Attorney Recruiting Manager

Baker Donelson; Woodbridge Township (NJ); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Baker Donelson is seeking an Attorney Recruiting Manager to lead the Summer Associate recruiting strategy across all offices. You will own the Summer Associate Program and align hiring with firm objectives.

You will cultivate relationships with law schools, career services, student organizations, and partners to attract top legal talent, while advising leadership on strategy, market trends, and workforce planning. The role includes supervising Recruiting Specialist and coordinating events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 5+ years in attorney recruiting or talent acquisition.
• Experience managing summer associate recruiting programs and events.
• Strong ability to lead multiple hiring processes and stakeholder groups.
• Prior supervisory or project leadership experience preferred.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Firm's Summer Associate recruiting strategy across all offices.
• Serve as the strategic owner of the Summer Associate Program.
• Develop relationships with law schools, career services offices, faculty, student organizations, and other key recruiting partners.
• Advise recruiting committees and firm leadership on strategy, hiring priorities, and program performance.
• Oversee summer associate recruitment, selection, evaluations, and conversion strategies.
• Provide strategic direction to recruiting staff responsible for program administration and candidate communications.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Project management

Communication skills

Relationship-building

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Applicant Tracking Systems

Recruiting Databases

Microsoft 365

Analytics/Reporting Tools

Job description

POSITION: Attorney Recruiting Manager

FLSA STATUS: Exempt

DEPARTMENT: Recruiting

SUPERVISOR: Director of Associate Recruiting & Engagement

SUMMARY: The Attorney Recruiting Manager is responsible for leading the Firm's Summer Associate recruiting strategy and serving as the primary owner of the Summer Associate Program across all offices. This role develops and executes long-term recruiting initiatives designed to attract, engage, and convert top legal talent while aligning with the Firm's strategic hiring objectives.

The Attorney Recruiting Manager serves as a trusted advisor to recruiting committees, hiring partners, practice leaders, and firm leadership, providing guidance on recruiting strategy, market trends, hiring needs, and workforce planning. The role is responsible for cultivating and maintaining strategic relationships with law schools, career services professionals, student organizations, and other recruiting partners to strengthen the Firm's talent pipeline and market presence.

The Attorney Recruiting Manager will also play a key role in supporting the Firm’s lateral Associate recruiting efforts, partnering with stakeholders across practices and offices to execute strategic hiring initiatives set forth by the Chief Growth Officer and Director of Associate Recruiting & Engagement.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Strategic Recruiting & Talent Pipeline Management

• Develop and implement the Firm's Summer Associate recruiting strategy across all offices.
• Partner with firm leadership, hiring partners, and recruiting committees to identify current and future talent needs.
• Evaluate recruiting outcomes and market trends to inform hiring strategies and workforce planning.
• Develop initiatives that enhance the Firm's ability to attract, engage, and hire top legal talent.
• Monitor competitive recruiting trends and identify opportunities to strengthen the Firm's market position.

Summer Associate Program Leadership

• Serve as the strategic owner of the Firm's Summer Associate Program.
• Develop the vision, objectives, and annual strategy for the Summer Associate Program.
• Partner with recruiting committees and firm leadership to establish hiring goals, candidate evaluation criteria, and offer recommendations.
• Oversee summer associate recruitment, selection processes, evaluations, and conversion strategies.
• Evaluate program effectiveness and implement enhancements to improve participant experience, offer acceptance rates, and long-term recruiting outcomes.
• Ensure the Summer Associate Program supports the Firm's associate hiring, development, and retention goals.
• Provide strategic direction to recruiting staff responsible for program administration, candidate communications, and event execution.

Law School & University Partnerships

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with law schools, career services offices, faculty, student organizations, and other key recruiting partners.
• Create and execute a comprehensive law school engagement strategy that promotes the Firm's brand and strengthens candidate pipelines.
• Identify opportunities to expand recruiting reach and enhance relationships with target law schools and emerging talent markets.
• Represent the Firm at law school programs, recruiting events, networking functions, and industry conferences.
• Partner with recruiting committees and firm leadership to assess recruiting investments, school performance, and pipeline effectiveness.

Recruiting Committee & Stakeholder Leadership

• Serve as the primary advisor to office recruiting committees, hiring partners, and firm leadership on associate recruiting matters.
• Facilitate consistency in hiring practices, candidate evaluation, and recruiting processes across offices.
• Lead discussions regarding recruiting strategy, hiring recommendations, program performance, and talent acquisition priorities.
• Collaborate with leadership to establish annual recruiting priorities and hiring objectives.
• Drive firmwide recruiting initiatives that support growth, talent acquisition, and workforce planning goals.

Recruiting Analytics & Program Oversight

• Review recruiting metrics, hiring data, diversity outcomes, and market trends to support strategic decision-making.
• Oversee the effectiveness of recruiting processes, systems, and reporting while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Ensure recruiting activities align with Firm objectives, budget expectations, and long-term talent needs.
• Assess recruiting program outcomes and recommend enhancements to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and candidate experience.

Leadership & Team Development

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, mentoring, and professional development to the Recruiting Specialist.
• Delegate operational recruiting responsibilities while maintaining accountability for overall recruiting outcomes.
• Establish priorities and ensure effective execution of recruiting initiatives and programs.
• Foster collaboration among recruiting staff, recruiting committees, attorneys, and firm leadership.
• Lead special projects and strategic initiatives related to recruiting, engagement, and talent development.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities Required

• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 5+ years of attorney recruiting, legal recruiting, or talent acquisition experience, preferably within an AmLaw, national, or multi-office professional services environment.
• Experience managing summer associate recruiting programs and recruiting events.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple concurrent hiring processes and stakeholder groups.
• Prior supervisory or project leadership experience preferred.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities.
• Experience with applicant tracking systems, recruiting databases, Microsoft 365, and recruiting analytics/reporting tools.

The expected base salary range for this position is $135,000 to $165,000.

Final compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, skills, education, and market considerations.

WORKING CONDITIONS
Normal office environment with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, extreme temperatures and the like.

Additional Info
The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities or requirements.

All employees are required to comply with BDBCB's information privacy and security requirements including its acceptable use policy. Such requirements are dictated by laws and regulations, by professional standards and by the marketplace and are directly applicable to BDBCB as well as to BDBCB through its clients.