Description
We are seeking a Business Development Manager to join our global Disputes Business Development team. You will principally be responsible for providing support to our UK and EMEA leadership and legal teams across the Litigation, International Dispute Resolution, Environmental, Safety & Health, Government Investigations & White Collar, and Intellectual Property practice areas.
While this opportunity is based in the UK (out of either our Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds office), you will collaborate closely with a global team to shape and implement strategic growth initiatives. This includes driving client relationship development, identifying new business opportunities, coordinating practice-specific business development plans, and enhancing market visibility through thought leadership.
Our Firm
Squire Patton Boggs is one of the world's strongest integrated law firms, committed to providing insight at the point where law, business and government meet. We deliver commercially focused business solutions to a diverse mix of clients, from long-established leading corporations to emerging businesses, start-up visionaries and sovereign nations.
With over 1,500 lawyers spanning more than 40 offices across four continents, the firm is renowned for its local connections and global influence, delivering comprehensive legal services across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. In the UK, we have offices in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and London.
The firm is committed to promoting a collaborative and supportive working environment. Embedded by local champions in each of our UK offices, our well-regarded family and carer, wellbeing and workplace culture and development programmes provide a variety of flexible working options to support individuals' life journeys, helping our people pursue their personal and professional goals.
Our Team
Our global Business Development and Marketing team work together to provide frontline business development support and advice at a practice, industry and office level - much of the work being collaborative and international in nature. You will report to the US-based Director of Business Development for Disputes.
Our Opportunity
This is a dynamic, frontline role that requires a proactive, collaborative approach and a deep understanding of the legal market across the UK and EMEA.
Practice Business Development
- Working with defined groups to support and develop the practice group business development plans, including forward accountability and follow up.
- Working with individual lawyers to help them develop and deliver their personal business development plans, including coaching them on business development opportunities, helping them pursue targets and expand relationships.
- Lead on the selection and leveraging practice and industry conferences, seminars, speaking engagements, participation in professional panels, and industry events.
- Identifying market developments / thought leadership that may have impact on clients' businesses and providing advice on effective marketing strategies.
- Work with the firmwide practice groups and industry groups to leverage experience and expertise and collaboration.
Practice Support
- Provide primary support in preparing responses to domestic and cross-border requests for information (RFIs), requests for proposals (RFPs), and other pitches, proposals, capability statements and client-facing materials for new or expanded business.
- Work with members of the global Pitch team when appropriate to marshal firmwide resources for multi-practice RFIs and RFPs involving the defined practice groups.
- Developing in-depth knowledge of the practice groups, including Associate expertise, firm experience, industry/trade group organisations, trends and clients.
- Working with the Research Services team to brief and produce research and analysis to support client pitches and client initiatives and to help both identify and convert market opportunities.
- Managing the BD budgets for the groups including planning and follow-up plan for specific projects.
- Work with other members of the BD&M department to ensure that the members of the defined groups maximize the strategic use of social media.
Practice Infrastructure
- Maintaining and overseeing the regular updating of practice group/office marketing materials and tools, practice descriptions, representative matter lists.
- Managing and maintaining practice experience and selected matter lists.
- Provide leadership for the defined groups efforts to secure higher rankings in league tables, select directories, awards and distinctions, and maintain responsibility for ensuring experience is captured in a timely fashion in keeping with firmwide standards.
- Managing and tracking pitch and proposal activity for the practices, including updating the pitch log for all pitch/proposal activity and reporting details as appropriate.
- Acting as an information conduit for tracking matters; facilitating internal and external communications.
- In conjunction with practice group leadership, work with the Media Relations team to support media relations efforts associated with the practice, by identifying topical issues and assist in accessing lawyers across the firm who may be in a position to provide commentary.
- Collaborating with the Media Relations team on the preparation of directory (L500 / Chambers) and awards submissions.
- Managing and maintaining the practice group client contact list and working with the e-Media team to manage this information within the firm's databases.
You will be required to collaborate with other Business Development Managers to ensure execution of firmwide initiatives and best practices as well as serve as a liaison with Business Development Managers who drive similar efforts within offices/regions. You will share current plans and areas of focus, as well as best practices to help those resources support practice- and industry-driven efforts.
You
You must be educated to degree level - Marketing, Communications or other business degree, preferred. Business/Marketing Masters or CIM qualification is desirable. You will need to have a minimum of five years business development, marketing, sales or related experience - preferably international experience in a large professional services environment. Previous Business Development/Marketing Manager level experience is required, Disputes-related practice area experience desired. You will have a proven project management track record.
You will have exceptional work ethic and attention to detail. Ability to effectively facilitate and work with teams is imperative, as well as action-oriented with a 'can do' approach. You will have the ability to think creatively and must be a self-starter and project self-confidence. It is important that you can handle a large volume of time-sensitive deadlines and be flexible with the ability to function independently and confidently.
You will have excellent listening, verbal and written skills, as well as the ability to analyse and interpret common business and financial reports. You will have proven success in effectively presenting information to working group teams, top management, public groups and/or clients. You must have good basic mathematical skills including the ability to develop and manage a budget as well as spreadsheet capabilities. The ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions is a must. You need to be proficient working with basic Microsoft tools including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other software tools. Excel proficiency at a high level preferred but not required.
What You Need To Know
If you are interested in finding out more about this role, please visit our careers site at www.squirepattonboggs.com/en/careers. We are unable to process applications sent directly by email. Please complete an online application.
We are an inclusive employer and aim to ensure our workforce is representative of our society. We welcome applications regardless of age, neurodiversity, disability, family or parental status, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression or other legally protected characteristics. We will make reasonable adjustments and adaptions to our recruitment process to ensure it is inclusive for anyone who wishes to apply.
