Business Development Executive (Legal)

Katten is a firm of first choice for clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services in the United States and abroad. Our nationally recognized practices include corporate, financial services, litigation, real estate, environmental, commercial finance, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, and trusts and estates. Our more than 650 attorneys serve public and private companies, including a third of the Fortune 100, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. We provide full-service legal advice from locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai.

Business Development Executive

The Business Development Executive will be responsible for proactively driving business development activities with assigned clients, together with key attorney stakeholders, in order to expand client relationships and meet target revenue and profitability goals.  The Business Development Executive maintains professionalism and strict confidentiality in all client and Firm matters.

The Business Development Executive position is for a full-time, fixed-term position ending 2 years from the date of hire.  The Business Development Executive position can be located in either our Chicago, New York or Washington, D.C. office.

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.

• Develop and maintain a thorough and specific understanding of the capabilities of Katten's practices, including prior experience, clients and industries served, and distinguishing characteristics of practices. Together with key attorney stakeholders, responsible for driving revenue at assigned clients and meeting revenue targets for these clients. 
• Together with key attorney stakeholders, responsible for driving revenue at assigned clients and meeting revenue targets for these clients. 
• For each assigned client, working together with key attorney stakeholders, the Business Development Executive will establish a contact map and a pursuit plan, including specific action steps to move the relationship forward and work with key stakeholders and other attorneys to implement and execute client development strategies and action items. Continuously monitor and report progress against the client pursuit plan's objections, action items and goals to key stakeholders and MBD leadership.
• Proactively identify and qualify opportunities to establish or deepen relationships with assigned clients including, but not limited to, proposing new areas of work to pitch, developing client-specific marketing campaigns; identifying targeted thought leadership tailored to client opportunities or challenges; identifying client value adds; and identifying and organize opportunities for regular client engagement.
• Maintain a deep knowledge of the assigned clients, client contacts, industry and client strategic priorities. Monitors new developments at assigned client and communicates regularly with key stakeholders on significant client developments and resulting opportunities.
• Maintains and tracks industry and client-level issues facing organizations and applies those findings to the sales strategy for assigned clients.
• Manage pitch and competitive proposal processes including: developing proposal strategies and relevant value propositions; analyzing and evaluating competitive landscapes; identifying critical decision makers/stakeholders; writing proposals in partnership with pitch and proposal team and project manage pursuit efforts.
• Prepare attorneys for general client and sales-focused interactions including: preparing for meetings and presentations; potentially attending and contributing to the drafting of persuasive pitches, capability statements and similar work product for meetings.
• Work with Marketing and Business Development team members to identify opportunities for cross-selling to assigned clients and across the firm's practices. Vet these opportunities and facilitate the pursuit.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Finance or related field, and ten or more year's related experience are required; or equivalent combination of education and experience.  Significant sales and/or business development experience is required.  Prior experience working in a large legal, professional services firm or partnership is preferred.  Legal and financial industry knowledge and/or legal or financial industry sales experience are also preferred.
• Must be a motivated self-starter, exhibit a high degree of initiative and proactivity, and be comfortable and skilled at providing counsel on sophisticated business development and marketing strategy in all legal practice areas.
• Ability to work from home and, when appropriate and safe to do so, availability to regularly travel to other Firm locations.
• Outstanding interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills. Must be skilled at developing meaningful, substantive relationships with a diverse group of attorneys and cultivating them over time.  Ability to communicate with courtesy and diplomacy and exercise independent judgment in the handling of complex relationships.  Must be similarly skilled in developing relationships with MBD colleagues and working effectively across functions within the department and across other business professional departments.
• Knowledge of services and capabilities of legal practices. Must develop credibility by building upon that knowledge, specific to the practices supported at Katten. Understanding of the business of law firms and client relationship management.
• Effective at communicating with impact verbally and in written client-focused proposals, presentations and other communications.
• Able to work in a strong teaming environment and build relationships/collaborate effectively with key stakeholders and MBD team.
• Ability to exercise sound independent judgment in the handling of complex relationships and competing priorities.
• Superior client service skills and instincts, including responsiveness, ownership, urgency, excellence, positivity and a solutions-orientation.
• Thrive in a fast-paced organization, maintain a growth mindset, intellectual curiosity and be agile in an ever-changing environment and maintain a positive attitude as a contributor to that change.
• Excellent project management skills in order to develop pursuit plans, coordinate action items, communicate changes and progress, complete projects on time and within budget and manage client-focused activities.
• Ability to understand and support the Firm's goals, services, culture and strategy in order to represent the Firm in a positive, professional manner.
• Ability to occasionally retrieve and distribute marketing-related materials, written documentation, or office supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.

We offer an outstanding benefit package which includes: medical/dental/vision, 401k with employer contribution; transportation fringe benefit program; back-up care option; generous paid time off policy; and long-term and short-term disability policies.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer/AA-M/F/SO/Disability/Veteran.

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