Business development manager - Disputes

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide.
Our fluency in English law, U.S. law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimize your wellbeing.
What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.
Department purpose and structure

The U.S. marketing & business development team (U.S. MKT Team) is a sophisticated group of experienced professionals charged with guiding the Firm’s fee earners to grow U.S. and global revenues, expand existing client relationships and strategically tackle new client pursuits.

This is a team that is all-in. As business professionals at one of the largest law firms in the world, the U.S. MKT Team thrives on market challenges and outside-the-box thinking. It is a team where fresh ideas are not only entertained, they are encouraged.

Role purpose

The business development manager— Disputes role is a fantastic opportunity to gain global experience working for one of the largest law firms in the world and to learn the unique approach that a truly global firm utilizes towards business development and marketing.

The business development manager will support the Antitrust, Cybersecurity, Commercial Litigation, and International Arbitration practices and work closely with partners to develop and implement business development and marketing strategies for the firm’s U.S. offices. The BDM will also work with business development teams across the firm to help support the Disputes and Litigation practices. This includes, but is not limited to, responding to client requests for proposals, coordination of involvement in firmwide initiatives, sponsorship and event management, collateral creation and management, client targeting exercises, coordinating of media opportunities with the communications team, thought leadership, and legal directory submissions.

Key relationships

• Senior manager of business development – White Collar & Investigations (based in Boston).

• Chief marketing & business development officer – Americas (based in New York).

• Partners and fee earners in the disputes group.

• U.S. business development team.

• Peers across the wider and global business development, marketing and communications teams.

Context

This role is partner facing and involves serving as the go-to for partners and other fee earners for all BD and marketing within the U.S. Disputes groups. The BDM is crucial to the group’s execution of its strategy and to day-to-day success of the business. This role will involve strategy, pitches, market research, events and PR. There is also involvement in the day-to-day marketing processes management, planning, and execution.

Role and responsibilities

• Practice strategy, planning and execution: working closely with the attorneys to develop and implement the business development strategy and plans for each partner and their practices, including global initiatives, development of target client lists and ongoing practice and client development.

• Pitches, proposals and credentials: working directly with the attorneys to create competitive proposals, credentials, pitches, and presentations.

• Cross-practice and cross-office integration: using an understanding of the firm’s international partner and business development network (and the varied range of working practices/styles across the firm), coordination of existing projects and development of new opportunities. Sharing ideas with colleagues in order to enhance quality and efficiency of work and developing best practices in coordination with the U.S. business development team as a whole.

• Market research: conducting market research on existing and prospective clients and market issues which may impact clients’ businesses and providing advice on effective marketing strategies to address these issues.

• Marketing discussion and review: arranging and chairing meetings with the practice groups to review progress on marketing projects and key client targeting; ensuring relevant information from these meetings is circulated to other relevant internal groups.

• Profile/PR: working with our PR team to spot opportunities and maintain effective press coverage on major market developments; drafting entries for legal and industry directories. Determining high profile-matters and issues of the disputes group to ensure press and internal coverage where appropriate.

• Sponsorships and client events: identifying and coordinating firm sponsorships of conferences (e.g., targeting speaker opportunities, coordinating materials and speakers, conducting event follow-up, etc.) and, together with the U.S. events team, planning client events and seminars.

• Expertise database: maintaining records, disputes proposals and matters and ensuring that information about these matters is appropriately documented and disseminated to other internal groups.

• Team management: mentoring and collaborating with junior team members, ensuring appropriate work opportunities and allocation, and support of team members’ long-term goals and training.

Team

This position reports directly to the senior manager of business development – White Collar & Investigations and works closely with other members of the U.S. business development team and global disputes business development team.

Key requirements

• Minimum of 5 years of legal or professional services experience working in a high-profile, fast-paced environment.

• Willingness and enthusiasm to develop an in-depth understanding of the Disputes sectors, with experience working in these sectors preferred.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; high attention to detail and strong client focus.

• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills - with partners, key associates, and business development colleagues, and clients, including selling concepts and presenting to senior management.

• Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize effectively while working on multiple conflicting deadlines.

• Proven track record of achieving strategic business objectives and using this experience to determine people and financial resources required for specific projects.

• Experience with budgeting, including writing business cases, is a plus.

• Strong knowledge of MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

• Bachelor’s degree required.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced marketing and business development professional working closely with an energetic group of people, in a fast-paced law firm environment. We are looking for an individual who is proactive, persistent and committed to “getting the job done,” and a supportive colleague.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and disability

A&O Shearman is an equal opportunity employer, including Veterans and Disability. Every individual has the right to work in a professional environment that promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all aspects of an individual’s relationship with A&O Shearman, including, without limitation, recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.
If you are vision-impaired or have another disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law and wish to discuss accommodations related to applying for employment at A&O Shearman, please contact US HR Transactions at View email address on click.appcast.io or call View phone number on click.appcast.io and ask for HR Transactions.

This role is open to our New York and Washington DC offices. For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in New York, the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is $145,000-$190,000. For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in Washington DC, the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is $146,000-$188,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on the overall qualifications of the individual applicant for the position and other job-related factors permitted by law. We offer competitive compensation and benefits package which includes a discretionary bonus, paid leave, life, health, accident, and disability insurance; and a 401(k) plan.