Client Growth Manager

SUMMARY:

At Barnes & Thornburg, change is relentless and so are we. In an evolving business landscape, we stand ready at a moment’s notice, adapting with agility and precision to achieve the highest goals for our clients. Similarly, our Client Growth and Marketing team serves its clients — 850+ legal professionals across 50 practices in 26 markets — with the same energy and commitment.

Our Client Growth team focuses on establishing, enhancing and enabling meaningful client relationships, significant sector visibility, and optimal market share for the firm and its attorneys. The team contributes to client retention and expansion by proactively initiating, supporting and driving business development activities. In collaboration with the Client Growth Litigation team and Practice leadership, this role will be responsible for identifying key practice priorities, crafting and aligning client development strategies, and executing those plans.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Primary duties and responsibilities necessary for successful job performance include:

• Works proactively and collectively with the assigned litigation practice areas to develop and support initiatives to cement and expand existing client relationships.

• Identifies and supports business development efforts with prospects and within relevant industry sectors.

• Collaborates with CGM colleagues to implement and adopt marketing and business development best practices across the team.

• Serves as the primary point of contact for assigned litigation practice leaders with respect to client development efforts. Plays a critical role in determining important projects that require additional department/firm support – and advocates as necessary for appropriate strategic initiatives.

• Responsible for having a robust understanding of supported department and practice groups, including the products and services they offer to the firm's clients, to effectively relay this experience and identify potential synergies where existing experience can be applied to other clients and prospects including alignment and introduction of key practitioners able to meet niche needs.

• Consistently provides business development advice and guidance to attorneys that demonstrates a sound understanding of the nature of the work and experience of the lawyers in the assigned practice groups and working groups including but not limited to coaching (holistically and for specific leads).

• With help from the Senior Client Growth Manager, drives business development goals of assigned groups, including support in identifying business leads and opportunities, expanding existing client matters, and identifying and pursuing cross-selling.

• Participates in the creation of practice specific business development plans as required by firm leadership and serves as the primary point of contact for the execution of all objectives and key results identified within that plan.

• Annually and as needed, helps guide attorneys in setting strategy for increased exposure on the national stage, including with conference participation, speaking engagements, panel appearances and in-house client programs that have clear directives and methods for measuring return on investment.

• Invests significant support time in onboarding lateral attorneys to ensure access, resources, and coaching are provided; thereby, ensuring immediate production of revenue by the new attorney. This includes participation as deemed appropriate by practice leadership in the direct interviewing of potential lateral candidates.

• Responsible for having a robust understanding of law firm operations, business models, and best practices and developing a deep understanding of the supported practices, the firm’s relevant services and products, and the industries and geographies in which their clients operate.

• Must be able to apply industry, practice, geographic and services knowledge to craft effective internal and external positioning and pitches, identify internal and external opportunities for business expansion, and align and introduce key practitioners able to meet niche needs.

• Owns continual gathering and cataloguing of key experience, categorizing by type of work, firm role, jurisdictions, industries and other key data. Collaborates with the Communications and Proposals teams to ensure practice data is shared and accessible to the department.

• Creates and edits presentations, graphics and pitches for assigned practices and offices in collaboration with CG managers.

• Liaises with the Proposal Team on complex projects, ensuring that deliverables demonstrate fluency in the requisite practices, reflect the firm’s differentiators, and showcase best-in-class experience. Contributes to pitch and RFP response strategy and helps identify and gather relevant information. Executes RFP responses and provides post-response coaching on closing and panel awards.

• Regularly prepares pitches, frequently working with the Legal Operations department to incorporate pricing proposals.

• Collaborates with department teams – communications, media relations, events, business intelligence, proposals, graphics – to identify creative ways to package practice experience, differentiators, and thought leadership to maximize impact and influence with key audiences.

• Strategizes and counsels on marketing and client development expenditures to ensure optimal impact and best use of firm resources. Works closely with the client growth team to accurately track ROI on spend and make recommendations.

• Coordinates industry/practice relationships in conjunction with Client Growth Manager and lead attorney for the supported practices in conjunction with outside sales professionals. Executes and provides consistent thoughtful contributions on determined plans for thought leadership, event, and sponsorship strategy.

• Oversees activities required to produce lawyer ranking submissions.

• Leverages business intelligence and BD tools for basic research in support of attorney marketing and BD efforts, including compiling and succinctly presenting data on prospects, clients, industries, and legal/sector trends.

• In conjunction with Client Growth and Marketing (CGM) colleagues, coordinates planning and execution of on-site and off-site business development and marketing events and activities, including substantive programs and CLEs, webinars, networking and social events, trainings, roundtables, conferences, exhibitions, and more.

• Other duties and projects as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• The position requires at least five years of increasingly responsible, directly related experience during which the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities were attained. Experience in an AmLaw matrixed marketing and BD department is highly preferred.

• The position requires a bachelor's degree, preferably in a writing-intensive or research-heavy discipline.

• Strong oral and written communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills are required to interact successfully with a broad range of individuals at all levels of the organization, effectively liaise with clients and prospects, and develop strong relationships with attorneys, colleagues, and professionals at key outside organizations.

• Must possess and demonstrate a high-level service orientation, consistent resourcefulness, an ownership mentality, and agility in managing shifting and multiple and sometimes shifting priorities in a fast-paced, high-expectation environment. High level of responsiveness, robust work ethic, and commitment to accountability are crucial.

• Ability to produce quality work product and “think beyond the ask” is required. Candidates possessing intellectual curiosity and ability to connect the dots within the practices and across the firm as well as the external business landscape in order to issue spot and horizon scan will be a good fit for the role.

• Must be fluent in MS Office Suite and have standard technical proficiency expected within legal marketing and BD (eg, experience and/or understanding of CRMs, ERMs, CMS systems, and basic database platforms) is desired.

• Demonstrated project management experience is an asset to this role.

• Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships across all levels of the organization and work effectively both independently and with others in a cooperative, enthusiastic, and friendly manner to accomplish position functions and participate in team efforts.

• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and maintain a productive and committed work effort, meeting deadlines, and managing workload.

• Ability to leverage research and competitive intelligence to identify business opportunities and support go-to-market strategies.

• Strong knowledge of, and familiarity with, legal and business environments.

The above is intended to describe the general content and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities, or requirements.

Equal Employment and Opportunity Statement:

Barnes & Thornburg is committed to equal employment opportunity in both principle and as a matter of policy. We will recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate and provide benefits to all applicants and employees without regard to ancestry, sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, religious creed, mental and/or physical disability, medical condition, military and/or veteran’s status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all recruiting, hiring, promotions, upgrades, layoffs, compensation, benefits, terminations and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. The firm complies fully with all federal, state and local equal employment opportunity laws.