Professional Development Coordinator

New York, NY

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement annual associate review process for associates in New York office:
• Solicit feedback from senior lawyers, including via in-person discussion sessions.
• Draft associate review documents based upon feedback received as well as the coordinator’s own assessment of the associate’s performance.
• Prepare, update and analyze charts on status of annual associate reviews.
• Use own discretion to determine whether certain associates would benefit from a mid-year review (and implement such a review) as needed.

Develop and implement professional development initiatives:

• Exercise independent discretion to develop and implement professional development plans for individual associate attorneys.
• Use independent judgment to identify associate attorneys who would benefit from individualized “soft skills” training.
• Create monthly staffing reports to determine associates’ individual workflow capacities, and flag potential staffing issues or opportunities.
• Facilitate regular professional development meetings with senior lawyers, in connection with associate development and staffing discussions. Develop consensus around takeaways and follow up on issues raised.
• Partner with attorneys in assigned practice groups to develop tailored practice group mentoring, training and development initiatives.

In connection with new associate mentor program:        

• Select Mentoring Committee members
• Organize and facilitate quarterly mentor debriefings to discuss mentor relationships and to craft any potential changes to development plans as a result.
• Develop relationships with associates in order to serve as a resource for questions regarding their individual professional development.
• Liaise with Training and CLE department regarding potential training programs.
• Maintain internal associate records.
• General assistance on ad-hoc projects.

Support senior lawyers globally throughout the arc of their careers:

• Coordinate nomination, integration and evaluation processes, including by soliciting and constructing review feedback and overviews.
• Monitor workflow and performance on ongoing basis, interfacing with partner liaisons and developing action-oriented performance plans where warranted.
• Implement initiatives related to leadership development, morale and engagement.
• Prepare meeting materials for firm management, reporting on performance trends. 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• 2+ years of Professional Development or HR-related experience in a fast-paced environment. Law firm experience strongly preferred.
• Must be comfortable working with lawyers at all seniority levels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel required. Experience with viDesktop preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and client service skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Good judgment; excellent organization skills and strong attention to detail.
• Flexibility to work longer hours during busier periods.
• Ability to work well independently as well as within a team.
• Candidate must be someone who is proactive, plans ahead, pushes projects forward and meets deadlines.