Posted: June 21, 2024
Firmwide Director of Legal Recruiting
(May reside in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco)
At Seyfarth, we understand that great people are the key to our success, and we provide the opportunities to match. If you join us, you’ll work with state-of-the-art technology in a friendly and professional environment, and we will continue to invest in your professional development. If you want the freedom to grow at a firm that is invested in your future, keep reading.
THE OPPORTUNITY:
As the Director of Legal Recruiting you will oversee the recruiting function for all U.S. and international attorneys, including partner recruiting. You will work closely with firm leadership to provide strategic direction for all attorney recruiting including, but not limited to: lateral and entry level hiring; strategic sourcing; direction and planning; day to day management and professional development of the legal recruiting team; relationship building with recruits, search firms, and vendors; budget planning; and industry research. You will report to the Chief Human Resources Officer and work closely with the Department Chairs, Office Managing Partners and Hiring Partners in each office to help recruit and hire the best attorney talent.
THE DAY-TO-DAY:
On any given day, you will be working with firm leadership, partners, and business colleagues on a variety of requests and projects. You will:
- Drive the Firm-wide lateral recruiting strategy to attract, hire and retain top candidates in relation to the hiring directives set by Firm leadership.
- Partner with Department Chairs, Office Managing Partners, and Hiring Partners to develop and implement relationships with search firms and other lateral sources.
- Utilize data and analytics to tell a story around hiring strategy and trends.
- Manage the lateral recruiting focused resources on the larger legal recruiting team.
- Drive our diversity goals for recruiting by partnering with the Inclusion & Diversity Office to develop and maintain working relationships with diverse sources of talent.
- Operate and strategize, understanding the unique hiring nuances, competitive landscape and marketplace climate of each of the cities where we have offices.
- Oversee the lateral hiring process, including preparing, updating, and managing the correspondence of offer letters, reviewing offers for consistency and uniformity, and conducting due diligence.
- Build and execute a compelling and consistent Firm-wide employment brand across social media, video channels and industry organizations in order to improve candidate experience and build awareness for employment opportunities.
- Own the creation and implementation of lateral recruiting campaigns by region and function consistent with the Firm’s message.
- Maintain a pulse on recruiting trends in the legal profession and beyond.
- Exercise strategic and creative thinking in uncovering new lateral hiring sources outside of traditional search firms and referrals.
- Formulate, administer and maintain recruiting policies, operational procedures and practices consistent with the goals and objectives of the Firm.
- Develop and manage annual recruiting and attorney employment functions and hiring budgets; investigate, analyze and budget for new recruiting initiatives; and develop and analyze recruiting related expense reports.
- Oversee the lateral hiring projections/forecasts/targets for the annual budgeting process and monitor against targets throughout the year.
- Coach, mentor and develop a professional recruiting staff while fostering a diverse, inclusive environment.
YOU HAVE:
- A Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10 to 15 years of law firm recruiting experience with a minimum of 5 years’ experience at the director level, ideally with experience in partner recruiting.
- Previous experience managing a team or individuals.
- A strong knowledge of the legal market and professional relationships in local legal city groups and other organizations related to the legal industry.
- Excellent analytical and creative problem solving skills, an ability to meet deadlines while handling multiple and shifting priorities and the ability to communicate effectively with others.
- A desire to work in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of responsibility and will be proactive and a self-starter.
- A demonstrated leadership ability that promotes an environment of collaboration, teamwork and a culture of high performance.
- viRecruit or other applicant tracking system experience.
- Flexibility to adjust hours and travel as needed.
WHAT WE PROVIDE:
Seyfarth provides competitive salary and benefits at all levels, and our culture embraces the entrepreneurial spirit of its professionals like no other firm. Our professional staff are a collaborative team, helping to define the unique client experience offered by the firm. We understand that it takes more than attorneys to build a successful legal practice; everyone participates in our commitment to excellence. We are also proud to be an influential leader in inclusion and diversity. The firm has been recognized for our efforts by the Human Rights Campaign and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. We are Mansfield 5.0 certified, a reflection of our ongoing commitment to advancing candidates from underrepresented groups.
MORE ABOUT SEYFARTH:
With more than 900 lawyers across 18 offices, Seyfarth Shaw LLP provides advisory, litigation, and transactional legal services to clients worldwide. Learn more about The Seyfarth Experience at