Senior Specialist, Lateral Recruiting

Plona Partners; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Annual bonus

Job summary

Plona Partners, an AmLaw 30 firm, seeks a Senior Specialist, Lateral Recruiting to lead full-cycle recruitment for lateral associates, counsel, and select staff. You will collaborate with practice group leaders, firm leadership, and top legal search firms to attract premier talent in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.

Lead strategic hiring plans, manage candidate pipelines, and ensure a world-class recruitment experience from outreach to onboarding.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of legal recruiting experience in a Big Law environment.
• Experience managing lateral associate and counsel searches.
• Proven ability to partner with attorneys, practice group leaders, and search firms.

Responsibilities

• Manage full lifecycle recruitment for lateral hires, from planning to onboarding.
• Develop strategic hiring plans with practice group leaders and firm leadership.
• Coordinate interviews, scheduling, and feedback with hiring teams and search firms.
• Maintain candidate relationships and deliver a world-class recruitment experience.
• Prepare recruiting reports, analytics, and pipeline updates.

Skills

Legal recruiting

Relationship building

Project management

Stakeholder management

Candidate screening

Job description

Elite AmLaw Firm | Shape the Future of Big Law Hiring

The best legal recruiters don't just fill openings.

They help shape the future of a law firm's most valuable asset—its people. Plona Partners has been retained to identify an experienced Senior Specialist, Lateral Recruiting for a prestigious AmLaw 30 international law firm. While we're keeping the firm's identity confidential during the early stages of the search, this opportunity places you at the center of one of the legal industry's most sophisticated lateral hiring programs.

The Opportunity

As the primary point of contact for lateral associate and counsel recruiting, you'll manage the entire recruitment lifecycle—from workforce planning and candidate strategy through offer acceptance and onboarding. You'll work directly with practice group leaders, firm leadership, partners, and some of the country's top legal search firms to attract exceptional legal talent into one of the world's most respected law firms. This role combines relationship management, project leadership, recruiting strategy, and operational excellence within a fast-paced, highly collaborative Legal Recruiting team.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for lateral associates, counsel, judicial clerks, and select law student hires
• Partner with practice group leaders and firm leadership to develop strategic hiring plans
• Manage candidate pipelines from initial outreach through offer acceptance and onboarding
• Coordinate interviews, scheduling, attorney feedback, and hiring committee communications
• Serve as the firm's primary liaison with legal search firms and recruiting partners
• Build long‑term relationships with candidates while delivering a world‑class recruitment experience
• Manage conflicts checks, background investigations, and onboarding logistics
• Prepare recruiting reports, hiring analytics, pipeline updates, and search activity metrics
• Maintain recruiting databases, placement records, search firm agreements, and recruiting communications
• Support broader Legal Recruiting initiatives, including campus recruiting and the Summer Associate Program
• Partner with senior leadership on special recruiting projects and strategic hiring initiatives

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• Join one of the nation's premier AmLaw 30 firms
• Become a trusted advisor to firm leadership and practice group heads
• Own high‑profile lateral associate and counsel searches across multiple practice areas
• Play a strategic role in shaping long‑term talent acquisition initiatives
• Hybrid schedule offering flexibility while maintaining meaningful collaboration
• Outstanding professional development within one of the legal industry's most respected recruiting organizations
• Competitive compensation plus annual bonus

We're Looking For

• 5+ years of legal recruiting experience within a Big Law environment
• Strong background managing lateral associate and counsel recruiting
• Experience partnering with attorneys, practice group leaders, and legal search firms
• Proven ability to manage multiple high‑priority searches simultaneously
• Exceptional relationship‑building and stakeholder management skills
• Strong project management, organizational, and communication abilities
• Experience handling sensitive candidate matters with professionalism and discretion