Chief of Talent Strategy

Our legal client in Chicago is seeking a strategic relationship-driven Senior Talent Strategy expert to lead the firms attorney talent management recruiting and retention initiatives. This role is responsible for attracting exceptional legal talent strengthening the firms talent pipeline supporting attorney growth and career progression and fostering a culture of professional excellence.

The ideal candidate will possess deep knowledge of the legal industry an established network within the legal recruiting community and a proven track record of identifying attracting developing and retaining top legal talent. This individual will partner closely with firm leadership practice group leaders and administrative departments to ensure the firms talent strategy supports both current and future growth objectives.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to build and shape the legal talent strategy of a fast-growing law firm. This position serves as a direct advisor to firm leadership on recruiting professional development succession planning attorney engagement and workforce planning.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Recruiting & Talent Acquisition

• Refine and lead execution of the firms strategic attorney recruiting plan across all practice groups and offices.
• Lead full-cycle recruitment efforts for partners associates counsel and other legal professionals.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with legal recruiters search firms and industry contacts.
• Identify and proactively engage high-performing legal talent in target practice areas and markets.
• Partner with Practice Group Leaders to assess current and future talent needs.
• Manage candidate sourcing interviewing evaluation offer negotiations and onboarding processes.
• Ensure a high-touch professional candidate experience that reflects the firms culture and values.
• Develop recruiting metrics and reporting to evaluate effectiveness hiring trends and market competitiveness.
• Monitor legal market conditions compensation trends and competitor hiring activity.

Law School & Industry Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with top law schools career services offices professors student organizations and industry organizations.
• Create and manage summer associate internship and entry-level recruiting programs.
• Represent the firm at law school recruiting events career fairs networking programs and industry conferences.
• Establish partnerships with bar associations legal organizations and professional groups to strengthen the firms talent pipeline.
• Build relationships with affinity groups and organizations that support attorney recruitment and professional development.
• Coordinate attorney participation in recruiting mentoring and campus engagement initiatives.
• Enhance the firms reputation as an employer of choice within the legal community.

Attorney Talent Management & Retention

• Continue developing and implementing attorney talent management strategies that support engagement retention and career growth.
• Partner with Practice Group Leaders to identify high-potential attorneys and support succession planning initiatives.
• Refine and lead processes for attorney performance feedback career development and advancement planning.
• Support integration and assimilation of lateral attorneys to maximize long-term success.
• Develop programs that strengthen attorney engagement mentorship and professional satisfaction.
• Assist leadership in addressing attorney development performance and career progression matters.

Training & Professional Development

• Refine and oversee implementation of attorney training and professional development programs across all career stages.
• Partner with firm leadership to identify competency models and development pathways for attorneys.
• Manage continuing legal education (CLE) and professional development initiatives.
• Coordinate external speakers workshops and training resources.
• Measure training effectiveness and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Collaboration

• Partner closely with Practice Group Leaders Management Committee members and administrative leadership.
• Collaborate with Human Resources Marketing and Operations to support firmwide initiatives.
• Promote a culture of professionalism accountability inclusion collaboration and continuous development.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be:

• A trusted relationship builder with credibility throughout the legal industry.
• Highly connected within law schools bar associations recruiting networks and legal organizations with an emphasis on Chicago Illinois and other strategic locations.
• Strategic in thinking while remaining hands-on in execution. Passionate about developing talent and helping attorneys succeed.
• Skilled at balancing business objectives with people-focused leadership.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced growing law firm environment.
• Focused on delivering an exceptional experience for candidates attorneys and firm leadership.

Required

• Bachelors degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 712 years of experience in legal recruiting attorney development talent management or related professional services environments.
• Strong understanding of law firm economics practice group structures and attorney career progression.
• Demonstrated success in recruiting attorneys across multiple practice areas and experience levels.
• Established network within the legal recruiting and law firm community with an emphasis on Chicago Illinois.
• Experience working directly with law firm leadership and practice group leaders.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Excellent interpersonal relationship-building and communication skills.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.

Preferred

• Experience in a mid-sized or large law firm environment.
• Experience managing summer associate or law school recruiting programs.
• Experience developing attorney training leadership development or mentoring programs.
• Familiarity with attorney performance management and succession planning processes.
• SHRM HRCI attorney development coaching or related professional certifications are a plus.