Client Relationship Manager, Financial Institutions- 12 month FTC

Linklaters is a global law firm, providing legal services in 20 countries and through 30 offices. Linklaters is a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional. We look not only for brilliant minds, but for people who will thrive in our environment: people who love working collaboratively and demonstrate the innovative, efficient, agile, entrepreneurial, and responsible mind-set we aim to bring to every interaction. Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair, and open atmosphere. We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity. We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common goal.

As a Client Relationship Manager in our Financial Institutions Sector Cluster, you will play a key role in delivering Linklaters’ Clients & Sectors strategy. You will work in partnership with relationship partners, global client teams and the broader partnership to build and deepen relationships with a portfolio of priority financial institution clients. Drawing on the firm’s full international capability and all available resources, you will focus on strengthening client relationships, shortening the sales cycle and driving profitable revenue growth.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Work with relationship partners to analyse Financial Institutions clients, identify white‑space and spot strategic opportunities, with a focus on complex, high‑margin work.
• Develop and implement targeted client plans with BDM colleagues and fee earners, incorporating clear, accountable SMART objectives.
• Lead proactive business development and marketing activities aligned to client plans and firm strategy, including cross‑selling, new business introductions and development of new work streams.
• Identify business growth opportunities from market and sector developments and communicate tailored insights to key client stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key client contacts, demonstrating high responsiveness and a collaborative approach.
• Manage and support fee negotiations and client fee proposals, including global panel submissions and fee arrangements, in collaboration with relationship partners and the Pricing Team.
• Plan for and attend client relationship meetings, capture and drive follow‑up on agreed actions, and prepare client presentations, value‑add reports and management information.
• Facilitate and lead (where appropriate) structured client feedback, ensure resulting actions are implemented and communicate outcomes back to clients.
• Act as an internal point of contact for panel arrangements, ensuring clear communication of terms and related obligations across the firm.
• Monitor financial performance and overall exposure of client relationships and escalate issues to relationship partners or Sector Leaders as required.
• Coordinate with BDM and other Business Teams so client teams have the right resources, understand client structures and share knowledge effectively.
• Take a strategic approach to client investment, including planning and leveraging secondments and overseeing the delivery of differentiating value‑added services.
• Support the implementation and effective use of Salesforce to manage client activities and enhance visibility and connectivity across key client relationships.

We are ideally looking for:

• Relevant client relationship experience in legal or professional services.
• Experience identifying strategic opportunities and helping to win work from financial institution sector clients.
• Strong relationship‑building skills, with the ability to develop trust with clients, internal client teams and stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence, drive change, challenge constructively and share knowledge.
• A high degree of commercial acumen: strategic thinker, able to prioritise, make decisions, influence and gain buy‑in.
• Proven planning and project management skills: results‑oriented and resourceful.
• Knowledge of client relationship management and account planning methodologies, tools and cross‑selling strategies in professional services.

This role is based at the Linklaters London office with a hybrid working model available.

Joining Team Linklaters will see you qualify for a range of benefits designed to reward the vital contribution you will be making to our success. These include:

• Health & Wellbeing: Private Medical Insurance, Free in-house fitness centre and subsidised health club memberships, Free onsite GP service and periodic health assessments.
• Finance: Pension and flexible savings options, Income protection and life assurance, Mortgage advice and will-writing services.
• Family & Lifestyle: Electric car and cycle to work schemes, Emergency family care, Additional holiday/birthday leave, Maternity/paternity shared parental leave, Travel insurance and season ticket loan, Option to join sports and social clubs, as well as our employee networks groups (such as our Gender Equality Network, With Pride, or Social Mobility Networks).

If you think this role would suit you, please click apply below. We look forward to hearing from you!

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

Applications and CVs (direct or via agency) are only accepted online via the portal. Queries related to our roles must be directed to the relevant recruitment team and not the partners, practices or stakeholders.