Lateral Recruiting Assistant

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation in Palo Alto, California, seeks a Recruiting Assistant to join the Lateral Recruiting Team on a hybrid schedule. The role supports onboarding and lateral attorney recruiting, handles data entry, documentation, and tracking to ensure timely start dates and a positive candidate experience.

Responsibilities include managing candidate databases, coordinating pre-hire conflicts, background checks, and communications with hiring partners,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Prior administrative, coordination, or recruiting experience in a law firm or professional services environment is a plus.
• Exceptional attention to detail, with a demonstrated ability to manage high volumes of data entry and documentation without errors.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to track multiple candidates and deadlines simultaneously across different stages of the hiring process.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to set priorities, work independently, and handle a variety of duties effectively under time constraints.
• An understanding of unconscious bias and its effect on recruiting.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with different levels of firm personnel and external candidates.
• The ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion.
• A proactive, detail-first mindset: comfortable double-checking work, catching discrepancies, and following through on outstanding items without prompting.

Responsibilities

• Reviewing resumes and calculating GPAs with a high degree of accuracy, and performing heavy data entry related to applicant tracking.
• Maintaining the candidate database as resumes are received and decisions are made, ensuring all records are accurate, complete, and up to date.
• Coordinating completion of pre-hire conflicts checks: gathering conflicts information from candidates, submitting it to the conflicts team for review, and carefully tracking status for every candidate in the pipeline.
• Sending lists of ethical walls to hiring partners to confirm a candidate may join with those walls in place, and performing a supplemental conflicts check approximately two weeks before each candidate's start date to catch any new matters.
• Coordinating background checks: providing candidates with the background form, inputting information into HireRight, following up directly with candidates if employment or education cannot be verified, and summarizing background reports for recruiter and GCO review to ensure candidates are cleared before their start date.
• Managing Lateral Link assignments: emailing hiring partners for suggestions, confirming availability with suggested lateral links, and sending program and new hire information.
• Assisting with onboarding documentation collection and communications, including new phone orders, orientation schedules, and general information about joining the firm.
• Tracking onboarding progress against key checkpoints and flagging any items at risk of falling behind schedule.
• Answering new hire questions about Workday onboarding and general firm processes, and sending hiring partners and lateral links timely reminders ahead of each new hire's start date.
• Supporting recruiting events, including logistics, invitations, and materials, for Patent Agent hiring.
• Maintaining candidate tracking systems and supporting reporting for the recruiting team.
• Documenting commonly occurring new hire questions and issues to help the team proactively address them for future hires.
• Ensuring compliance with all processes and maintaining a high level of confidentiality with sensitive candidate and new hire information.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Workday

viRecruit

HireRight

Job description

Wilson Sonsini is the premier legal advisor to technology, life sciences, and other growth enterprises worldwide. We represent companies at every stage of development, from entrepreneurial start-ups to multibillion-dollar global corporations, as well as the venture firms, private equity firms, and investment banks that finance and advise them. The firm has approximately 1,100 attorneys in 17 offices: 13 in the U.S., two in China, and two in Europe. Our broad spectrum of practices and entrepreneurial spirit allow exceptional opportunities for professional achievement and career growth. The firm is seeking a Recruiting Assistant to join our dynamic Lateral Recruiting Team. The Recruiting Assistant will provide critical support to our Onboarding Coordinator and our lateral attorney recruiting teams, handling the detailed, high-volume work that keeps our onboarding and integration process running smoothly. This role requires exceptional attention to detail; the Recruiting Assistant will be responsible for data entry, documentation, and tracking where accuracy directly affects a new hire's ability to start on time and a candidate's experience with the firm. Our ideal candidate is able to work collaboratively within a team but also handle individual responsibilities and adapt to rapidly changing priorities. This is an excellent opportunity for a candidate looking for growth potential in legal recruiting. The Recruiting Assistant will work closely with the Onboarding Coordinator, the Recruiting Coordinator, recruiters, IT, and our conflicts team, and will maintain strong relationships with hiring partners and Lateral Link to support a seamless onboarding experience for new attorneys. This position is available as a hybrid work schedule.

Responsibilities:

• Reviewing resumes and calculating GPAs with a high degree of accuracy, and performing heavy data entry related to applicant tracking.
• Maintaining the candidate database as resumes are received and decisions are made, ensuring all records are accurate, complete, and up to date.
• Coordinating completion of pre-hire conflicts checks: gathering conflicts information from candidates, submitting it to the conflicts team for review, and carefully tracking status for every candidate in the pipeline.
• Sending lists of ethical walls to hiring partners to confirm a candidate may join with those walls in place, and performing a supplemental conflicts check approximately two weeks before each candidate's start date to catch any new matters.
• Coordinating background checks: providing candidates with the background form, inputting information into HireRight, following up directly with candidates if employment or education cannot be verified, and summarizing background reports for recruiter and GCO review to ensure candidates are cleared before their start date.
• Managing Lateral Link assignments: emailing hiring partners for suggestions, confirming availability with suggested lateral links, and sending program and new hire information.
• Assisting with onboarding documentation collection and communications, including new phone orders, orientation schedules, and general information about joining the firm.
• Tracking onboarding progress against key checkpoints and flagging any items at risk of falling behind schedule.
• Answering new hire questions about Workday onboarding and general firm processes, and sending hiring partners and lateral links timely reminders ahead of each new hire's start date.
• Supporting recruiting events, including logistics, invitations, and materials, for Patent Agent hiring.
• Maintaining candidate tracking systems and supporting reporting for the recruiting team.
• Documenting commonly occurring new hire questions and issues to help the team proactively address them for future hires.
• Ensuring compliance with all processes and maintaining a high level of confidentiality with sensitive candidate and new hire information.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Prior administrative, coordination, or recruiting experience in a law firm or professional services environment is a plus.
• Exceptional attention to detail, with a demonstrated ability to manage high volumes of data entry and documentation without errors.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to track multiple candidates and deadlines simultaneously across different stages of the hiring process.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to set priorities, work independently, and handle a variety of duties effectively under time constraints.
• An understanding of unconscious bias and its effect on recruiting and hiring.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with different levels of firm personnel and external candidates.
• The ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion.
• A proactive, detail-first mindset: comfortable double-checking work, catching discrepancies, and following through on outstanding items without prompting.
• Proficiency with MS Office and applicant tracking systems, preferably Workday, viRecruit, and HireRight.

The primary location for this job posting is in Palo Alto, but other locations may be listed. The actual base pay offered will depend upon a variety of factors, including but not limited to the selected candidate’s qualifications, years of relevant experience, level of education, professional certifications and licenses, and work location. The anticipated pay range for this position is as follows: Palo Alto, New York, San Francisco: $24.52 - $33.17 per hour. Washington, D.C.: $22.07 - $29.86 per hour. The compensation for this position may include overtime and a discretionary year-end merit bonus based on performance. We offer a highly competitive salary and benefits package. Benefits information can be found here.

Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). careers.wsgr.com

Wilson Sonsini is the premier legal advisor to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, as well as the venture firms, private equity firms, and investment banks that finance them. We represent more than 300 public enterprises and 3,000 private companies in a wide range of today’s cutting-edge industries, from AI and fintech to life sciences and mobility. For more than 60 years, our attorneys and professional staff have created a unique working environment. With deep roots in the fast-paced and innovative world of Silicon Valley, the firm fosters an entrepreneurial spirit and team-oriented approach for all employees, providing professional and personal development opportunities and encouraging all departments to promote a stable and optimal work/life balance. Wilson Sonsini is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce globally. We have built a culture in which employees of all backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences are encouraged and empowered to achieve their maximum potential. Our firm is consistently recognized among the top law firms in annual diversity rankings. For example, Wilson Sonsini ranked No. 2 among firms with more than 601 attorneys in Law360’s 2025 Diversity Snapshot. Additionally, in 2025, for the seventh consecutive year, Wilson Sonsini achieved Mansfield Plus Certification, and in 2026, for the sixth consecutive year, the firm achieved a top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index. We are also dedicated to enhancing the communities in which we live and work by providing legal services, financial support, and volunteer services to worthy agencies and individuals in need. In 2025, Wilson Sonsini attorneys and staff provided more than 80,500 pro bono hours, participated in 125 community service projects, and raised over $130,000 for charitable organizations and causes. In addition, the Wilson Sonsini Foundation contributed more than $2.35 million to 112 law-related organizations and 129 community organizations in 2025. Wilson Sonsini has 17 offices in 16 technology and business hubs worldwide. Austin, TX Boston, MA Boulder, CO Brussels, Belgium Century City, CA Hong Kong London Los Angeles, CA New York, NY Palo Alto, CA Salt Lake City, UT San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA Shanghai (China) Washington, D.C. Wilmington, DE