Senior Business Development Manager - Litigation

Socket.dev; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 162,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

Dinsmore is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager – Litigation to help attorneys and practice teams turn priorities into coordinated client-development activity. You will work with firm leadership, attorneys, and colleagues across Marketing and Business Development to drive growth.

Ideal candidates will have a strong track record in business development within professional services, excellent communication, and the ability to coach teams through client conversations, meetings, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in marketing, business, or related field (JD/MBA a plus).
• 10+ years of business development or marketing experience, ideally in law or professional services.
• Proven ability to build relationships with attorneys, leaders, and professionals across offices.
• Knowledge of BD planning, pitches, client research, and relationship management.

Responsibilities

• Partner with leaders to develop practical BD strategy aligned with firm priorities.
• Identify opportunities within client relationships, referrals, and target markets.
• Coordinate pitches, RFPs, proposals, and persuasive messaging.

Skills

Relationship-building

Client-focused

Strategic planning

Communication

CRM knowledge

Proposal management

Presentation skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, communications, or related field

JD or MBA a plus

Tools

CRM

Proposal management systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

At Dinsmore, our strength comes from our people. With more than 750 attorneys across 30+ offices nationwide, we are dedicated to building a dynamic, client-focused Firm recognized for excellence. Together we work to build a strong market profile, highlighting our capabilities to clients and attracting talented attorneys and business professionals who seek a supportive environment where they can thrive. Discover how you can grow with us at www.dinsmore.com.

Dinsmore is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager – Litigation to help attorneys and practice teams turn priorities into thoughtful, coordinated client-development activity. Working closely with firm leadership, attorneys, and colleagues across Marketing and Business Development, this manager will bring structure, insight and momentum to growth initiatives. The successful candidate will be a trusted adviser and hands-on project leader who is curious, asks practical questions, connects people and resources, and helps teams follow through on opportunities.

Preferred locations for this position are commutable to our Chicago, Cincinnati, or Lexington offices, but other office locations will be considered.

Responsibilities

• Partner with practice group and department leaders to develop practical business development strategy with firm priorities and client needs
• Help attorneys identify and prioritize opportunities within existing client relationships, prospective clients, referral networks, and target markets
• Facilitate planning discussions and convert ideas into clear next steps, owners, timelines, and measurable objectives
• Coordinate strategic pitches, proposals, RFP responses and presentations, bringing together relevant experience, differentiators, and persuasive messaging
• Prepare market, industry, client and competitive research to inform client planning, opportunity assessment, and positioning
• Provide one-on-one and small-group coaching to help attorneys prepare for client conversations, meetings, presentations, and relationship-building activities
• Collaborate with communications, events, digital, creative, and other internal departments to align thought leadership, sponsorships, and programs with defined business objectives
• Maintain accurate opportunity and relationship information in the firm’s CRM and related systems and encourage practical adoption of shared processes
• Collaborate to develop pipeline monitoring, progress and outcomes; develop concise reports and insights that help leaders make informed decisions and refine priorities
• Build strong relationships across offices and practices, identify opportunities for cross-selling, and connect attorneys whose capabilities can address broader client needs
• Manage multiple projects and stakeholders with sound judgment, responsiveness, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellent internal client service
• Contribute to the continued improvement of business development tools, templates, processes, and team best practices
• Perform other duties and support firmwide initiatives as assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field, or an equivalent relevant experience required; JD or MBA a plus
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible business development or marketing experience; experience in a law firm or other professional-services environment is strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and collaborate effectively with attorneys, firm leaders, and business professionals across offices and functions
• Working knowledge of business development planning, pitches and proposals, client and market research, and relationship-management practices
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear, persuasive, and practical recommendations
• Sound judgment, discretion, initiative, and a client-service mindset, with the confidence to ask thoughtful questions and guide projects toward completion
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and familiarity with CRM, proposal-management, research, or related business development systems
• Ability to work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative, team-oriented environment
• Flexibility to occasionally work outside regular business hours and travel as business needs require

Salary

• Up to 180k

Equal Opportunity Employer