Business Development Manager (Transactional)

About the role

The Business Development Manager will support several of Arnold & Porter's premier transactional practices, including Bankruptcy & Restructuring, Real Estate, Project Finance, Sovereign Finance, and Syndicated & Leveraged Finance, as well as the firm's Latin America group. This strategic role is based in our New York office.

Responsibilities

• Partner with practice chairs and working group leaders to develop and execute business development strategies for select transactional practice areas.
• Identify market trends, client opportunities, and cross-selling initiatives across practices and industry groups.
• Drive collaboration among attorneys and practices to deepen existing client relationships and pursue new business opportunities.
• Lead the development of client-focused pitches, proposals, and RFP responses that effectively communicate the firm's value proposition.
• Coach attorneys on business development best practices and prepare them for client meetings and presentations.
• Develop and maintain business plans supporting individual attorney and practice growth objectives.
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of practice descriptions, marketing collateral, and client-facing materials.
• Manage league tables and experience databases for transactional practices.
• Coordinate webinars, client events, and other thought leadership initiatives.
• Lead strategy and execution for legal directory and award submissions, including Chambers rankings.
• Identify opportunities for sponsorships, conferences, speaking engagements, and client presentations.
• Collaborate with Media Relations to promote noteworthy matters and attorney achievements.
• Support the successful integration of lateral partners through targeted client planning and coordinated business development efforts.
• Develop and manage practice group budgets and evaluate return on investment for business development initiatives.
• Utilize CRM and related tools to support client targeting, relationship management, and strategic decision-making.
• Supervise and mentor assigned business development professionals.
• Provide coverage and support across practice groups as needed.
• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and high-performing team culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of six years of marketing and business development experience.
• Prior law firm, professional services, financial services, or investment banking experience preferred.
• Experience supporting corporate, finance, restructuring, real estate, or related transactional practices, as well as Latin America, strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of law firm and professional services business development.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated success managing complex projects and competing priorities.
• Ability to build credibility and strong working relationships with partners and senior stakeholders.
• Experience supervising and mentoring team members.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with CRM platforms, Foundation, and other marketing or financial databases is preferred.