Legal Talent Acquisition Assistant

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP; Washington, Baltimore (District of Columbia, MD); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP in Washington, DC seeks a Legal Talent Acquisition Assistant to support full-cycle recruitment for attorneys, technical specialists, patent agents, contract attorneys, and other attorney-type roles. The role includes onboarding and HR COE administration, with a hybrid/onsite schedule.

You will stage interview schedules, assist with background checks, draft offers, and help manage summer associate programs, while working closely with Talent & HR

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; preferably in HR, business, or related field.
• 1–2 years of progressive legal talent acquisition experience in a law firm or staffing agency.
• Familiarity with the firm’s key markets is preferred.
• Proven expertise in interview techniques, applicant screening, and contract and offer negotiation.
• Demonstrated success in sourcing candidates through diverse channels.
• Strong understanding of employment laws, legal principles, and hiring regulations.
• Proficient in applicant tracking systems, HRIS/reporting; experience with Aderant/viRecruit or Dayforce.
• Proficient in MS Office; SharePoint; strong internet research.
• Experience with AI-enabled recruiting tools is a plus.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and communicate with leadership and team.
• High level of discretion, professionalism, diplomacy, and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Assists with recruiting activities, including developing interview schedules, greeting candidates, creating applicant files, and preparing offer/rejection letters.
• Codes and inputs resumes/applications into the resume tracking database; creates recruiting status reports.
• Collaborates with Senior Manager, Legal Talent Acquisition for campus recruiting and sourcing.
• Helps draft offers of employment.
• Assists with summer associate program talent acquisition.

Skills

Interview techniques

Applicant screening

Contract negotiation

Offer negotiation

Sourcing candidates

Communication

Relationship building

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field

Tools

Aderant/viRecruit

Dayforce

SharePoint

Microsoft Teams

Zoom

Job description

Finnegan is more than just a law firm - we are a powerhouse of innovation and strategy growth. We pride ourselves on providing top-tier intellectual property services globally. Our success is rooted in our emphasis on relationships with our clients and each other. We care about every individual, and it is why many professionals have spent their entire careers at Finnegan.

Role Overview

The Legal Talent Acquisition Assistant helps support full-cycle legal talent recruitment for attorneys, technical specialists, patent agents, contract attorneys, and other attorney-type roles. This role supports Talent & HR COE administration and legal talent onboarding and integration.

Responsibilities

• Assists with recruiting activities, including developing interview schedules, greeting candidates, creating applicant files, communicating as necessary with interview participants, administering and monitoring the background check/employment verification process, preparing offer/rejection letters and statistical reports using ViRecruit.
• Effectively codes and inputs resumes/applications into the resume tracking database; creates and distributes recruiting status reports as needed
• Works with Senior Manager, Legal Talent Acquisition to collect resumes, register for career fairs and on-campus interview programs, and assists in sourcing candidate resumes
• Helps draft offers of employment
• Assists with the talent acquisition activities for the summer associate program

Processing New Hires and Departures

• Assists the Manager of Recruiting and Onboarding with the on-boarding process, including assembling new attorney procedure manuals/materials and ensuring completion of all new hire forms
• Sends approvals for relocation to external relocation vendor for new hires
• Drafts new hire biographies for the firm newsletter
• Checks in with new hires on a regular basis to ensure they have access to resources required to ramp up an efficient practice.
• Keeps departing attorney procedures up to date for all firm offices. Sends procedures to departing attorney-type personnel in a timely manner. Sends departing attorney-type personnel notifications to attorney checklist email distribution list.
• Conducts walk-through of departing attorney-type personnel offices to ensure compliance with departing attorney procedures

Maintenance of Attorney-type Data/Files

• Ensures appropriate status changes are entered into HR database (e.g., associate transitioning to partner, student associate transitioning to associate)
• Creates and maintains a variety of department files and records including highly confidential performance evaluations, candidate and firm employee personnel information
• Conducts periodic audits of attorney-type data in HR database(s) to ensure that it is up to date
• Maintains and updates attorney-type monthly attrition reports for management

General Support and Administration

• Makes travel/hotel accommodations for new attorney-type personnel (orientation, training) and candidates
• Participates in summer associate, student associate, and attorney events hosted by the department, as requested
• Works collaboratively with Talent & HR COE staff to support other functional areas, special projects, and general department administration
• Utilizes AI and technology to improve processes and decision-making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; preferably in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
• Minimum 1-2 years of progressive legal talent acquisition experience in a law firm or staffing agency placing attorneys/legal professionals required.
• Familiarity in the key markets in which the firm operates is preferred.
• Proven expertise in interview techniques, applicant screening, and contract and offer negotiation, including agency contracts and relationships.
• Demonstrated success in sourcing candidates through diverse channels.
• Strong understanding of employment laws, legal principles, and hiring regulations.
• Skilled in applicant tracking systems, report writing, and HRIS/database systems (preferably Aderant/viRecruit, Dayforce, or similar)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel; knowledge of SharePoint; skilled in internet research. Experience with AI-enabled recruiting and HR tools is a plus.
• Skilled with Microsoft Teams and Zoom platforms.
• Experienced in legal and business research using various databases.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build relationships and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
• Capable of prioritizing tasks and clearly communicating with leadership and team.
• Proactive self-starter with attention to detail and strategic awareness.
• Flexible and responsive to shifting demands; effective under tight deadlines and multitasking environments.
• High level of discretion, professionalism, diplomacy, and commitment to confidentiality.

Join Finnegan where your skills will drive success of one of the world’s leading IP law firms.

The role is based in our Washington, DC office, and requires a hybrid/onsite work schedule. The base annual pay range for this role is between $65,000 - $75,000; roughly $33.34 to $38.46 per hour. The base pay to be offered will vary and depend on skills and qualifications, experience, location and will also take into account internal equity. A full range of medical, financial and/or other benefits dependent on the position will also be offered.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Finnegan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The firm is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment, as defined by applicable state and federal laws, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws. For candidates needing reasonable accommodations or assistance with the application process, please contact Human Resources at 202.216.5400.

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