Director of Lateral Partner

Department:
Professional Development
Job Number: 100607
Offices:
Washington, D.C.;
Boston;
Chicago;
San Francisco;
New York
With eleven offices across the United States, 450+ professionals and 350+ staff professionals,
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm known for quality and an extraordinary commitment to clients. The firm’s groundbreaking approach—bringing together legal services, advocacy and business strategy—differentiates Manatt from its competitors and positions the firm to provide a unique and compelling value proposition.
As a key member of the Firm's Talent Acquisition team, the Director of Lateral Partner Recruiting will lead and execute the Firm's strategic lateral partner acquisition efforts nationwide. This highly visible role is responsible for developing and managing a sophisticated partner recruiting function focused on identifying, attracting, evaluating, and bringing in high-performing lateral partners and practice groups whose practices align with the Firm's strategic growth objectives.
The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in the legal industry, a strong understanding of law firm economics and partner-level recruitment, and an established network within the legal community. Successful candidates will possess extensive experience recruiting law firm partners, including experience gained within an Am Law 100 firm and/or a leading legal search firm. This individual must be commercially minded, highly credible with senior leadership, and capable of serving as a trusted advisor to Firm management and practice leaders on market opportunities and competitive intelligence.

• Develop and execute a comprehensive lateral partner recruitment strategy aligned with the Firm's growth priorities.
• Drive the full lifecycle recruitment process for lateral partners and practice groups, from market mapping and identification through onboarding and integration.
• Partner closely with Firm leadership, practice group leaders, and office managing partners to identify strategic growth opportunities.
• Proactively source, cultivate, and maintain relationships with high-performing partner candidates across targeted markets and practice areas.
• Build and maintain robust pipelines of prospective lateral partners and groups.

• Monitor legal market trends, competitive activity, law firm movements, and emerging growth areas.
• Advise Firm leadership on opportunities for expansion into new markets, practices, and industry sectors.
• Conduct research and analysis regarding potential candidates' books of business, client bases, profitability, and cultural fit.
• Provide intelligence regarding competitor firms, compensation trends, and recruiting activity.

• Establish trusted relationships with practice leaders, executive leadership, legal search consultants, and industry influencers.
• Serve as a brand ambassador for the Firm within the legal recruiting community.
• Represent the Firm at legal industry conferences, networking events, and recruiting functions.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with external search firms and recruiting partners.

• Lead candidate evaluation efforts, including business case analysis, conflicts assessment, and transition planning.
• Coordinate internal diligence efforts among Talent, Finance, Conflicts, Professional Responsibility, and Firm leadership.
• Prepare candidate presentations, business analyses, and recruiting recommendations for management committees and leadership teams.
• Guide candidates through the offer, negotiation, and acceptance process.

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 10+ years…