Legal Recruiting & Professional Development Manager

Our client, a leading international law firm, requires a Legal Recruiting & Professional Development Manager.  In cooperation with the Chief Legal Personnel Officer, the hiring partners, and the Managing Partners for Legal Personnel, you’ll support and manage the legal recruiting and professional development program for the firm’s London office.

Duties & Responsibilities

Graduate Recruitment:

• Key point of contact, both internally and externally, for all queries relating to graduate recruitment and development.
• Manage all aspects of employer branding (ensuring adherence to the firm’s branding guidelines), including review and updates of all promotional materials, publications and advertising.
• Oversee the annual milkround at universities, and share attendance at the law fairs with the Legal Recruiting and Professional Development Coordinator.
• Working closely with the Training Principal and Graduate Recruitment Partner, maintain and develop the firm’s strategy for profile raising at universities throughout the UK, including providing guidance and/or support for activities, such as practice specific presentations and skills sessions on campus.
• Implement metrics, reporting systems, and tools to assess return on investment of attraction strategies and make recommendations as required.
• Working closely with the Training Principal and Graduate Recruitment Partner, manage and develop the attraction and selection processes for Summer Scheme and Insight Day programs along with recruitment and selection processes for training contract applications.
• Maintain a programme of liaison with future trainees.
• Oversee the offer process and ensure that appropriate documentation is produced and processed with regards to the onboarding process each year.
• Manage and develop the trainee induction program.

Lateral Recruitment:

• Manage the screening and interview call-back process. 
• Organise and confirm interview schedules and arrangements and manage reference check and writing sample review process.
• Maintain positive working relationships with legal search firms, as well as other recruitment contacts and resources.

Recruiting and Evaluation Systems:

• Working with the Legal Recruiting and Professional Development Coordinator, oversee and manage the tracking of candidates, and associate and counsel evaluations in vIDesktop.

Professional Development:

• Work with the Training Principal and Graduate Recruitment Partner to manage the trainee solicitor seat rotation process and ensure mid-seat and end of seat evaluations are completed.
• Monitor all current and future trainee performance and training, from the GDL to qualification, and proactively deal with any performance or training issues that arise.
• Work with the Training Principal and Graduate Recruitment Partner to manage the trainee solicitor qualification process, including responsibility for dealing with all SRA paperwork and checks.
• Keep up-to-date with SRA regulations and developments governing trainee solicitors and propose changes to current policies and practices as appropriate.
• Assist in the development of initiatives, projects and systems to further associate, retention and promotion. Regularly interact with associates to listen to their issues and concerns; work with the Director of Legal Recruiting and Professional Development, the Managing Partners for Legal Personnel, and the Associate Advisory Committee to address the career and general professional development needs of associates.
• Provide guidance to attorneys regarding their integration into the firm and ongoing career development.
• Implement training programs and instructional materials for associate career planning, and for senior lawyer coaching.
• Coordinate the office lawyer mentoring program, regularly review the effectiveness of the mentoring pairings; recommend changes as appropriate.
• Collaborate with the Director to update and enhance new associate orientation, lateral attorney integration, mentoring, and other talent development-related programs.
• Implement metrics, reporting systems, and tools to assess ongoing attorney needs and to evaluate effectiveness of career development programs and initiatives.
• Monitor current trends and best practices in professional development to ensure the firm's efforts are cutting edge.

General:

• Provide regular updates to the Director, and keep the Director apprised of any noteworthy matters.
• Manage and develop the Legal Recruiting and Professional Development Coordinator.
• Responsible for budgeting and monitoring all costs related to legal recruitment and development.
• Promote diversity principles and good practice, providing advice on current initiatives and proactively seeking new ways in which diversity can be further enhanced in recruitment and selection processes.
• Work with the London HR team to ensure the team is aware of recruitment developments that will have a wider HR impact, to ensure that the HR function provides a seamless service to the business.
• Advise on and arrange visa applications for future trainees, lateral hires and secondments to London as required.
• Ensure that the firm’s legislative and regulatory obligations are met with regards to recruitment and development.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of five years of coordinating law firm or professional services recruitment programs and broad-based career development experience.
• Degree level education and CIPD qualified (or part qualified) is preferred.
• Strong project management, analytical, and problem solving skills.  Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Proficiency in MSWord, Excel and PowerPoint.  Well versed in Apply4Law (preferred), or a similar recruiting database/software.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.  Proven ability to work in a team environment with staff and attorneys at all levels, and to build consensus-based support for strategies and processes.
• Some travel required.