Director of Talent
Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell (“WTO”) was established in 1998 and currently numbers more than 100 lawyers. The firm represents sophisticated clients in high-stakes civil trials, appeals, and related litigation ranging from complex commercial to class actions to catastrophic torts. WTO lawyers have taken more than 1,100 trials and, arbitrations to verdict or award and hundreds of appeals to opinion in 45 states and Washington D.C., with exceptional results for our clients
Summary/Objective
Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell is seeking a Director of Talent to lead the firm’s overall talent strategy, ensuring we attract, develop, and retain top talent in support of the firm’s business goals. The Director of Talent will be responsible for managing and overseeing the firm’s Human Resources, Professional Development and Attorney Recruiting functions, while fostering an organizational culture committed to professional excellence and mutual respect, and valuing differing perspectives and backgrounds.
If you are looking for a senior leadership position with a strategic seat at the table, this is it! The Director of Talent reports to the firm’s Chief Operating Officer and will work closely with firm leadership to develop and execute its talent initiatives and uphold its reputation as a premier legal employer.
Responsibilities:
- Strategic Leadership: Develops and implements the firm's talent strategy, aligning it with the firm's overall goals.
- Human Resources: Oversees and manages all aspects of the firm's HR operations for lawyer and professional staff, including compensation, benefits, payroll, and compliance.
- Professional Development[1]: Develops and implements training programs for the professional development of firm’s attorneys and professional staff, including mentoring, and coaching.
- Recruiting and Retention: Oversees and manages recruitment strategies and practices to attract top attorney & business professional talent, and develops initiatives to retain existing talent.
- Staffing and Resource Management[2]: Collaborate with partners and case teams to identify staffing needs and coordinate assignments to ensure optimal utilization of legal talent.
- Performance Management: Oversees, manages and administers the performance management process for lawyers and professional staff, including performance evaluations, coaching and feedback.
- Employee Relations: Addresses employee concerns and issues, ensuring a positive and productive work environment, and promoting the firm’s core values
- Brand Building and Reputation: Building a strong employer brand and managing the firm's reputation as a great place to work.
The right candidate will be a pro-active, independent, self-starter with a positive attitude and a proven track record of success. Strong organizational and communications skills and the ability to prioritize workload, while maintaining flexibility are key. If this sounds like you, we would love to speak with you about our exciting opportunity.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of Professional Development and HR experience; JD or MBA highly preferred
- Law firm and legal industry expertise; understanding legal practice areas, trends, and challenges.
- High emotional intelligence, interpersonal, communication and team skills
- Excellent judgment, discretion, and diplomacy
- Distinguished leadership qualities and superb communication skills
- Deep understanding of HR principles and best practices, which covers knowledge of HR laws and regulations, recruitment, compensation, employee development, and employee relations.
- Familiarity of NALP and industry practices and standards
- Ability to function in a fast-paced, service-oriented environment, prioritize multiple projects on a daily basis, adjust to shifting priorities, all with a “can-do” “roll up the sleeves” attitude.
- Must be innovative, analytical and have a collaborative approach to problem solving
- Experience working and collaborating with executives on plan and execution of strategic goals
Work Environment: The team atmosphere is fostered not only by the lawyers, but by all members of the support staff. Our firm’s employees are proud of collaborating to service firm clients. Our commitment to teamwork allows us to tap multiple fields of experience from our range of practice areas, ensuring our ability to meet each client’s individual needs. Our team approach enables us to analyze a situation from several points of view until we uncover the advantage that makes the difference for our client.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work: Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., including lunch hour. This is a full time position working from our Denver office. It is important to note that this is a hybrid position, requiring you to work three days in the office and two days from home.
Travel: Travel is limited and primarily local during the business day, although some out-of-area and overnight travel may be needed to attend conferences or other professional functions.
Salary Range: $215,000 - $240,000 annually. The final salary will be commensurate with education and experience. Additionally, the firm provides standard benefits including health insurance, 401(k) contribution, and paid time off, with annual bonus potential based on firm performance.
An Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the firm to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our firm. It is our intention that all qualified applicants are given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors.
[1] Professional Development
- Design, deliver, and oversee firmwide learning initiatives for attorneys, focusing on professional development, client service skills, and essential technical, substantive, and legal competencies.
- Responsible for designing, implementing, and managing training and development programs for professional staff to enhance employee skills, knowledge, and performance.
- Maintain and nurture existing and potential relationships with external consultants, coaches, and speakers; and maintain active involvement with appropriate professional organizations.
- Oversee tracking of all firm attorneys' Continuing Legal Education (CLE) compliance.
[2] Staffing and Resource Management
- Collaborate with partners and case teams to identify staffing needs and coordinate staffing.
- Monitor and manage the work allocation process to ensure equitable and optimal utilization of legal talent
- Work closely with associate, of counsel, and staff attorneys to monitor workloads, identify learning opportunities, facilitate areas of interest, and achieve individual professional development goals while supporting client and partner needs.
- Develop and implement strategies for effective lawyer staffing to meet client needs and skill development goals.
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