Director of Attorney Development

Plona Partners; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Plona Partners is partnering with a prestigious New York law firm to identify a Director of Attorney Advancement who will shape how attorneys develop, navigate their careers and advance within the organization. The role is highly visible, serving as a trusted career advisor while partnering with firm leadership to align coaching with data and firmwide talent initiatives.

The candidate will drive initiatives across onboarding, work allocation, engagement, exit interviews and market benchmarking,

Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience across attorney development, professional development, legal talent management, career advising or a comparable function within a sophisticated legal environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide confidential one-on-one coaching around performance, professional development, work opportunities and long-term career trajectory.
• Analyze associate hours, workloads and partner exposure to identify trends and inform talent decisions.
• Lead and influence initiatives including onboarding/integration, work allocation, engagement initiatives and retention insights.
• Survey and benchmark markets to inform leadership decisions and talent strategy.

Education

JD strongly preferred

Job description

This isn't a traditional Professional Development position.

Plona Partners is partnering with a prestigious New York law firm to identify a Director of Attorney Advancement who will play a highly visible role in shaping how the firm's attorneys develop, navigate their careers and ultimately advance within the organization.vThe Director will serve as a trusted career advisor to attorneys while partnering closely with firm leadership, combining individualized coaching with data, work-allocation insights and firmwide talent initiatives.

The Opportunity

• Director-level ownership and visibility
• Direct interaction with associates, partners and firm leadership
• Opportunity to influence the firm's broader attorney talent strategy

What You'll Own

This person will become a key resource for attorneys throughout their careers — providing confidential one-on-one coaching around performance, professional development, work opportunities and long-term career trajectory.

The mandate goes well beyond coaching.

You'll analyze associate hours, workloads and partner exposure to identify trends and help leadership make informed talent decisions.

You'll also lead and influence initiatives involving:

• Attorney onboarding and integration
• Work allocation and utilization
• Attorney engagement and affinity initiatives
• Exit interviews and retention insights
• Professional skills and leadership programming
• Attorney surveys and market benchmarking

Who We're Looking For

We'd like to speak with professionals bringing 7+ years of relevant experience across attorney development, professional development, legal talent management, career advising or a comparable function within a sophisticated legal environment.

JD is strongly preferred.

The right person will have the credibility and judgment to counsel attorneys individually while also being comfortable sitting across the table from partners and firm leadership and making recommendations backed by both qualitative and quantitative data.