Business Development Manager

The Estate Lawyers; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Estate Lawyers in Southern California seeks a Business Development Manager to partner with attorneys, build tailored BD plans, and strengthen referral networks across Orange County and San Diego.

You will execute strategy with hands-on actions, coordinating outreach, events, and follow-up while refining approaches based on results. Strong relationship skills and CRM proficiency are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years in business development, legal marketing, or professional services.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage individual attorney business development plans.
• Establish and track monthly attorney BD activity benchmarks.
• Track and report referrals in and out.
• Identify, cultivate, and strengthen referral relationships and strategic partnerships.
• Manage the firm’s referral program and related attorney follow-up.
• Identify speaking opportunities and leadership roles for attorneys.
• Increase meaningful LinkedIn engagement and professional visibility.
• Support attorney thought leadership and content opportunities.
• Plan and execute referral events and firm events.
• Manage awards, rankings, nominations, and recognition opportunities.
• Capture and leverage case wins for awards, BD, and visibility.
• Maintain accurate BD activity and relationship data in HubSpot.

Skills

Relationship building

Project management

Attorneys collaboration

CRM systems

HubSpot

LinkedIn proficiency

Networking

Executive coordination

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

HubSpot

LinkedIn

Job description

The Business Development Manager will work directly with attorneys to build and execute individual business development plans, strengthen referral relationships, identify speaking and leadership opportunities, and grow The Estate Lawyers’ presence across Orange County and San Diego.

This is a hands‑on execution role with strategic judgment built in. You will not just recommend what attorneys should do. You will help make it happen: identifying the right organizations and relationships, coordinating outreach and introductions, managing follow‑up, securing opportunities, planning events, tracking activity, and keeping initiatives moving.

At the same time, we expect you to continuously refine the strategy based on what is working. That means helping determine which attorney should be doing what, where their time is best spent, which opportunities are worth pursuing, and when an approach should change.

You’ll work closely with the Director of Marketing & Business Development, who will set broader strategy and priorities while partnering with you on refinement, problem‑solving, and execution. The right person is comfortable moving between strategy and the details required to actually deliver results.

Who is the Right Fit for this Role?

What Characteristics Embody this Position:

• Enjoy working directly with attorneys and senior professionals.
• Are a natural relationship builder who understands that successful BD is about consistency, follow‑through, and genuine connection.
• Are comfortable holding people accountable to goals and activity benchmarks.
• Can identify which organizations, relationships, events, and opportunities are worth pursuing and which are not.
• Are proactive and do not need someone constantly reminding you what comes next.
• Can balance strategy with execution. You are just as comfortable developing a BD plan as you are coordinating the lunch, event, introduction, or follow‑up that makes it happen.
• Understand that business development should ultimately produce measurable results.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and manage individual attorney business development plans.
• Establish and track monthly attorney BD activity benchmarks.
• Track and report individual attorney referrals in and referrals out.
• Identify, cultivate, and strengthen referral relationships and strategic partnerships.
• Manage the firm’s referral program and related attorney follow‑up.
• Identify speaking opportunities, professional organizations, committees, and leadership opportunities for attorneys.
• Help attorneys increase meaningful LinkedIn engagement and professional visibility.
• Support attorney thought leadership, including speaking topics, authorship, case wins, professional commentary, and other content opportunities.
• Plan and execute referral events, networking opportunities, firm events, and strategic relationship‑building activities.
• Manage attorney awards, rankings, nominations, and recognition opportunities.
• Capture and leverage case wins for awards, business development, thought leadership, and firm visibility.
• Support newsletters and other communications to referral partners and professional audiences.
• Maintain accurate BD activity, referral, and relationship information in HubSpot.

Skills & Tech Proficiency

• Strong relationship‑building and interpersonal skills
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Ability to confidently work with attorneys and senior professionals
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines without losing follow‑through
• Comfortable using CRM systems to track relationships, activity, and results
• HubSpot experience preferred
• Strong working knowledge of LinkedIn and professional networking
• Experience with legal awards, speaking programs, events, or professional organizations is a plus
• Familiarity with the Southern California legal and professional community is preferred

Why Join The Estate Lawyers?

We do things differently. You’ll join a firm that:

• Moves with purpose – We’re growing, building, and evolving every quarter.
• Respects talent – You’ll have meaningful ownership while working closely with a supportive, hands‑on leader.
• Values measurable impact – Your work will directly influence attorney relationships, referrals, and firm growth.
• Lives our core values:
• Stay Hungry – We chase results with grit and ambition.
• Radical Candor/Radical Respect – We say the hard thing with heart.
• Team Win / Client Win – We win together.
• Bachelor's Degree
• 5+ years of business development, legal marketing, or professional services experience.
• Experience working directly with attorneys, executives, or other senior professionals.
• Law firm or professional services experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in relationship development, referral growth, or professional networking.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to independently drive projects and follow‑up.
• Southern California market experience is a plus.

Performance & KPIs

Success in this role will be measured primarily through:

• Monthly attorney business development activity against established benchmarks.
• Individual attorney referrals in and referrals out.
• Progress against individual attorney BD plans.