Legal Recruiting and Professional Development Coordinator

Vartabedian Katz Hester & Haynes LLP; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Vartabedian Katz Hester & Haynes LLP in Fort Worth seeks a Legal Recruiting and Professional Development Coordinator to attract, evaluate, hire, integrate, and retain exceptional attorneys and staff. This role reports to the Executive Director and collaborates with firm leadership to deliver a welcoming candidate and employee experience.

Responsibilities include coordinating recruiting for staff and attorneys, managing postings and interviews, coordinating offers and background checks, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing or HR preferred; equal consideration for experience.
• Availability to attend recruiting events outside regular hours and travel between offices.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate recruiting for professional staff, law students, associates, counsel, partners, and other hires across offices.
• Manage postings, applicant tracking, candidate correspondence, interviews, and materials from application to disposition.
• Serve as primary contact for candidates and recruiters with timely, high-touch communication.
• Coordinate interview teams, collect feedback, track decisions, and communicate next steps.
• Assist with offer materials, references, background checks, and preboarding handoffs.
• Maintain relationships with law schools, recruiting organizations, search firms, and other sources.
• Support lateral partner recruitment with discretion and cross-functional coordination.
• Partner with Marketing, HR, IT, and operations to ensure smooth onboarding.

Skills

Exceptional organization

Strong written and verbalcommunication

Discretion

Initiative

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing or human resources

Job description

Description

Position Summary

The Legal Recruiting and Professional Development Coordinator supports the firm's efforts to attract, evaluate, hire, integrate, and retain exceptional attorneys and professional staff. This role reports to the Executive Director and works closely with firm leadership, attorneys, and administrative departments to provide a responsive and welcoming candidate and employee experience.

Key Responsibilities

Firmwide Recruiting

• Coordinate recruiting activities for professional staff, law students, associates, counsel, partners, and other lateral hires across all firm offices and practice groups.
• Manage job postings, applicant tracking, candidate correspondence, interview scheduling, and interview materials from initial application through disposition.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for candidates and recruiters, providing timely communication and professional, high-touch candidate experience.
• Coordinate interview teams and schedules, collect interviewer feedback, track hiring decisions, and communicate next steps to appropriate stakeholders.
• Assist with preparing offer materials, coordinating references and background checks, maintaining hiring documentation, and supporting preboarding handoffs.
• Maintain relationships and communications with law schools, legal recruiting organizations, search firms, and other recruiting sources.
• Support lateral partner and group recruiting with a high degree of discretion, including scheduling, candidate materials, diligence tracking, and cross-functional coordination.
• Partner with Marketing, Human Resources, IT, Accounting, and office operations to ensure a smooth transition from candidate acceptance through the employee's first day.

Summer Associate Program

• Coordinate all aspects of the summer associate program, including recruiting, onboarding, orientation, social events, and program communications.
• Track summer associate feedback and evaluations, identify missing submissions, prepare summaries, and assist with end-of-program review and offer processes.
• Support on-campus interviewing, callback programs, law school outreach, and other student recruiting initiatives as applicable.

Attorney Evaluations and Professional Development

• Administer the attorney evaluation cycle, including preparing timelines and materials, launching evaluations, monitoring completion, and following up on outstanding submissions.
• Coordinate evaluation meetings and compile evaluation materials and reports for reviewers while maintaining confidentiality and appropriate access controls.
• Maintain accurate evaluation records and assist with communicating deadlines, process requirements, and meeting logistics to attorneys and firm leadership.
• Support the implementation and tracking of professional development initiatives including in-house CLE scheduling, credentialing, and reporting.
• Assist with other attorney development, retention, integration, and engagement.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing or human resources is strongly preferred; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.
• Availability to attend recruiting and summer program events outside regular business hours and to travel in the metroplex between firm offices and to events as needed.

Key Competencies

• Exceptional organization and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple searches, deadlines, and programs simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and a polished, service-oriented approach with candidates and internal stakeholders.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and demonstrated ability to handle highly confidential information.
• Initiative, adaptability, and follow-through in a fast-paced professional environment.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a deadline-driven environment