U.S. Lateral Partner Recruitment and Integration Manager

A&O Shearman; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 128,000 - 157,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) plan

Paid leave

Job summary

A&O Shearman is seeking a U.S. Lateral Partner Recruitment & Integration Manager to lead end-to-end recruitment and integration of lateral U.S. partners. You will work with firm leadership, HR, practice groups, and external search firms to deliver strategic growth and a premier candidate experience.

The role focuses on onboarding, integration planning, governance, and continuous process improvement across HR, IT, Finance, and BD teams, with emphasis on analytics and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years of progressive attorney recruiting experience, preferably in law firm or professional services.
• Strong understanding of general legal recruitment processes and knowledge of mid-to-large sized law firms.
• Excellent written communication and interpersonal skills; ability to interface with senior management.
• Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end lateral partner recruitment processes from initial identification through offer and onboarding.
• Partner with practice leaders and firm leadership to support strategic growth initiatives and hiring priorities.
• Serve as primary liaison for candidates, search firms, and internal stakeholders throughout the recruitment process.
• Coordinate candidate evaluations, due diligence, conflicts reviews, business plan assessments, and financial analyses.
• Develop recruitment communications, marketing materials, and candidate engagement strategies.
• Lead onboarding and first-year integration efforts for lateral partners, accelerating client transition and relationships.

Skills

Attorney recruiting

Executive communication

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Job description

About the Company

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world's most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future. We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world's leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients. Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimize your wellbeing.

Department purpose and structure

The HR team at A&O Shearman provides a first-class service to the business, offering strategic HR business advice at the partner level and quality support services in the full range of HR functions through specialist teams such as, learning & development, resourcing, reward, employee relations advice, inclusion, payroll, systems and HR administration.

Role purpose

The U.S. Lateral Partner Recruitment & Integration Manager leads the end-to-end recruitment, onboarding, and integration of lateral U.S. partners. The role serves as a strategic advisor and operational leader, managing partner hiring processes from candidate identification through the first year of integration while ensuring an exceptional candidate and partner experience. Working closely with firm leadership, practice group leaders, Human Resources, Business Development, Finance, IT, and external search firms, the Manager supports the firm's strategic growth objectives through the recruitment of high-performing lateral talent and the successful integration of partner hires. The role also drives continuous improvement of recruitment and integration processes, reporting, governance, and operational effectiveness, while contributing to team leadership and development.

Key elements of the role include

Manage the effective execution of the lateral partner hiring and integration process as part of the Firm's strategic priority to grow its U.S. practice. Liaise, collaborate, and guide internal stakeholders, external search agencies, and candidates through the lateral partner recruitment and integration process from initial submission through the candidate's first year. Oversee, implement, and continually improve the administrative, operational, procedural, and reporting systems for U.S. lateral partner recruitment/integration activities.

Key relationships

Director, U.S. RecruitmentChief Human Resources Officer - AmericasU.S. Human Resources TeamU.S. Practice Group Leaders and PartnersU.S. Business Teams including Finance, Marketing & BD, IT, and the Business Acceptance UnitGlobal COOs, Recruitment, and HR teams

Job description

Lateral partner recruitment Manage end-to-end lateral partner recruitment processes from initial identification through offer and onboarding. Partner with practice leaders and firm leadership to support strategic growth initiatives and hiring priorities. Serve as the primary liaison for candidates, search firms, and internal stakeholders throughout the recruitment process. Coordinate candidate evaluations, due diligence, conflicts reviews, business plan assessments, and financial analyses. Conduct market research and competitive intelligence to support lateral hiring strategies. Develop recruitment communications, marketing materials, and candidate engagement strategies. Ensure timely communication, process management, and stakeholder alignment throughout each search. Partner onboarding & integration Lead onboarding and first-year integration efforts for lateral partners. Design and implement customized integration plans that accelerate client transition, cultural integration, relationship development, and business growth. Manage and coordinate onboarding activities across HR, IT, Finance, Marketing & Business Development, Conflicts, Records, and Business Services teams. Monitor integration progress, facilitate coaching and development opportunities, identify risks, and implement solutions to support partner success. Manage first-year review processes, feedback collection, reporting, and executive-level recommendations. Process & operational leadership Maintain and continuously improve recruitment and integration frameworks, policies, systems, reporting, and best practices. Leverage technology, analytics, AI, and process automation to improve efficiency, data integrity, and user experience. Develop and manage dashboards, trackers, templates, and status reports for firm leadership. Benchmark industry practices and recommend enhancements that support the firm's talent growth strategy. Contribute to global recruitment and integration initiatives and collaborate with global HR and recruiting teams. General Items: Build strong working relationships with relevant business teams (e.g., HR, BD, Finance, BAU, PMU) and respective global practice HR Heads. Collaborate with these stakeholders throughout the recruitment and integration process to ensure progression against global processes and standards. Work with the team, track, maintain, analyze, and report on recruiting data and metrics (internal and external). In collaboration with the CHRO-Americas, work with HR Advisors and Global Practice Group HR/Operations Heads.

Key requirements

Ability to understand the Firm's strategy, strength, and objectives and to identify candidates who will best serve those objectives. Understanding of the different U.S. markets in which the Firm operates; familiarity with the offerings of competing firms. Minimum of 6 years of progressive attorney recruiting experience, preferably in a law firm or professional services firm, preferably in a multi-office setting with strong involvement to firm recruiting function. Strong understanding of general legal recruiting processes and knowledge of mid-to-large sized law firms and the legal industry as a whole. Strong ability to balance ongoing projects in line with the Firm's priorities. Excellent track record of working with senior management within a complex international organization. Excellent written communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interface at all levels of the firm, building and developing strong client relationships internally, as well as establishing credible relationships with candidates and external recruiters. Demonstrate sound judgement and an ability to establish a high level of credibility within the Firm and act as a trusted advisor to local Management. Flexibility in responding quickly and positively to shifting demands and opportunities. Candidates must have strong relationships with productive recruiters and search firms at the partner candidate level. A team and results-oriented individual with excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication, organizational and analytical skills; ability to manage multiple projects concurrently with very strong attention to detail. Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and disability

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and disability

A&O Shearman is an equal opportunity employer, including Veterans and Disability. Every individual has the right to work in a professional environment that promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all aspects of an individual's relationship with A&O Shearman, including, without limitation, recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment. If you are vision-impaired or have another disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law and wish to discuss accommodations related to applying for employment at A&O Shearman, please contact US HR Transactions at [e-mail] or call [phone] and ask for HR Transactions.

Additional information - External

This role is open to the New York, Washington, D.C., Houston, and Menlo Park Offices. For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in New York, the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is$148,500-$181,500. For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in Washington, D.C., the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is $141,500-$170,500. For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in Houston, the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is $128,475-$156,950. For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in Menlo Park, the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is $148,500-$181,500. The actual base salary offered will depend on the overall qualifications of the individual applicant for the position and other job-related factors permitted by law. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package which includes a discretionary bonus, paid leave, life, health, accident, and disability insurance; and a 401(k) plan.