Director of Legal Talent Acquisition

Armstrong Teasdale LLP is seeking a Director of Legal Talent Acquisition to join its Legal Talent and Practice Management Department in our St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas City, Miami or Philadelphia office.

Summary Description: The Director of Legal Talent Acquisition is responsible for leading a growing recruitment function at Armstrong Teasdale. This individual will spearhead identifying and hiring top legal candidates to fill current strategic needs as well as developing a pipeline of diverse and talented prospects.

Essential Functions: A summary of essential functions is included below. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Works closely with the Chief Legal Talent Officer, Managing Partner, Executive Committee, National Practice Group Leaders, and Office Managing Partners to drive lateral partner, lateral associate and summer associate recruiting activities, including proactive candidate searches and opportunistic growth opportunities;
2. Collaborates with the firm and practice group leaders to understand lateral and summer needs as well as strategic growth priorities;
3. Develops strategies for sourcing lateral partner and associate talent, utilizing internal and external resources and technology;
4. Provides leadership with proactive updates on active searches and pipelines, target lists, recruiting activity, and strategy;
5. Develops and maintains strong relationships with legal placement firms and engages external recruiters in the identification, evaluation, and recruitment of lateral partners and groups;
6. Reviews and negotiates fee agreements and vendor contracts;
7. Conducts proactive individual and group searches to support the firm and practice groups’ strategic growth priorities through various methods;
8. Manages candidate submissions, including briefing Chief Legal Talent Officer and National Practice Group Leaders;
9. Serves as the primary contact for partner candidates and facilitates information sharing between the Firm and candidates, or their representatives, as appropriate;
10. Leads due diligence, internal and external, processes on lateral partner candidates and works with outside vendors as needed and in compliance with federal, state, and local laws;
11. Manages interview processes that are thoughtful, high-quality, and professional;
12. Reviews and analyzes LPQs and coordinate with our finance team to analyze financials.
13. Drafts lateral partner terms sheets and agreements;
14. Monitors current market trends and suggests new practices and programs to improve lateral recruitment;
15. Supervises and directs lateral associate & summer associate recruiting team.

Competencies:

• Decision Making – Makes decisions quickly and potentially with limited information, structures and coordinates personal and team priorities.
• Communication – Communicates verbally and in writing in a clear, concise and organized manner, prevents miscommunication by clarifying difficult concepts and ensures understanding by others, knows the appropriate amount of information to share with various parties, ensures regular and consistent information is shared, understands the appropriate level of confidentiality.
• Leadership – Gives upward positive and constructive feedback and offers solutions, on-boards leadership, identifies overarching areas for improvement and presents solutions, distributes work amongst team, has vision to plan and execute long-term strategic goals.
• Continuous Learning – Identifies training needs and opportunities for self, team and firm; promotes changes and acts as a change agent.
• Teamwork – Inspires the team to drive for results, fuels passion, encourages team feedback, fosters an open-door policy with team and works with others to identify solutions.
• Alignment to Values – Influences the awareness and adoption of the Firm's values on a larger scale, influences the awareness and adoption of diversity and inclusion, and demonstrates respect by providing solutions and support.

Required Education: Bachelor’s degree

Required Licenses and/or Certifications: N/A

Preferred Education: J.D. Preferred

Required Years of Experience: Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in recruiting in a law firm; Minimum of three (3) years of experience in managing lateral partner recruiting; demonstrated understanding of legal market dynamics, recruiting best practices, and industry standards and norms; experience supervising administrative support

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

Physical Activity: The employee will be required to sit for prolonged periods and work on a computer

Travel Required: There will be <30% opportunity for domestic travel to our offices

Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

EEO Statement: Armstrong Teasdale is an equal opportunity employer and will make all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, disability, veteran status or other protected status, in accordance with federal, state and local laws. At Armstrong Teasdale, we define diversity and inclusion broadly and focus on helping professionals of all races, religions, national origins, gender identities, ethnicities, sexual orientations and physical abilities feel a sense of belonging. Diversity and inclusion are core values of the firm, and we recognize the richness they bring to our workplace.