Business Development Specialist – M&A and Private Equity

Gibson Dunn; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Retirement benefits

Paid time off (sick and vacation)

Parental leave

Basic life insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

Discretionary bonuses

Job summary

Gibson Dunn in Los Angeles is seeking a Business Development Specialist to support BD and visibility initiatives for the M&A and Private Equity practices as well as the Media & Entertainment and Life Sciences industry groups.

For their transactional group, you will develop bespoke pitch documents, standardized pitch decks, opportunity ready deal lists, matter descriptions and other content, while contributing to conferences, sponsorships and client events.

Qualifications

• University degree required.
• 3–5 years of experience in professional services.
• Experience creating and developing business pitches.
• Experience with CRM systems preferred.
• Strong Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word PowerPoint) skills.
• Familiarity with AI tools including ChatGPT, Gemini, Co-Pilot.

Responsibilities

• Support development and marketing efforts for assigned practices and regions.
• Collaborate with the BD Manager and Marketing Intelligence on deal collection and league tables.
• Contribute to relevant legal directory submissions and industry award entries.
• Maintain master collateral: bespoke pitch documents, standard decks, opportunity lists, matter descriptions.
• Support visibility initiatives including conferences, sponsorships and client events.
• Provide guidance on client relationship activities and events.
• Coordinate with CRM, Market Intelligence and Directories teams to maintain data quality.
• Assist broader BD team on client targeting and research reports.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Time management

Thrives under pressure

Flexibility outside business hours

Education

University degree

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Co-Pilot)

Job description

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm, advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies that are meticulously tailored to every matter, however complex or high-stakes. The firm’s work is distinguished by a unique combination of precision and vision.

Based in Los Angeles, the Business Development Specialist will be responsible for supporting the business development and visibility initiatives and priorities for the M&A and Private Equity practices as well as the Media & Entertainment and Life Sciences industry groups.

For their group of transactional practices, the business development specialist will be responsible for driving the development and maintenance of collateral materials including the creation of bespoke pitch documents, standardized pitch decks, opportunity ready deal lists, matter descriptions and other applicable content. Working closely with the relevant manager and team, the Specialist will also proactively contribute to visibility and client relationship management activities including conferences, sponsorships and client facing events. Support for other transactional practices and lawyers will be assigned as needed.

This role reports to the Manager, Business Development based in Los Angeles.

Responsibilities Include

• Supporting the development and marketing efforts for assigned practices and/or regions as well as providing support for individual partner business objectives with the business development manager.
• Working closely with the BD Manager and Marketing Intelligence team on deal collection to support league table submissions. Liaise with third-party publications to ensure the firm receives proper credit for each submitted deal.
• Supporting relevant legal directory submissions and contributing to relevant industry award submissions.
• Maintenance of master collateral materials including the creation of bespoke pitch documents, standardized pitch decks, opportunity ready deal lists, matter descriptions and other applicable content.
• Supporting related practice and individual lawyer visibility initiatives including conferences, sponsorships, professional association memberships, speaking opportunities and other opportunities.
• Providing guidance and support to client relationship activities including events, relationship reviews, opportunity spotting and other related efforts.
• Collaborating with the CRM team, Market intelligence team and Directories team to ensure high quality client data is maintained for relevant deliverables.
• Collaborating with the broader business development team and the market intelligence team on client targeting efforts and research reports, supporting both individual pitches and practice area strategic projects.

Qualifications

• Exceptional professional interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with lawyers at varying levels.
• Strong project management and time management skills.
• Solid understanding of the needs and expectations of law firms and the ability to work in an environment with shifting priorities and many constituents.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to work outside business hours as needed.

Experience

• University degree required.
• 3-5 years of experience in professional services.
• Experience creating and developing business pitches.
• Experience with CRM systems preferred.
• Exceptional in Microsoft office (Outlook, Excel, Word PowerPoint).
• Familiarity and comfort with AI tools including ChatGPT, Gemini, Co-Pilot and others.

Gibson Dunn will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of local law.

The annual compensation range for this position is $110-120k. The salary offered within this range will depend upon qualifications and other operational considerations.

Benefits offered for this position include health care; retirement benefits; paid days off, including sick time, and vacation time; parental leave; basic life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts; as well as discretionary, performance-based bonuses.