Senior Manager of Career Counseling

Cooley; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 155,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent benefits package

21 days PTO plus 10 holidays

Job summary

Cooley seeks a Senior Manager of Career Counseling to build and lead the Career Counseling Office within the Professional Development team. This role guides attorneys through career exploration, providing tailored job-search support, resumes, and interview coaching to navigate transitions both inside and outside the firm.

Ideal candidates have deep knowledge of legal career paths, strong communication, and 7+ years in related fields, including 2+ years of supervisory experience, with JD or

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in professional development or career counseling for attorneys; 2+ years in management.
• Experience advising lawyers on career transitions, incl. in-house moves.
• Familiarity with legal markets, operations, and corporate hiring needs.

Responsibilities

• Provide confidential one-on-one career counseling for attorneys exploring external opportunities.
• Manage and expand a curated job board with in-house, government, and alumni postings.
• Develop programs and webinars on transition strategies and career exploration.
• Support secondment program identification and reintegration of secondees.
• Collaborate with alumni, marketing, and business development to connect clients with opportunities.
• Track hiring trends and report metrics on counseling outcomes and placements.
• Supervise and mentor direct reports; oversee workload, time logs, and policy adherence.

Skills

Career counseling

Attorney recruiting

In-house moves experience

Legal markets knowledge

Supervisory experience

Cooley firm applications (MS Office/iM

Education

Bachelor's and/or JD degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

iManage

Job description

Senior Manager of Career Counseling Cooley is seeking a Senior Manager of Career Counseling to join the Professional Development team.

Position summary: The Senior Manager of Career Counseling will build and lead the Cooley Career Counseling Office, a resource hub that will be designed to support attorneys who are exploring or preparing for career paths beyond Cooley. This role will serve as a trusted resource for career navigation, providing personalized job search support and tools, connection to external opportunities, and curated programming to help attorneys identify and pursue fulfilling next steps. The ideal candidate is a thoughtful advisor with deep knowledge of legal and adjacent career paths, legal recruiting, strong communication skills, and a passion for supporting lawyers through meaningful professional transitions. This role offers the opportunity to shape and lead a new high-impact resource within the firm and work with attorneys at pivotal moments in their careers.

Position responsibilities:

• One‑on‑One Career Counseling: Provide confidential advising to attorneys exploring roles outside of the firm, including in‑house, public sector, nonprofit, and alternative legal or business paths
  Guide attorneys through career exploration, decision‑making, and transition planning
  Offer tailored feedback on resumes, LinkedIn profiles, personal narratives, and job‑search strategy
  Provide mock interview practice, preparing attorneys for each stage of the hiring process, from screening interviews to senior‑level negotiations
• Job Board Management: Manage and expand a curated job board featuring in‑house roles, government positions, secondments, and alumni‑submitted opportunities. Develop relationships with legal recruiters, in‑house counsel, and alumni to source new postings. Facilitate introductions and connections when appropriate.
• Panels, Programs & Workshops: Create career‑focused programs such as:
  - Panels featuring alumni and clients in various industries
  - Webinars on transition strategy (e.g., in‑house expectations, business acumen)
• Secondment Program Support: Maintain a secondment interest list
  Work with the Associate Director of Legal Talent who manages the secondment program to facilitate the identification, deployment, and reintegration of secondees
• Alumni & Client Relationship Integration: Partner with the Marketing team to connect departing attorneys to the firm’s alumni support team. Collaborate with the Business Development team to identify opportunities where the Career Counseling Office can enhance client engagement, for instance, by helping clients source talent from among attorneys already known to be exploring external opportunities
  Make career support services available to Cooley alumni
• Market Intelligence & Reporting: Track evolving hiring trends in in‑house departments and legal markets
  Share insights with Legal Talent and firm leadership to shape strategic planning
  Maintain metrics on counseling volume, outcomes, and placements
• Other:
  Serve as supervisor and mentor to direct reports
  Provide day‑to‑day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies.
  Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requests
  Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities
  In collaboration with Director of Associate Development and HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events for those reporting to this role.
  All other duties as assigned or required.

Skills and experience:

Required:

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
• Ability to travel, as required
• 7+ years of experience in one or more of the following with 2+ years exempt/management experience in applicable field: Attorney professional development; Career counseling/coaching; Attorney recruiting; In‑house or law firm practice; Alumni relations or legal career services
• Demonstrated experience advising lawyers on career transitions, ideally including in‑house moves
• Familiarity with legal markets, legal operations, and corporate hiring needs

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s and/or JD Degree
• Supervisory experience

Competencies:

• Professional demeanor and the ability to use initiative, diplomacy and tact
• Ability to make independent judgments/decisions based upon a set of principles rather than rules
• Ability to act as a trusted, neutral advisor, earning confidence from lawyers and leadership
• High emotional intelligence and strong discernment around sensitive career conversations
• Strategic thinking around attorney development, transitions, and long‑term talent strategy
• Deep knowledge of legal career paths—both within and outside of law firms
• Experience coaching or advising lawyers, ideally including those transitioning to in‑house roles
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to provide direct yet supportive feedback
• Skilled in resume editing, interview coaching, and narrative development
• Ability to establish relationships across practice groups, seniority levels, and offices
• Comfort interacting with alumni, clients, and external partners
• Strong aptitude for developing educational programs, workshops, and resources
• Organizational skills to manage multiple counseling relationships and track data
• Demonstrated ability to handle highly sensitive information discreetly

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices. EOE. The expected annual pay range for this position with a full‑time schedule is $155,000 - $225,000. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate. We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre‑tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long‑term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm‑paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 21 days of Paid Time Off ("PTO") and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.