Friedman Williams
Business Development Senior Manager: White Collar and Litigation/Arbitration New York NY
Job ID: 20327
A firm seeks a highly skilled and motivated Senior Manager, Business Development to be responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of business development and marketing strategies for the Firm’s White Collar and Litigation/Arbitration Practice Groups. Reporting to the firm’s Head of Client Development, this role involves collaborating with firm and practice group leadership, partners, and the Business Development and Marketing (“BDM”) team to create and implement innovative business development strategies that align with the firm’s goals. Additionally, this position oversees and mentors business development team members, ensures alignment with the firm’s objectives, and fosters professional development.
Key Responsibilities (including but not limited to):
• Lead the end-to-end development and execution of comprehensive business plans for assigned practice groups, including market segmentation and competitive analysis; definition of service offerings and value propositions; financial modeling and projections; tailored growth initiatives for existing clients and new‐client acquisition strategies; thought leadership campaigns; and a detailed implementation roadmap complete with clear performance metrics.
• Coach attorneys in crafting individual business development plans that align with practice group strategies; identify and leverage each attorney’s unique strengths and market differentiators; and tailor approaches to address the needs of specific clients and targets.
• Oversee and execute the creation of tailored pitches, proposals, and RFP responses that highlight the firm’s capabilities and align with client objectives.
• Keep abreast of both legal and business markets and best practices in legal industry marketing and business development techniques. Monitor key competitors to continually refine how the firm differentiates itself to clients and proactively investigate and propose ideas to generate new work.
• Develop strong working relationships with key partners in all practice areas, in all offices, and with other members of the BDM team and across departments. Prepare and present updates within the firm on BDM’s contributions to cross-departmental projects.
• Lead the creation of company, industry, and market research and deliver insightful competitive analyses and reports; leverage internal and external data to identify potential BD opportunities.
• Oversee planning and execution of client-facing events, including seminars, webinars, sponsorships, and networking opportunities.
• Liaise with the firm’s Communications Manager to ensure communications/PR efforts align with practice group and firm goals.
• Liaise with the firm’s Marketing Technology lead to optimize functionality and usage of CRM and other technology products to further business development objectives.
• Manage, supervise and mentor one Senior Business Development Specialist, providing guidance, performance evaluations, and opportunities for growth.
• Collaborate with Head of Client Development to facilitate firm strategic growth programs, including law firm referral initiatives, client feedback interviews, and lateral recruiting efforts.
• Maintain a pipeline of opportunities and tracking the results of pitches and proposals, including participating in pitch debriefs and tracking and reporting on client feedback.
• Proactively identify speaking and sponsorship opportunities and working with the Communications team to pursue various profile-raising opportunities and develop internal and external content.
• Ad hoc projects as appropriate and required
Qualifications and Desired Skills:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field.
• 5-7 years of experience in business development, ideally within a legal or professional services environment.
• Strong knowledge of the legal industry and market dynamics.
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic initiatives that deliver measurable results
• Client-focused approach with a strong sense of urgency, attention to detail, and a “no job too big or too small” attitude.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strategic thinking with exceptional analytical abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, CRMs such as Peppermint, proposal generators, experience databases, and other marketing technology platforms.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and a high level of EQ and diplomacy.
• Leadership and team management capabilities, with a focus on mentoring and development.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively across teams and stakeholder groups.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time-management skills.