Legal Talent Acquisition Specialist

About Us

Finnegan is more than just a law firm – we are a powerhouse of innovation and strategy growth.  We pride ourselves on providing top-tier intellectual property services globally.  Our success is rooted in our emphasis on relationships with our clients and each other.  We care about every individual, and it is why many professionals have spent their entire careers at Finnegan.

Role Overview

The Legal Talent Acquisition Specialist plays a central role in the firm’s student recruiting efforts, including heavy involvement in the organization and execution of the summer associate program, assisting campus recruiting and law school relations efforts, and coordinating on-the-ground recruiting support across all firm offices. This position works in close partnership with the Senior Manager of Legal Talent Acquisition, hiring partners, practice and office leadership, and local office staff to attract, hire, and integrate outstanding students. The role also supports lateral attorney and patent agent recruiting and, accordingly, ideally brings experience with these responsibilities. 

Responsibilities

Summer Associate Program

• Takes a central role in the planning and execution of the firm’s summer associate program across all offices, in partnership with the Senior Manager of Legal Talent Acquisition and office leadership, including calendar, budget, orientation, training, mentor assignments, and social and community events.
• In conjunction with other departments, coordinates summer associate onboarding and pre-arrival communications; serves as a point of contact and firm ambassador for summer associates throughout their experience.
• Manages the work assignment process and collects feedback; coordinates mid-summer and end-of-summer reviews and prepares evaluation files for offer decisions.
• Coordinates post-summer communications, including offer letters, acceptances, and ongoing engagement with offer recipients and returning students through graduation and bar admission.
• Encourages attorney participation and involvement at all levels so that summer associates receive a high-quality, consistent experience in every office.

Campus Recruiting and Law School Relations

• Seamlessly executes campus recruiting strategies at the direction of the Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, the Senior Manager of Legal Talent Acquisition, and hiring partners.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with law school career services offices, faculty, student organizations, and alumni; develops firm ambassadors at target schools.
• In collaboration with legal recruiting assistants, executes the on-campus, direct application and callback interview process, including registrations, scheduling, interviewer preparation, candidate research, travel logistics, and timely follow-up with candidates and schools.
• Plans and staffs campus events such as receptions, networking events, and sponsorships; represents the firm as a visible ambassador on campus.
• Recruits for 1L and 2L programs and other student-focused pipelines, including students with science and technical backgrounds consistent with the firm’s intellectual property practice.
• With the assistance of other team members, recruits patent agents and technical specialists on campus and handles the IP Summit and other undergraduate programming.

Office Coordination

• Serves as a coordinator for on-the-ground recruiting support across all firm offices, working with office administrators, and local attorney liaisons to ensure consistent execution of student programs, interviews, and events.
• Provides guidance and tools to local office personnel supporting recruiting activities; communicates timelines, expectations, and best practices.

• Partners with practice group leaders, hiring committees, and office managing partners to understand hiring needs and gather input on candidate selection, mentor assignments, and program feedback.

Lateral Recruiting Support

• Supports the Senior Manager of Legal Talent Acquisition in recruiting lateral associates, counsel, technical specialists, and patent agents, including sourcing, screening, scheduling interviews, and candidate communications.
• Maintains relationships with search firms and understands the Firm’s business.
• Assists with offer process and onboarding for incoming attorney hires.
• Contributes to attorney integration efforts, including orientation and new hire check-ins.

Recruiting Operations and General Support

• Utilizes the applicant tracking system (e.g., viRecruit) to accurately track candidates, applications, interviews, and offers; maintains accurate and confidential student and candidate records.
• Produces reports, analysis, and metrics on student and lateral recruiting, such as offer and acceptance rates, school yield, and program feedback, and recommends improvements.
• Manages program budgets, vendor relationships, and invoicing related to recruiting events and programs.
• Maintains legal recruiting and careers content on the intranet, external website, and recruiting materials.
• Participates in NALP and local legal recruiting organizations; completes NALP reporting and stays current on industry trends, schedules, and best practices.
• Utilizes AI and technology to improve processes and decision-making.
• Keeps current on trends in the legal market, and assists with special projects and other Talent Acquisition initiatives as necessary.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 3–5 years of legal recruiting experience in a law firm or comparable professional services environment required, with significant experience in summer associate programs and law school/campus recruiting.
• Experience with lateral attorney recruiting, including working with search firms and supporting lateral candidates through the offer process, strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of NALP guidelines, student recruiting processes, and law school recruiting cycles.
• Experience coordinating recruiting activities across multiple office locations is preferred; familiarity with intellectual property or technology-focused recruiting is a plus.
• Demonstrated success in event planning and program management, including budgeting and vendor coordination.
• Proven experience in interview techniques, applicant screening, and offer coordination.
• Skilled in applicant tracking systems, report writing, and database systems (preferably Aderant/viRecruit, Dayforce, Florecruit).
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel; knowledge of SharePoint; skilled in internet research. Experience with AI-enabled recruiting tools is a plus.
• Skilled with Microsoft Teams and Zoom platforms.

• Understanding of employment laws and hiring regulations as they relate to student and attorney recruiting.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with students, school representatives, and attorneys at all levels.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced, seasonal environment; proactive self-starter with attention to detail.
• Polished, professional presence suited to representing the firm on campus and at events.
• High level of discretion, professionalism, diplomacy, and commitment to confidentiality.

Join Finnegan where your skills will drive success of one of the world’s leading IP law firms.

The role is based in the Washington, DC office, and requires a hybrid/onsite work schedule. The base annual pay range for this role is between $90,000 to $105,000. The base pay to be offered will vary and depend on skills and qualifications, experience, location and will also take into account internal equity. A full range of medical, financial and/or other benefits dependent on the position will also be offered.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Finnegan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The firm is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment, as defined by applicable state and federal laws, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws. For candidates needing reasonable accommodations or assistance with the application process, please contact Human Resources at 202.216.5400.

Our privacy policy for applicants can be found here.

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