Human Resources Manager

Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 lawyers and 700 business professional support staff. We have offices in the US, UK and Asia, with Chicago and New York being our largest offices. Our headquarters are in Chicago, where the firm was founded in 1974.

Katten's London office is full service, and our lawyers provide advice across a range of specialisms in which the firm excels, including asset management, financial services, regulatory, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, finance, and real estate. In addition, the office has core capabilities in insolvency and restructuring, employment, tax and litigation. In all disciplines, the London team comprises experienced, commercially-minded professionals of the highest quality who pride themselves on their responsiveness and commitment to outstanding client service. Together with colleagues in the US and Shanghai, our London lawyers offer expert, integrated legal advice servicing clients located across the world.

The culture of the London office, which is shared with the rest of the firm, is collaborative, team-based and collegiate and considerable emphasis is placed on maintaining and further developing that culture and positive behavior in all respects.

Human Resources Manager

The Human Resources Manager will be responsible for overseeing multiple HR functions in the London office and will partner heavily with the US team in these major categories: Generalist, Early Careers, Recruitment, and Professional Development.

The Human Resources Manager position is located in our London office. Katten offers a hybrid work model, allowing flexibility to work both on-site and remotely on a regular basis (KattenFlex).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include, but may not be limited to, the following. Other duties may be requested and/or assigned. Essential functions are primary job duties that an individual must be able to perform successfully with or without a reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Generalist

• Responsible for entire onboarding and offboarding processes, including overseeing background screenings, benefits and payroll, probation and leaver processes, updating the HRIS, and conducting relevant inductions.
• Manage the annual benefits renewal process, working with benefits brokers to conduct market reviews of other providers and make recommendations.
• Be the first line of support for any HR queries and ER issues, advising where possible and escalating to the Senior Director of HR and Talent Management when necessary.
• Provide support to the annual salary review process, present market data to the committee and make recommendations where suitable.
• Draft and update HR policies and procedures to ensure best practice and legal compliance.
• Implement meaningful wellbeing programs office wide.
• Coordinate Fire Warden, First Aid, and Mental Health First Aid training programs.

Early Careers

• Responsible for leading all activities relating to the recruitment of candidates for the London trainee program from initial contact through to offer acceptance.
• Responsible for leading all activities relating to the vacation scheme program.
• Oversee updating of marketing materials, purchase of merchandise, online advertisement and attendance of recruitment events e.g. law fairs.
• Lead the application process, review and design the interview process, conduct interviews, and make recommendations to the Training Principal.
• Pastoral support for all future and current trainees from offer through to qualification including seat rotations, appraisals, qualification discussions, end-of-seat evaluations, and ER support.
• Advise on seat rotation and qualifications, work with supervisors to conduct reviews, analyze themes, and identify gaps.
• Ensure the trainee program structure, feedback, and appraisals comply with SRA requirements.
• Review and improve trainee recruitment and retention processes including social mobility strategies, trainee buddies, seat handovers and reviews.

Recruitment

• Partner with US recruiting teams to help facilitate the full recruitment cycle for all business professional and fee-earner roles up to partner level.
• Foster strong relationships with recruitment agencies, handle any disputes with terms, review the recruitment agencies in use on a regular basis.
• Work with the hiring manager/partner on the job specification and briefing, advise on the interview process and timelines.
• Oversee the coordination of the interview process and manage offer process. delivery and oversee the production of offer documents and forms.

Professional Development

• Coordinate all London training sessions, including internal speaker / external training supplier logistics, scheduling, communications, room reservations, catering, etc.
• Maintain attendance sheets and CPD records for all training programs.
• Coordinate new joiner inductions, probation meetings and monthly check-ins, as appropriate, for vacation schemers, trainees, newly qualified solicitors.
• Assist U.S. team with the execution of lawyer fee earner (associate, counsel, senior associate, staff attorney) appraisal processes, including communications, reminders, completion of annual L&D plans, scheduling appraisal meetings, etc.
• Manage annual performance appraisal process for business professionals, partnering with US HR for support and guidance on performance management actions.
• Manage annual solicitor compliance with Katten’s L&D Policy (20 hr requirement).
• Plan and facilitate PD and well-being events, working with various administrative functions.
• Collaborate with the U.S. PD team to produce quarterly office updates on upcoming PD programs and events.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor’s Degree Required.
• The ideal candidate will have at least 3-5 years of previous HR experience.
• Experience within a law firm/professional services firm required.
• Must be able to influence, persuade and negotiate both internally and externally, and have excellent organizational, planning, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and communication skills as this person will interact with people at all levels, including partners and clients.
• This person will have smart judgment, sharp business acumen, the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion, and the ability to multitask.
• Ability to occasionally retrieve and distribute written documentation, or office supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.

Explanatory Notes

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

Selection for recruitment is on merit, irrespective of race, color, age, religion, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or disability. Selection decisions, and the reasons for those decisions, are recorded in writing at each stage of the selection process. Selection criteria and, where appropriate, technical skills tests are in place to measure an individual's ability for the effective performance of a job.