Business Development Manager

Job Summary:

The Business Development Manager will support all business development efforts of assigned practice groups within the Corporate Department and ensure that individual practice group objectives are achieved.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the development and execution of practice group business plans, including identification and pursuit of client prospects, expanding relations with existing clients, contributing to practice cross-selling efforts and elevating the public profile of their assigned practice groups and attorneys.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and as primary point of contact for assigned practice groups and teams for initiating, directing, and providing business development and marketing support, strategic guidance and proactive recommendations for the development, implementation, and management of business development and marketing plans, development of collateral and marketing content, communications, and client and industry programs.
• Work closely with lead partners, other lawyers and business support colleagues to formulate and execute business development and marketing efforts designed to generate new business and improve market visibility for the Corporate Department efforts.
• Maintain a knowledge of legal market and competitive trends relative to business development efforts.
• Conduct market research, analyze trends, and identify opportunities with target clients.
• Provide attorneys with information on target industry sectors, developments with existing clients, client prospects, competitive positions and market trends.
• Identify and target new clients, including performing due diligence on means to effectively pursue identified opportunities.
• Collaborate with Department personnel, Department Leaders, practice group leaders and partners in developing and executing plans for cross-selling, client retention, and other business development or marketing-related education programs.
• Manage and drive the development and implementation of business plans in collaboration with practice group leaders and other business support colleagues.
• Build a strong working knowledge of adjacent practice and industry sectors to the business units that you support, and facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration pertaining to business development and marketing strategies, priorities and clients.
• Maintain essential information on client matters through the development and maintenance of experience and deal information repositories and other significant representations.
• Lead business development activities and participate in practice group and departmental meetings, including those pertaining to the development and execution of business plans and other prioritized areas of focus.
• Drive pitching and new business generation by managing and executing large pitches, proposals and RFPs, including performing analysis, leading a team in developing effective proposal content, and in identifying ways to differentiate the firm from the competition.
• Execute post pitch analysis to contribute to the formulation of firm best practices and to advance performance.
• Prepare and produce client presentations with content tailored to highlight the firm's unique service offerings and relevant compelling differentiators.
• Work with business services teams to develop prudent fee arrangements.
• Maintain up-to-date pitch content, materials and client information.
• Act as trusted advisor to attorney teams to scope, prepare for in-person meetings and pitches, and provide post pitch client and target feedback.
• Provide strategic coaching to individual lawyers and 'pitch teams' to increase effectiveness of business development and marketing approaches.
• Manage overall legal ranking process for designated practice groups.
• Prepare compelling league tables, legal directories and awards submissions.
• Serve as central resource for attorneys and practices in analyzing opportunities for professional recognitions, gathering the appropriate information for the legal ranking submissions to trade publications and databases.
• Work with the marketing team and other business support colleagues to identify opportunities to create and implement integrated branding and profile-raising content and campaigns.
• Collaborate with the communications team on the development and implementation of public relations and internal/external communications strategies and tactics aligned with attorney business plans.
• Analyze market opportunities and manage thought leadership initiatives, including but not limited to social media, white papers, newsletters, and client alerts.
• Work with attorneys to develop ideas, to draft and edit communications to clients and targets, and help guide the production of these materials.
• Assess market conference and other networking opportunities, and assist attorney in developing and implementing associated plans.
• Manage and develop other members of the business development and marketing team.
• Support the development and program adoption of attorney-facing BD training.
• Communicate BD best practices, actions, and key successes and goals across the Department.
• Track and provide metrics and analytics related to the Corporate Department business development activities to Department Chair and practice group leaders.
• Also, support any necessary budget tracking and/or return-on-investment analysis.
• Ensure the accuracy, substance of content, and timeliness of relevant marketing materials, including but not limited to website content, collateral materials and attorney profiles for your assigned attorneys and groups.
• Support the development, implementation and follow-up activities surrounding client plans and client meetings.
• Contribute to the development and management of information repositories pertaining to experience and/or client management.
• Participate in marketing or business development professional association and networking programs.
• Create and maintain internal reports that are relevant in managing and measuring the performance of the practice group with respect to its business development and marketing investments and plans.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with other business services teams including but not limited to Information Systems, Finance, Human Resources and Attorney Development and Recruitment, Practice Innovation, and Practice Operations, and appropriate external resources, particularly the public relations firm.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing (or related discipline), J.D. or MBA preferred.
• Minimum of five years of relevant industry experience in marketing or business development supporting transactional practices in a law firm or other professional services firm preferred.
• Understanding of corporate law - private equity, M&A, capital markets, financing.
• Mastery of business development competencies.
• Strong strategic and critical thinking skills, and proven experience driving results as a business advisor and partner.
• Knowledge of business planning and targeting programs at the department, practice group and individual partner level.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with appropriate level of discretion.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) and InterAction CRM. Must have strong overall technology skills and demonstrate a willingness to learn new applications as they become commercially available.
• Foundation, Salesforce and Sharepoint. Experience with databases such as Pitchbook, Mergermarket, Refinitiv, CapitalIQ, and Preqin a plus.