Legal Talent Acquisition Specialist

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, 901 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, District Of Columbia, United States of America

Posted Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 5:00 AM

About Us

Finnegan is more than just a law firm – we are a powerhouse of innovation and strategy growth. We pride ourselves on providing top-tier intellectual property services globally. Our success is rooted in our emphasis on relationships with our clients and each other. We care about every individual, and it is why many professionals have spent their entire careers at Finnegan.

Role Overview

The Legal Talent Acquisition Specialist will execute full-cycle legal talent recruitment, including attorneys, technical specialists, patent agents, contract attorneys, and other attorney-type roles, in consultation with firm and practice leadership to meet practice-specific hiring needs. This role supports Talent & HR COE administration, legal talent onboarding and integration, and aligns hiring objectives with business strategies to foster a high-performance environment.

This role reports to the Director of Legal Recruitment and will be based onsite/hybrid in the Washington, DC office.

Responsibilities

Staff Recruitment

• Manages the full-cycle recruitment process for legal talent, including preparation of job postings, screening, interviewing, candidate selection, job offers, and onboarding.
• Develops and implements effective sourcing strategies to attract top talent.
• Recruits legal professionals across multiple practice areas, with emphasis on law firm, professional services, and legal industry talent pipelines.
• Partners with practice group leaders, hiring managers, and legal administrators to understand role-specific legal skill requirements, experience levels, and market conditions.
• Maintains communication with hiring partners/managers, recruitment agencies, schools, and other talent sources throughout recruitment process.
• Coordinates and conducts pre-screen interviews, conducts reference checks, and background screenings.
• Utilizes recruitment/applicant tracking platform to accurately track candidate progress and maintain records.
• Tracks and processes referral bonuses and sign-on bonuses.

Onboarding

• Works with Directors of Legal Recruitment and Human Resources to effectively onboard new employees.
• Monitors and evaluates the onboarding process, making improvements as necessary to enhance the employee experience.
• Conducts orientation and ensures new hires receive necessary training and resources.
• Conducts follow-up interviews to gather feedback from new hires to ensure a smooth transition. Provides summaries and trends to management.
• Works with Talent & HR COE leadership to analyze data and identify patterns & potential improvements for onboarding processes or recruitment and retention challenges.

General Support

• Provides reports, analysis, and forecasts, both quantitative and qualitative, on recruiting and onboarding KPIs to Talent & HR COE leadership. Recommends strategies and approaches to correct or improve retention issues and/or trends identified.
• Works with Director of Legal Recruitment to lead the recruitment strategy for the summer associate program, as well as the planning and coordination of events and activities for the program.
• Promotes a positive and professional work environment through effective communication and employee engagement initiatives.
• Remains current on federal and state employment law changes and firm policies to ensure compliance.
• Help maintain employment files and answer general employee requests and inquiries, as needed. Maintains intranet pages related to legal recruitment and careers.
• Utilizes AI and technology to improve processes and decision-making.
• Provides backup and/or supports other Talent & HR COE functional areas and assists with special projects, as necessary.
• Keeps current on trends in the legal market.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; preferably in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field. Juris Doctorate and/or Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 3-5 years of progressive legal talent acquisition experience in a law firm or staffing agency placing attorneys/legal professionals required.
• Strong familiarity in the key markets in which the firm operates is preferred.
• Proven expertise in interview techniques, applicant screening, and contract and offer negotiation, including agency contracts and relationships.
• Demonstrated success in sourcing candidates through diverse channels.
• Strong understanding of employment laws, legal principles, and hiring regulations.
• Skilled in applicant tracking systems, report writing, and HRIS/database systems (preferably Aderant/vi Recruit, Dayforce, or similar)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel; knowledge of SharePoint; skilled in internet research. Experience with AI-enabled recruiting and HR tools is a plus.
• Skilled with Microsoft Teams and Zoom platforms.
• Experienced in legal and business research using various databases.
• Excellent…