Partner Recruiting Specialist

Ballard Spahr LLP; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Ballard Spahr LLP in Philadelphia seeks a Partner Recruiting Specialist to manage lateral partner recruitment across practices and offices, working closely with leadership, recruiters, and the Talent Department.

The role emphasizes organization, discretion, and relationship building, coordinating candidate interviews, diligence, and communications while maintaining an exceptional candidate experience in a sophisticated law firm environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience within a law firm or legal environment.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and support all phases of the firm's lateral partner recruiting efforts in partnership with the Senior Director of Partner Recruiting, firm leadership, partners, and administrative teams.
• Assist in the development and execution of proactive recruiting strategies designed to attract high-caliber lateral partner talent.
• Serve as a primary liaison to external legal recruiters, managing communications, fee agreements, candidate submissions, and relationship-building efforts.
• Coordinate candidate interview schedules, meeting logistics, and on-site arrangements while ensuring a seamless and professional candidate experience.
• Facilitate candidate diligence efforts by collecting required materials, tracking progress, and following up with stakeholders throughout the recruiting process.
• Maintain clear and timely communication among partners, firm leadership, recruiters, and other key stakeholders.
• Manage and update recruiting databases, tracking reports, candidate files, and process documentation with a high degree of accuracy.
• Support recruiting projects and initiatives by identifying opportunities to improve processes, efficiency, and overall effectiveness.
• Apply a best-practices approach to lateral partner recruiting while maintaining exceptional standards of professionalism, confidentiality, and client service.

Skills

Growth mindset

Communication

Detail-oriented

Relationship builder

Tools

MS Office

NetDocs

Workday

Flo

PDF management

Job description

Department: Talent

About Us:

Ballard Spahr is a nationally recognized law firm with more than 750 lawyers across 19 offices in the United States. A career at Ballard Spahr means joining a team of talented mentors, colleagues, and friends, supported by strong leadership that actively encourages professional growth.

The Partner Recruiting Specialist plays a critical role in advancing the firm's strategic growth initiatives by supporting all aspects of lateral partner recruiting. Working closely with firm leadership, partners, recruiters, and Talent Department colleagues, this position coordinates and manages the recruitment process for individual lateral partners and partner groups across practices and offices. The ideal candidate is highly organized, relationship-focused, proactive, and thrives in a sophisticated professional environment where discretion and attention to detail are essential.

This full-time position is based in our Philadelphia office and offers a hybrid work schedule of three days per week in the office.

Why Join Us?

• Innovative Work Environment: Become part of a forward-thinking firm that enjoys substantial support and visibility from the firm's executive leadership.
• Professional Development: Take advantage of continuous learning opportunities and avenues for career growth.

• Inclusion: Join a Business Resource Group and share cultural, experiential, or job-related interests, experiences, and/or backgrounds.
• Impactful Contributions: Play a pivotal role in developing industry-leading solutions that make a significant difference in legal practice and client service.

Your Role:

As a Partner Recruiting Specialist within our Talent Department, you will:

• Coordinate and support all phases of the firm's lateral partner recruiting efforts in partnership with the Senior Director of Partner Recruiting, firm leadership, partners, and administrative teams.
• Assist in the development and execution of proactive recruiting strategies designed to attract high-caliber lateral partner talent.
• Serve as a primary liaison to external legal recruiters, managing communications, fee agreements, candidate submissions, and relationship-building efforts.
• Coordinate candidate interview schedules, meeting logistics, and on-site arrangements while ensuring a seamless and professional candidate experience.
• Facilitate candidate diligence efforts by collecting required materials, tracking progress, and following up with stakeholders throughout the recruiting process.
• Maintain clear and timely communication among partners, firm leadership, recruiters, and other key stakeholders.
• Manage and update recruiting databases, tracking reports, candidate files, and process documentation with a high degree of accuracy.
• Support recruiting projects and initiatives by identifying opportunities to improve processes, efficiency, and overall effectiveness.
• Apply a best-practices approach to lateral partner recruiting while maintaining exceptional standards of professionalism, confidentiality, and client service.

What We're Looking For:

• Growth Mindset: Self-motivated with a passion for continuous learning and problem-solving.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a professional and service-oriented approach.
• Detail-Oriented: Keen attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines independently.

• Relationship Builder: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to establish credibility and build effective relationships at all levels.

Required Experience:

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience within a law firm or legal environment.
• Prior experience in attorney recruiting, talent management, executive support, professional development, or a related function is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with legal industry technologies and platforms such as NetDocs, Workday, Flo, and PDF management applications is preferred.
• Excellent organizational, time management, and project coordination skills.
• Ability to work independently while effectively collaborating with colleagues across the firm.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and handle sensitive matters with professionalism.

Ballard Spahr offers an excellent benefits package. A summary of available benefits can be found here in the Careers section of the firm's website.

Ready to Grow with Us?

If you are ready to play a vital role in the firm's success, we encourage you to apply and be a part of our commitment to excellence.

At Ballard Spahr, we believe that our skills, perspectives, and backgrounds drive innovation and excellence, while our unique culture fosters collaboration and success. Our culture of thriving together forms the cornerstone of how we deliver exceptional service and position our firm for a strong future. We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

Ballard Spahr is an equal opportunity employer. We offer equal consideration to all qualified applicants, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, handicap or disability, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, transgender status, sex stereotyping, genetic information, ancestry, veteran status or any other category protected by applicable law.

The firm is not accepting resumes from search firms for this position.