Director of Attorney Engagement (Bay Area & Salt Lake City)

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we are united in our ambition and drive to move forward. We share core values that help us achieve excellence: collaboration, talent empowerment, service, inclusion, respect and gratitude. Our people are our greatest asset, and we invest in the brightest talent and encourage a diversity of perspectives and strengths to create dynamic teams that operate at the pinnacle of their field. Our talented professionals show up every day knowing they will engage in meaningful work, continuous learning and professional development.

As one of the world’s leading law firms, we serve a broad range of clients with market-leading practices in private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions; investment fund formation and management; restructurings; high-stakes litigation and trials; and government, regulatory and internal investigations. We handle the most complicated and sophisticated legal matters because we don’t just meet industry standards, we create them. We bring innovation and entrepreneurialism to every engagement and, as a result, have long-standing client relationships with leading global corporations and financial sponsors. With 6,500 employees (including 3,000+ lawyers) operating from 18 offices across the United States, Europe and Asia, we are one of the largest law firms in the world and a top financial performer.

Essential Job Functions

POSITION OVERVIEW

As a member of the Firmwide (FW) Legal Recruiting and Development Department (LRD), the Director, Attorney Engagement will be responsible for supporting the vision set by Firm leadership for the attorney engagement function across orientations, morale/ retention initiatives and diversity & inclusion efforts at all levels. The Director will assist with the oversight and coordination of process, programming, leadership, and overall function of the attorney engagement group in Bay Area.  

Supporting the attorney life-cycle, the Director, Attorney Engagement must have demonstrated experience across several talent functions, including employee engagement, diversity, inclusion and attorney workflow integration, onboarding and other morale and retention initiatives.

This entails a hands-on and independent approach to programming including a complex scope of scheduling assignments and needs, balancing workloads and making the most of available resources, while taking into consideration skills required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Driving the implementation of new attorney engagement initiatives across the Firm including all local diversity and inclusion efforts
• Organizing and managing morale and retention events with the Associates Committee and various internal partners
• Promoting and monitoring the sharing of resources efficient across client matters
• Helping integrate new hires into teams and help them acclimate to the Kirkland open assignment system
• Partnering across the Firm to develop a robust internal mentoring program
• Functioning as a local programming lead for the Colleagues For Life Alumni Program
• Working to facilitate local diversity and inclusion initiatives in collaboration with Firmwide Diversity & Inclusion team
• Developing and implementing new Attorney Engagement processes including orientations at all levels
• Developing and implementing a standard of excellence around attorney morale and retention
• Acting as subject matter expert in various attorney engagement initiatives
• Influencing leadership and advocates among stakeholders to drive needed change
• Creating a consistent “One Firm” attorney engagement experience; fostering collaboration across offices, departments, and LRD channels; ensuring our strategies, processes, and tools stay modern and best in class
• Driving and supporting a cohesive engagement strategy across the Firm and working to further develop a world-class, recognizable morale/ retention “brand” both internally and externally
• Implementing lateral integration program to effectively integrate and appropriately support new lateral attorneys in partnership with local LRD teams
• Ensuring established guidelines and best practices are followed and identifies efficiencies
• Guiding and managing local attorney engagement budget and workflow
• Providing insight and guidance regarding best in class talent operations, technologies, and tools to support efficiency in deliverables and innovative approaches to work
• Defining a measurement strategy to effectively communicate and manage the value of morale/ retention events

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master/MBA preferred; Minimum of 7-10 years of relevant work experience in similar setting, law firm or professional services strongly preferred
• Candidates must have strong interpersonal and communication skills, project management, analytical skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Skilled in getting things done and overcoming obstacles to reach the goal
• The ability to work effectively with all levels of management, and across all Kirkland departments and offices, is required
• Knowledge of NALP and industry practices and standards
• Proven strong leadership skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent judgment
• Creative and innovative
• Responsible and responsive
• Team oriented
• Committed to attorney attraction, retention and development as well as keeping abreast of market trends and new programs
• Demonstrated high level of project management skills
• High level of confidentiality
• Proven ability to work with senior level professionals and Partners
• Documenting medium to large scale projects with minimal supervision; will be involved in developing/delivering presentations

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP.  To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Closing Statement

The www.kirkland.com job postings and recruiting mailbox are for candidates only. If you are a recruiter, search firm or employment agency, and do not have a signed contract with Kirkland & Ellis LLP ("K&E") and have not been asked specifically to submit candidates, you will not be compensated in any way for your referral of a candidate even if K&E hires the candidate. Direct contact with K&E employees in an attempt to present candidates is inappropriate and will be a factor in determining any future professional relationship with the Firm. #LI-Hybrid