Early Careers & Professional Development Specialist

Build your big career with the firm that does Big Law, Better. McDermott Will & Schulte is a leading global law firm that brings together more than 1,750 lawyers and 1400 business professionals. We celebrate excellence, collaboration, and community and have been recognized as a top workplace by USA Today, Fortune, The American Lawyer, Vault and others. We are also certified by Great Place to Work. At McDermott, we don’t just invest in your future, we accelerate your career – wherever it may lead. That includes supporting you both in and outside of the office.

With us, you’ll find:

• A firm where everyone belongs: Our award-winning culture prioritises warmth and authenticity — we encourage you to be yourself!
• Enthusiasm for all perspectives: We’re smarter and stronger when everyone has a voice and a seat at the table. We welcome unique viewpoints and ideas, and we make opportunities for you and your career to thrive.
• Support to feel your best and do your best: Wellness is integral to building a successful career and a rich life. That’s why our benefits programme supports your physical, emotional, mental, and financial health, with an emphasis on work-life balance.
• Real rewards for real work: We offer generous compensation packages that recognise hard work and excellence.

Job Description:

The Early Careers & Professional Development Specialist leads our graduate recruitment process, manages all aspects of our trainee solicitor programme, and assists with attorney professional development for our London offices. This role is responsible for the processes used to attract, select, and develop high-calibre individuals, ensuring an exceptional experience which is aligned with our strategic objectives and our culture.

The Early Careers & Professional Development Specialist will work closely with the Office Managing Partner, the Training Principal and other senior partners and leaders, the rest of the London HR team, the global HR and Talent & Development teams, and colleagues within the Knowledge Management and Marketing teams, to strengthen our employer brand and to ensure the continued success of our trainee solicitor and attorney development programmes.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Graduate Recruitment

• Work with the Training Principal (and others) to develop and agree a strategy for graduate recruitment across our London offices.
• Develop and deliver the annual graduate recruitment programme.
• Manage the full recruitment lifecycle for training contracts, vacation schemes, and related initiatives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with universities, law schools and other education providers, and other external contacts.
• Represent the firm at campus events, law fairs, and networking initiatives.
• Coordinate assessment centres and selection processes, ensuring fairness, consistency, and best practice.
• Collate the information required for the issue of formal offers, and contract paperwork.
• Monitor market trends and competitor activity, to ensure we maintain a competitive and compelling programme.
• Assist with managing the graduate recruitment budget.

Trainee Solicitor Programme

• Manage the structure and delivery of our trainee solicitor training and development programme, in partnership with the Knowledge Management team.
• Coordinate seat rotations in collaboration with the Training Principal, and others.
• Provide day-to-day support and guidance to those supervising and developing our trainee solicitors, ensuring mid and end of seat evaluations are completed.
• Support and monitor all aspects of trainee development, performance management, and qualification processes.
• Act as the primary point of contact for trainee solicitors, providing guidance and support throughout their training contracts.
• Ensure compliance with SRA requirements and regulatory standards.
• Manage qualification and newly qualified retention processes.
• Develop an internal guide for trainee solicitors, setting out all aspects of our trainee solicitor programme – including the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), and qualifying work experience (QWE).
• Plan trainee social events, and act as host.

Strategy & Employer Brand

• Develop and promote the firm’s early careers brand, in partnership with the marketing team and the wider HR team.
• Lead diversity and inclusion initiatives within early careers recruitment.
• Analyse recruitment and retention data to inform strategy and continuous improvement.
• Introduce innovative approaches to the attraction, selection, and development of candidates.
• Meet with external legal graduate recruitment professionals, to keep up to date with market knowledge, and feed information back.

Attorney Professional Development

• Conduct regular discussions with our attorneys, to understand their professional development (PD) requirements.
• Develop training programmes (working alongside the Knowledge Management team), coordinate logistics for training delivery, and update intranet training resources.
• Support attorneys in achieving their PD objectives, including meeting requirements under the SRA regulatory framework (and/or equivalent for non-UK qualified attorneys).
• Serve as the central point of contact with our U.S. Attorney PD team and promote training modules available to attorneys via the Learning Hub.
• Liaise with the U.S. Attorney PD team to keep training records maintained within our learning management system.
• Assist with our annual attorney evaluation process – including monitoring and editing feedback, and coordinating the calibration process for London.

Stakeholder Management

• Partner with senior stakeholders to confirm trainee intakes, aligned with business needs.
• Provide training and support to interviewers and assessors.
• Present early careers and professional development updates and insights to leadership, as required.

Job Specifications:

Experience

• Experience in graduate recruitment and trainee solicitor programmes within a law firm environment.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the SQE process, and other routes to qualification.
• Experience in supporting attorney professional development within a law firm environment.
• Strong understanding of the UK legal education and training landscape.
• Experience designing and/or running graduate assessment centres.
• Experience managing stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience in delivering ‘soft skills’ training (desirable, but not essential).

Skills & Competencies

• Excellent organisational and project management skills.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Commercial awareness and strategic thinking capability.
• Strong attention to detail and regulatory awareness.
• Data-driven mindset with strong analytical capability.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Flexibility to attend law firm (and other) events, as required.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent work experience.
• CIPD qualification (desirable, but not essential).

Physical Demands & Work Environment:

The duties of this role are typically performed in an indoor office environment, although the individual will attend external meetings and events as required. Reasonable adjustments may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions of the role.