and staff are onboarded effectively and positioned for long-term success

Law School and Summer Associate Recruiting

• Develop and strengthen the firm's law school recruiting program, including on-campus interview strategy, callback coordination, and offer management
• Design and oversee the firm's summer associate program, ensuring a meaningful, well-structured experience that reflects the firm's culture and converts top candidates into full-time hires
• Build and maintain relationships with law school career services offices, student organizations, and faculty across target institutions

Pipeline Development and Proactive Sourcing

• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of qualified candidates for anticipated attorney and professional staff needs across all offices and practice groups
• Develop sourcing strategies that leverage professional networks, industry organizations, social media platforms, alumni connections, and community relationships
• Attend and represent the firm at recruiting events, career fairs, bar association functions, and other professional gatherings

Employer Branding and Marketing Presence

• Serve as a visible ambassador for the firm's culture, values, and professional opportunities in the talent marketplace
• Collaborate with the firm's marketing team to develop and maintain recruiting-related content, including the careers section of the firm's website, social media presence, and recruiting collateral
• Help shape and communicate the firm's employer brand to attract top-tier legal and professional talent in a competitive market

Operational and Administrative

• Manage recruiting budgets, track expenditures, and demonstrate return on investment relative to external search firm fees and other recruiting costs
• Maintain compliance with all applicable employment laws, EEOC requirements, and firm policies throughout the recruiting process
• Maintain memberships in ALA, NALP, SHRM, and other relevant professional organizations
• Travel firmwide as necessary to support recruiting efforts across all offices

What We Offer

• A rare opportunity to build something from scratch. This is not a role where you step into an existing structure. You will design the vision, set the strategy, and build the firm's recruiting function on your terms, with the full support of firm leadership behind you.
• Strategic visibility and impact. You will work directly with the firm's Executive Committee, practice group chairs, and office managing partners, giving you a seat at the table on decisions that shape the firm's future.
• A dual-dimension role. This position blends talent acquisition with marketing and brand presence, offering a dynamic, multifaceted professional experience that goes well beyond traditional recruiting.
• A firm that values relationships. Hand Arendall Harrison Sale has built its reputation over more than 80 years on a culture of genuine, lasting relationships, with clients, within the community, and among its own people. You will be joining a firm where people know each other by name and invest in each other's success.
• Flexibility in location. This position can be based in any of the firm's Alabama or Florida offices, with travel across the firm as needed to support every office and practice group.
• Competitive compensation and benefits. Salary commensurate with experience, along with a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, Public Relations, or a related field
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in recruiting, talent acquisition, or human resources, with demonstrated experience managing full-cycle recruitment
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities across offices and practice areas simultaneously
• Proficiency with applicant tracking systems and recruiting technology platforms
• Willingness to travel regularly across the firm's Alabama and Florida offices

Preferred

• Experience in legal recruiting or talent acquisition within a law firm environment
• Experience with both attorney (lateral and entry-level) and professional staff recruiting
• Familiarity with law school recruiting processes, OCI programs, and summer associate program management
• Experience developing recruiting strategies, employer branding initiatives, or marketing-related functions
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or other relevant professional certification
• Strong knowledge of employment laws, EEOC and FLSA requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to build a function, team, or program from the ground up

Working Conditions

Normal professional office setting. Minimal evening and/or weekend work. Some travel is required.

Typical Physical Needs

Requires prolonged sitting, some bending, stooping and stretching. Requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, photocopier, telephone, calculator and other office equipment. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to record, prepare and communicate appropriate reports. May need to climb stairs and lift up to 30 lbs.

EEO Statement

Our company is an equal opportunity employer, and we look to fill every position with the best qualified person regardless of age, gender, race, religion, disability, or national origin. With our offices in Alabama and Florida, we recruit from all over the Southeast to find the right fit for every position.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not supposed to be construed as an exhaustive