Business Development Manager
Firm Description:
Our client is a nationally recognized law firm known for delivering sophisticated legal solutions across a wide range of industries and practice areas. With more than 700 attorneys across multiple offices, the firm combines deep subject-matter expertise with a client-first approach, consistently earning top rankings in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, and other peer-reviewed publications. Their culture emphasizes collaboration, responsiveness, and integrity, and they are particularly well-regarded for their work in sectors such as financial services, healthcare, construction, and energy. The firm offers a dynamic and inclusive environment where professionals are empowered to grow and contribute meaningfully to high-impact legal matters.
Position Description:
A leading law firm is seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to serve as a strategic business development partner to assigned Practice Groups. This position will work closely with Practice Group Leaders and attorneys to develop and execute initiatives designed to strengthen client relationships, expand existing opportunities, support cross-practice collaboration, and enhance the market position of the firm’s practices.
This is a strategic, non-sales business development role. There are no sales quotas, cold-calling expectations, or individual client-origination requirements. Rather, the Business Development Manager will focus on practice strategy, project ownership, relationship development, pitches and RFPs, market intelligence, and execution of high-impact growth initiatives.
The ideal candidate will have prior law firm business development experience supporting attorneys and Practice Group leadership and will be comfortable managing multiple initiatives with significant autonomy and accountability. This opportunity is particularly well suited for a consultative business development professional who excels at influencing senior stakeholders, turning strategy into action, and driving projects from concept through completion.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary business development partner to assigned Practice Groups, taking ownership of initiatives from strategy and planning through execution and follow-up.
- Partner with Practice Group Leaders and attorneys to develop, implement, monitor, and refine business and growth plans.
- Identify opportunities to deepen existing client relationships, expand services, and facilitate cross-servicing among Practice Groups.
- Support attorneys in developing and pursuing prospective client and business opportunities without individual sales or origination responsibilities.
- Lead RFPs, pitches, proposals, and presentations, coordinating attorney teams, developing content, and managing deadlines and deliverables.
- Facilitate the planning, implementation, tracking, and follow-up of new business opportunities.
- Develop and maintain practice-specific marketing and business development materials, including brochures, website content, experience databases, and attorney biographies.
- Manage legal directory, ranking, and survey submissions and coordinate the collection of supporting practice and attorney information.
- Partner with Marketing Communications professionals on media opportunities, advertising, thought leadership, and other market visibility initiatives.
- Strategize with Practice Group leadership and marketing technology professionals regarding digital marketing and practice-development opportunities.
- Coordinate strategic events, sponsorships, conferences, and other client-development activities.
- Represent the firm at selected business, industry, and community events as appropriate.
- Participate in Practice Group meetings and retreats, providing updates on business development priorities, initiatives, opportunities, and results.
- Support business development budgeting, expense tracking, reporting, and analysis.
- Work closely with Business Development Coordinators on day-to-day initiatives while providing coaching, guidance, and mentorship.
- Support the integration of lateral attorneys into assigned Practice Groups, including business planning and internal relationship development.
- Monitor relevant legal, business, industry, and competitive trends and translate market intelligence into actionable opportunities for Practice Group leadership.
- Travel to other firm offices, Practice Group meetings, retreats, and firm or client-development events as required.
Qualifications
Required
- Demonstrated business development experience within a law firm or sophisticated professional-services environment, with law firm experience strongly preferred.
- Experience working directly with attorneys, Practice Group Leaders, or other senior professional-services stakeholders.
- Demonstrated experience developing and executing business development plans and strategic initiatives.
- Experience managing RFPs, pitches, proposals, and related new-business processes from inception through delivery.
- Strong project-management skills and a demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple simultaneous initiatives, deadlines, and stakeholders.
- Ability to build credibility with senior attorneys and influence outcomes without direct authority.
- Strong understanding of relationship-driven business development and the distinctions between professional-services business development and traditional quota-based sales.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving capabilities.
- Ability to convert strategic objectives into clearly defined initiatives, deliverables, and measurable results.
- Detail-oriented, proactive, and comfortable operating in a high-accountability professional environment.
- Ability to collaborate across Practice Groups, Marketing, Communications, technology, and other business professional teams.
- Ability and willingness to travel to firm offices and business development events as needed.
Technical Requirements
- Strong proficiency with standard business productivity applications, including presentation, spreadsheet, word-processing, and collaboration technologies.
- Experience working with CRM, experience management, pitch/proposal, and business development reporting systems commonly used within professional-services organizations.
- Ability to analyze business development activity, client information, market intelligence, and related data to support Practice Group decision-making.
- Working knowledge of digital marketing platforms and their application to law firm practice development and market visibility.
- Working proficiency with generative AI and AI-enabled business development tools, including the ability to responsibly use approved AI technology for market research, competitive intelligence, proposal development, content drafting, summarization, and workflow efficiency while appropriately verifying outputs and protecting confidential client and firm information.
Preferred
- Significant business development experience specifically within a law firm environment.
- Experience supporting multiple Practice Groups or sophisticated legal practices.
- Experience coaching or mentoring Business Development Coordinators or other junior professionals.
- Experience with law firm lateral partner integration and business planning.
- Experience managing legal directory and ranking submissions.
- Familiarity with cross-selling or cross-servicing strategies within a partnership-based professional-services environment.
Meet Your Recruiter
Dominique Harris
Director of Professional Staff Recruiting
