Practice Development Manager-Litigation & Trial

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

Department: Business Development

Reports to: Practice Development Senior Manager 

Job Description

A global law firm consistently ranked among the top firms in the world, is currently seeking a Practice Development Manager – Litigation & Trial to join our winning team, located in New York, Washington, D.C., or San Francisco. The success of our firm is largely determined by our commitment to hire and develop the very best and brightest, creating a team that provides our clients with the highest quality of work and service. We are driven by our core values: respect, innovation and collaboration.

As a Practice Development Manager – Litigation & Trial, you will be responsible for coordinating the marketing and business development activities of one or more large practice groups. You will develop and support the strategic plan of the Practice Group Chairs (PGCs) and work closely and coordinate with the Global Director of Practice and Industry and the Business Development Director – Global Practice & Industry to develop and implement business development and marketing goals for the Practice Group. The Manager will be expected to collaborate with attorneys, BD colleagues, and various departments across the firm to execute on the responsibilities while accomplishing these and other critical functions:

• Acts as lead BD resource to PGCs regarding business development activities as well as operational and management projects assigned by the chair.
• Collaborates with and supports PGCs to understand market position, develop strategic plan and drive marketing efforts to maintain and grow practice position.
• Collaborates with firm resources to prepare routine analyses and reporting of practice and industry competition, market trends, internal financial information, business opportunities and pitch activity in efforts to develop and implement internal and external strategies both globally and by region.
• Executes client targeting and internal cross-selling programs.
• Partners with the global PR team to ensure coverage of successful matters are publicized internally and externally in accordance with the firm’s public relations policy.
• Stays abreast of developments and trends in assigned area of litigation and remains informed of all major new clients and matters. Develops in-depth knowledge of and acts as firm resource regarding: lawyer expertise, practice group expertise, client base, firm experience, industry/trade group organizations, legal, industry and business trends, practice-specific marketing materials and media.
• Serves as a point of contact for must win pitches, RFPs and panel reviews within the relevant practice.
• Leads the planning and development of internal practice group meetings.
• Develops and leads lateral partner integration process, as necessary.
• Identifies internal communication opportunities (including internal presentations and trainings at the local office or practice level) to further promote practice locally and regionally.
• Collaborates with the Global Proposal team, Practice Development Managers, Industry Group Leads and Regional BD teams to draft and maintain practice and industry specific content and rankings for proposal management system. Ensures that all necessary marketing and BD materials exist and are maintained (liaising with partners, associates and business development professional staff as appropriate). This includes, but is not limited to, experience lists, practice profiles, client presentations, tout sheets, case studies, and external web content.
• Oversees the development of the practice specific global directory and award submissions and assists with relevant regional submissions.
• Verifies, maintains and provides updates to the experience database, including facilitating the input and extraction of detailed experience into the database for assigned practice and maintains the integrity and completeness of the content. May suggest enhancements to the database that better reflect the evolving needs of the practice, markets, and business development program.
• Identifies local and regional opportunities for thought leadership, branding opportunities and other strategic BD initiatives aligned with the overall global strategy.
• Works to ensure quality professional product, as well as delivery of all work within established timeframes.
• Makes recommendations and works with management to develop procedures, processes, and workflow to ensure maximum efficiency.
• Completes special projects as assigned.
• Promotes effective work practices, works as a team member, and shows respect for co-workers.

As a Practice Development Manager – Litigation & Trial, you will be expected to apply your organizational and communication skills while displaying a positive, high-energy attitude. The successful Practice Development Manager – Litigation & Trial must have knowledge of core litigation concepts as well as marketing principals including internal communications, public relations, seminar/event planning, branding, market research, competitive intelligence, credentials and RFP response preparation and advanced knowledge of PC applications, including the entire suite of MS Office applications (Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint). The ideal candidate will also possess strong analytical skills needed for all primary duties of position, including comprehending and communicating data. The Manager will display the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion, the ability to perceive and analyze problems, and a capacity to make or recommend sound decisions, and the ability to undertake large, long-term projects, develop alternative methods to complete them, and implement solutions.

A Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or related field is required, with an MBA or Master’s degree in legal field preferred. Four (4) to seven (7) years of marketing or relevant legal experience is desired.