Senior Legal Talent Manager

Senior Legal Talent Manager

Cooley is seeking a Senior Legal Talent Manager to oversee three offices in SoCal and to be based in one of our Los Angeles offices.

Position summary: The local or regional Senior Legal Talent Manager is responsible for overseeing the legal talent function for local office(s), to include law student and attorney recruitment, as well as the integration, development and retention of all non-partner attorneys. Specific duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

Position responsibilities:

Law student and lateral recruiting

• Manage the full life-cycle recruitment process for law students and lateral associates
• Develop and implement recruiting searches and strategies in coordination with the Director of Legal Talent, Practice Group Leaders and Hiring Committee members
• Respond to all inquiries from applicants or search firms on a timely, professional and accurate basis.
• Oversee candidate tracking, interview scheduling, travel/accommodation coordination and the collection and assessment of evaluations
• Manage attorney offer process, including offer recommendation memos and approval, offer letter language and terms, due diligence, attorney bar admission status, and compliance with risk management policies and procedures
• Ensure the accurate and timely tracking and payment of expenses related to the recruitment process.
• Serve as Cooley’s representative at events related to on-campus recruiting, law school outreach and diversity initiatives, as needed
• Serve as a member of office Hiring Committee and ex-officio member of firm-wide Hiring Committee
• Work with Cooley’s Manager of Diversity & Inclusion on the firm’s diversity recruitment initiatives, as needed
• Develop and maintain strong and constructive relationships with search firms, including regular outreach events

Summer program:

• Manage all aspects of the office summer associate program
• Oversee assignments and evaluations, conduct mid-summer and end-of-summer reviews along with Summer Associate Program Chair, schedule, organize and attend social events, and monitor summer program expenses and reimbursements
• Assist with firm-wide summer program activities, including Opening Dinner, Seascape, orientation, and training, as needed
• Serve as a member of office Summer Associate Committee and as ex-officio member of firm-wide Summer Associate Committee

Onboarding and integration:

• Oversee all aspects of new attorney arrival, orientation and initial onboarding
• Coordinate the local office integration and/or mentor program for first year associates and lateral hires
• Ensure that all first year and lateral hire associates are integrating well and receiving the resources they need through regular communication with the new hire and with other partners and associates

Associate development and retention:

• Conduct regular check-ins with associates to gauge satisfaction with their career, current engagement and utilization
• Serve as a resource to both practice group leaders and associates with respect to addressing morale-related issues and concerns
• Manage local office Associate Relations budget and work with the Associates’ Committee to plan special events and programming
• Conduct associate focus groups as needed and report findings and suggestions to Department Heads and the Director of Legal Talent
• Oversee attorney requests regarding inter-office transfers, including relocation
• Support the associate review process by working with practice group leaders and Associate Review Committee members to ensure quality reviews are delivered in a timely fashion
• Meet regularly with relevant partners and Associate Development Managers to identify high performing associates and associates who may be having specific challenges so that appropriate mentoring, training and other actions can be taken to address specific circumstances in a timely manner
• Collaborate with Legal Education & Associate Development team members regarding local associate skills/development training programs and professional development initiatives

Other duties:

• Ensure accurate and current data entry in the LawCruit database and Worksite
• Prepare and audit LawCruit reports to ensure accuracy of office data, and maintain a high level of proficiency in LawCruit reporting and data entry procedures
• Ensure that local Legal Talent staff is fully trained in all aspects of their responsibilities, provide the highest level of support and demonstrate the highest level of performance
• Prepare, administer, and audit monthly variance analyses of office recruiting budget
• Establish and maintain strong and constructive relationships with other firm departments, including Legal Training & Development, Human Resources, Marketing and IS
• Participate in local attorney recruiting professional association(s), as appropriate
• Attend training, education and development programs to enhance performance, professional development and advancement
• Provide lateral partner recruiting support to Director of Lateral Recruitment and Strategic Growth on an office specific basis, as needed
• Develop and maintain office specific information for recruiting materials and website
• Provide relevant training to attorneys on the firm’s recruiting policies and procedures, interviewing processes and best practices, including hosting Summer Program and Fall Recruiting kick off events
• Serve as direct supervisor and mentor to direct reports, if applicable
• Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requests
• Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities
• In collaboration with immediate supervisor and CN HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events
• All other duties as assigned or required

Skills and experience:

Required:

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
• Ability to travel, as required
• 7+ years prior experience in attorney recruiting, talent management or other human resources related discipline with 3+ years of management experience in relevant roles.
• Non-Senior level candidates must have 5+ years applicable experience in the field
• Previous experience with HR/recruiting software

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Supervisory experience
• Previous experience managing a budget

Competencies:

• Detail-oriented, organized and process driven, with the desire to take ownership of projects and responsibilities, but to also work collaboratively in a team-oriented environment
• Strong time management skills and the ability to prioritize multiple tasks quickly and efficiently
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal (both listening and talking) and written communication skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of all records, files, documents and department information
• Professional demeanor and the ability to use initiative, diplomacy and tact
• Ability to make independent judgments/decisions based up on a set of principles rather than rules
• Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with multiple constituencies
• Proven supervisory and leadership skills

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices. EOE.

The expected annual pay range for this position is $150,000 - $180,000. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate. Non-Senior level candidates may be considered for this position and would be eligible for a lower salary range based on experience.

We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 21 days of Paid Time Off (“PTO”) and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.