Are you a seasoned legal recruiting professional ready to elevate your career? Our client, a prestigious Big Law firm, is seeking a Senior Legal Recruiting Manager to lead its recruitment efforts, focusing on summer associates and lateral attorney hiring.

Reporting directly to the Director of Recruiting, this strategic leadership role involves close collaboration with hiring partners and office leaders to ensure recruitment processes are effective, efficient, and aligned with the firm’s goals. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in professional services recruiting, a strategic mindset, and a results-driven approach.

Key Responsibilities

Recruitment Strategy :

• Develop and implement strategic plans for summer associate and lateral attorney recruitment that align with the firm’s long-term objectives. Forecast hiring needs, analyze trends, and recommend process enhancements; recruiting summer associates and lateral attorneys

Summer Associate Program :

• Oversee all aspects of the Summer Associate Program, including onboarding, offboarding, assignments, mentorship, practice area rotations, evaluations, budget management, and events. Ensure a seamless and engaging experience for participants.

On-Campus Recruitment :

• Strategize and manage on-campus interviews (OCI), 1L hiring programs, and outreach initiatives. Build strong relationships with law school career services offices and student organizations.

Lateral Hiring :

• Lead lateral attorney recruitment efforts by collaborating with department heads and section leaders. Manage candidate evaluations, callback interviews, offer processes, and onboarding.

Data & Reporting :

• Optimize the use of applicant tracking systems and maintain accurate recruiting data. Provide insights and reports on recruitment metrics and trends to senior leadership.

Branding & Outreach :

• Collaborate with the Communications team to create compelling recruitment marketing materials and maintain consistent messaging across platforms. Represent the firm at events and strengthen the recruitment pipeline through external partnerships.

Team Leadership :

• Manage, mentor, and develop junior recruiting team members to achieve individual and team goals. Foster a collaborative and results-oriented team culture.

Candidate Experience :

• Serve as the primary contact for candidates, ensuring a positive and professional experience throughout all recruitment stages.

Required Skills & Abilities

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence and engage diverse stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and team management experience with a collaborative and strategic mindset.
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail.
• Results-oriented with strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and experience with recruiting software (e.g., ViRecruit) is strongly preferred.
• Flexibility to travel and work evenings or weekends as required.
• Professional demeanor and a commitment to delivering outstanding customer service to candidates and internal stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Education : Bachelor’s degree required.
• Experience : 8–10 years of professional services recruiting experience, preferably in the legal industry or a law firm setting.