Principal Legal Recruiter

Job Description

At K&L Gates, we are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas to join us. Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impactful work lead to the same place.

We are seeking a Principal, Legal Recruiter Finance to join the firm. This position will be responsible for managing all aspects of lateral associate recruitment and collaborating with the law student recruitment team for the Finance practice area across all U.S. offices. They help set strategic direction for legal talent acquisition and delivering top talent. Primary responsibilities include proactive management of lateral associate recruiting efforts, coordination of lawyer on-boarding and orientation, and providing subject matter expertise for hiring strategy within the Finance practice area.

Additional responsibilities include building strong relationships with targeted legal search firms and positioning and effectively articulating the Firm’s brand and value proposition to lateral candidates.

• Practice Area Leaders, Practice Group Coordinators, Office Managing Partner, Practice Operations Directors

• Collaborating with Practice Area Leaders (PAL), Practice Group Coordinators (PGC), Office Managing Partners (OMP), Finance Practice Operations Director and others to develop and implement strategic legal recruiting plans to attract top tier legal talent.
• Building and maintaining solid relationships with internal stakeholders to understand and strategically identify legal talent needs within the Finance practice area.
• Managing advertising of open positions, including drafting and distribution of job description on Firm’s website and other applicable external job boards, and providing regular updates partnering closely with targets search firms.
• Reviewing resumes received from candidates and search firms and, in collaboration with PALs and PGCs, select candidates to move forward in the interview process; managing related follow-up tracking and correspondence with candidates or search firms, providing a differentiated experience to candidates and leaders alike.
• Overseeing applicant data tracking process and leveraging hiring analytics to create Finance recruitment best practices.
• Leveraging internal and external networks to identify and engage top-tier candidates.
• Contributing on the recruiting strategy, including pipeline-building initiatives and identification of appropriate target school/interview programs.
• Analyzing industry trends, market opportunities and following leads.
• Regularly attending industry events as networking opportunities to expand professional connections and promote the Firm as a leader in the Finance practice area.
• Managing the lateral associate offer process, orientation, on-boarding and integration of all lateral associate new hires for Finance practice area.
• Collaborating with Professional Development department and practice leaders to identify practice-specific training opportunities for Finance associates.
• Collaborating with the Student Recruiting Team, PALs, PGCs, local office leadership, identifying desired Finance summer associate class size and determining recruiting strategy, including pipeline-building initiatives, identification of appropriate target school/interview programs, and summer program work assignments.

• Collaborating with members of Legal Recruiting team on firmwide initiatives and projects as needed.
• Developing relationships with lawyers within the Finance practice area.

• Possess a Bachelor's in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field. A JD or legal background is advantageous.
• A minimum of 7 years of recruiting experience (required) preferably in a law firm or law school environment and a minimum of 3 years recruiting lawyers in the Finance space preferred.
• Must possess in-depth knowledge of legal talent acquisition strategies and best practices.
• Possess excellent communication, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Requires good judgment, a professional and friendly demeanor, confidentiality, and strong…