Attorney Recruiting + Development Specialist

Role summary/purpose of job The Talent Team is responsible for attracting, hiring, and integrating top-tier legal talent across the firm. We are seeking an Attorney Recruiting + Development Specialist to lead and support the full-cycle recruitment of lateral associates, partners, and temporary attorneys. This role serves as a strategic partner to firm leadership and hiring partners, helping to drive a thoughtful, efficient, and high-touch approach to lateral hiring. The Attorney Recruiting + Development Specialist will work closely with the Chief Talent + Culture Officer and receive support from the Attorney Recruiting + Development Assistant to deliver an exceptional candidate experience and support the firm's long-term talent objectives. This is a highly visible, hands-on role for a proactive recruiting professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, takes ownership of complex hiring initiatives, builds strong relationships across the firm, and contributes to the continuous enhancement of recruiting processes, programs, and policies.

Key responsibilities
and deliverables
* Develop and finalize search descriptions with hiring partners for lateral associate, partner, and temporary attorney searches.
* Coordinate the launch and distribution of searches internally and through recruiting agencies, including setting up search infrastructure such as G-Drive folders, intake forms, viRecruit entries, and tracking spreadsheets.
* Participate in recruiting strategy, pipeline, and hiring discussions with the Chief Talent + Culture Officer, hiring partners, firm leadership, and recruiting agencies.
* Review resumes, evaluate candidate qualifications, and assess alignment with the firm's hiring needs.
* Prepare candidate presentations and related materials for hiring partners.
* Serve as the primary point of contact for candidates, recruiting agencies, and hiring partners.
* Manage active candidate pipelines, process candidate submissions in viRecruit, conduct agency follow-ups, track outstanding items, and maintain accurate recruiting data and reporting.
* Conduct first-round associate interviews and participate in candidate evaluations.
* Oversee interview scheduling and logistics, provide guidance to the Attorney Recruiting + Development Assistant regarding scheduling issues and last-minute changes, and review recruiting communications and materials prior to distribution.
* Advise hiring partners regarding interview feedback, hiring recommendations, and next steps, and communicate those decisions to recruiting agencies.
* Collaborate with the Chief Talent + Culture Officer and firm leadership on compensation recommendations and offer terms.
* Draft and distribute Executive Committee memoranda in support of hiring recommendations.
* Extend offers to candidates; draft offer letters; prepare and distribute offer packages and benefits materials; coordinate follow-up meetings; maintain candidate files; and manage communications throughout the offer process.
* Oversee conflicts and background check clearance in partnership with the General Counsel, department leaders, and the Human Resources team.
* Coordinate attorney onboarding, including start dates, pre-start communications, first-day logistics, office assignments, building access, technology setup, calendar coordination, and transition support.
* Facilitate attorney integration and orientation by coordinating first-day training, firm-wide announcements, orientation materials, distribution list and meeting additions, firm tours, cross-departmental introductions, and ongoing check-ins.
* Close searches by updating tracking systems and intake forms, archiving search records in viRecruit, and updating recruiting agencies.
* Process placement invoices and maintain recruiting budget tracking and related reporting.
* Coordinate the collection of new-hire performance feedback from practice group partners after three months.
* Oversee recruiting agency agreements and support contract negotiations.
* Update annual compensation and benchmarking data, conduct market research, and monitor industry trends to improve recruiting processes and policies.
* Develop and refine recruiting procedures, checklists, and workflow documentation to improve efficiency, consistency, and overall program effectiveness.
* Provide guidance and support to the Attorney Recruiting + Development Assistant.
* Serve as a trusted ambassador of the firm through professionalism, sound judgment, discretion, and exceptional client service. Key requirements (Communication/skills/experience)
* Bachelor's degree required.
* 3+ years of attorney recruiting experience within a top-tier law firm environment.
* Demonstrated ability to manage full-cycle recruiting processes with increasing independence.
* Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a polished and client-focused approach.
* Hig