Marketing & Business Development Manager - California

Summary

The growing California offices (Los Angeles, Palo Alto, and San Francisco) of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is looking for an experienced Marketing & Business Development Manager to support the Client Development & Marketing Department. Willkie is an elite international law firm of approximately 1,300 lawyers located in 16 offices in six countries.

The Marketing & Business Development Manager will be responsible for managing and working alongside the California Coordinator role, playing a key part in both day-to-day execution and regional oversight. The successful candidate will have strong leadership skills, excellent judgment, and the ability to support both litigation and transactional practices with tailored, proactive, and high-quality work

At Willkie, we believe great people are the key to our success. As such, we are offering a highly competitive compensation package with exceptional benefits. If you are looking to work in a friendly, collaborative environment that affords unique opportunities to expand your professional development, this role is for you.

• Serve as day-to-day lead for California marketing and business development activity
• Manage and mentor the California Marketing Coordinator, ensuring effective project delegation and quality control
• Collaborate with attorneys and teammates to produce compelling pitches, proposals, awards, and marketing collateral
• Take ownership of select high-priority marketing and BD projects to ensure timely and successful execution
• Provide support across both litigation and transactional practices, including identifying cross-practice opportunities
• Maintain BD prospects lists, and track BD efforts, opportunities and outcomes
• Oversee content development for pitches, practice descriptions, submissions, and client-facing materials
• Oversee and support the directories process, including producing draft submissions and reference lists for manager review; tracking timelines, deadlines and researcher assignments; coordinating communications and interviews; and related efforts
• Help plan and execute firm-hosted and third-party events in collaboration with team members and external vendors
• Maintain and improve workflow systems for marketing requests, tracking, and internal communication
• Ensure California marketing efforts align with firm standards and firmwide strategy
• Support additional profile-raising activities from time to time as determined by the needs of the firm
• Develop and monitor marketing & BD budgets for California offices.
• Analyze market trends, client feedback, and business opportunities to inform strategy.
• Lead or contribute to the preparation and implementation of business plans for practice groups and offices.
• Coordinate with firmwide marketing teams to ensure consistency in branding and messaging.
• Evaluate ROI for events and sponsor ships

• 6+ years of business development or marketing experience for a law firm
• Demonstrated experience supporting both litigation and transactional practices
• Familiarity with court systems, regulators, and litigation-specific resources (e.g., Lex Machina, Bloomberg Law, Capital
  
  IQ)
• Prior experience directly managing staff and overseeing team operations
• Strong writing, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Experience with digital marketing, social media, and website content management
• Experience managing RFPs and client pitch processes
• Experience with analytics and reporting on marketing/BD activities
• Ability to manage competing priorities and adapt in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
• Proven ability to collaborate with lawyers and internal stakeholders across all levels
• Must demonstrate reliability and build trust through consistent performance and responsiveness with attorneys, fellow Client Development & Marketing team members and other firm departments
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, email marketing, and other relevant CRM and marketing systems
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Willingness to travel between California offices and work extended hours when needed
• Must demonstrate critical thinking skills by connecting information across various platforms with comprehension and providing value-added input