Senior Manager, Lateral Partner Integration

Considine Search; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Considine Search is seeking a Senior Manager, Lateral Partner Integration in the United States to lead onboarding and long-term integration of lateral partners. You will own the end-to-end journey from offer through two years, partnering with sponsors, administration, IT, and marketing to ensure a seamless, high-impact experience that drives retention and revenue.

You will manage conflicts and background checks, tailor onboarding plans, and deliver training materials while coordinating

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus 7–10 years' relevant experience in law firm recruiting, growth strategy, BD, M&A, or related roles.
• Proven track record of leading complex acquisitions, lateral partner/group hires, and post-transaction integrations with measurable financial impact.
• Excellent end-to-end project management skills with strong prioritization, resource management, problem solving, and reporting.
• High-touch candidate management and ability to build relationships with partner and of counsel level talent.
• Collaborative leadership across practices, offices, and functions; build trusted relationships with Firm Leadership.
• Proven ability to lead through mergers, lateral expansion with client continuity and internal stability.
• Strong sense of accountability and ownership over projects.
• Ability to analyze needs and develop responsive solutions aligned with business objectives.
• Ability to create living training guides and orientation materials; detailed work product.
• Highly effective communication and client service through teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end integration of lateral partners and firm combinations, designing a scalable onboarding framework.
• Drive client retention, cross-selling opportunities, and revenue growth in line with firm strategy.
• Coordinate with sponsor partners and offices from offer through first two years.
• Manage onboarding including conflicts, background clearance, letters, and schedules.
• Design onboarding materials and integration decks for each incoming lateral partner.
• Lead pre-arrival calls and support first-day announcements and introductions.
• Meet with each partner monthly during the first 100 days to track progress.
• Collaborate with leadership to provide training and networking at retreats and meetings.
• Use data and governance to set timelines and measure success for reporting to CPO and senior leadership.
• Mentor and develop direct reports to meet client service and business objectives.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Change management

Stakeholder management

Onboarding

Relationship building

Communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or JD desirable

Job description

San Francisco, CA or New York, NY or Los Angeles, CA or Washington, DC

Summary

We're looking for a Senior Manager, Lateral Partner Integration to lead the charge in welcoming top legal talent into our firm and setting them up to thrive from day one. In this high-impact, cross-functional role, you'll own the full journey - from pre-arrival through onboarding, orientation, and integration over each lateral partner's critical first two years - partnering with sponsoring partners, firm leadership, business development, and marketing teams to design seamless experiences that turn new partner relationships into measurable business results. You'll also serve as a key point of connection, reporting on integration progress to the Practice Group, Chief People Officer, and Firm Leadership along the way. If you love building bridges between departments, driving smart processes, and playing a direct role in the firm's growth story, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end integration of lateral partners, groups, and firm combinations across clients, operations, and culture, designing a scalable framework that accelerates onboarding and long-term success
• Ensure integration efforts drive client retention, cross-selling opportunities, and revenue growth, aligning decisions with firm strategy across practices, offices, and legacy structures
• Serve as the primary point of contact for lateral partners from offer acceptance through their first two years, coordinating with sponsor partners, Directors of Administration, IT, Facilities, Conflicts, Records, and Marketing teams on all arrivals
• Manage the full onboarding process - including conflicts and background clearance, engagement letters, and tailored onboarding/orientation schedules - ensuring all tasks are completed accurately and on time
• Design onboarding and orientation materials, including a customized integration presentation deck, for each incoming lateral partner
• Lead pre-arrival calls and foster early relationships between new hires and the onboarding team, supporting first-day announcements, introduction lunches, and office spotlights
• Manage the lateral integration process by meeting with each partner at least monthly during their first 100 days to track progress and schedule additional check-ins as needed
• Collaborate with firm leadership, the Chief People Officer, and Business Development leaders to provide lateral partners with training and networking opportunities at retreats and department meetings
• Leverage technology, data, and operational infrastructure to establish governance, timelines, and success metrics, monitoring outcomes to refine strategy and reporting results to the CPO and senior leadership
• Evaluate, mentor, and develop direct reports, fostering effective workflows, fair and consistent practices, and strong performance to meet client service and business objectives

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree plus 7-10 years' minimum relevant experience in law firm attorney recruiting, growth strategy, business development, M&A, or related roles within an Am Law 100 firm or comparable professional services organization, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Proven track record of leading complex acquisitions, lateral partner/group hires, and post-transaction integrations with sound judgment and measurable financial impact, along with an understanding of law firm economics including pricing, leverage, utilization, realization, and partner profitability
• Excellent end-to-end project management skills to plan, manage, and execute multi-faceted, confidential lateral growth projects, with proven hard and soft skills in task prioritization, resource management, problem solving, and progress/performance reporting
• High-touch candidate management skills with the ability to build and navigate relationships with partner and of counsel level talent, curating a white glove onboarding and integration experience
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to operate effectively across practices, offices, and functions, including building trusted relationships with Firm Leadership to drive firmwide initiatives
• Proven ability to lead through change - including mergers, lateral expansion, and organizational transformation - while maintaining client continuity and internal stability, with a high degree of adaptability and resilience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Strong sense of accountability, taking ownership over projects and responsibilities and resolving issues proactively
• Ability to perceive, analyze, and develop responsive solutions to problems, and to analyze needs and determine priorities based on business objectives
• Proven ability to create illustrative, organized "living" training guides for cross-functional audiences and candidate-facing orientation and integration materials, with the ability to prepare accurate, highly detailed work product
• Highly effective communication skills and a talent for delivering client service through teamwork, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and client focus across practices and offices