Director of Business Development

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top three on The American Lawyer's prestigious A-List for eight consecutive years and #1 on Law.com's UK A-List twice in the past three years - rankings that honor the "best of the best" law firms.The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

Overview

The Business Development department’s commercial objective is to grow firm revenue and take market share, grow existing client relationships, and develop new client relationships in alignment with firm and practice goals and our industry and client teams.  Business development works in collaboration with partners, other attorneys and business support colleagues to achieve these objectives and is part of a broader business support organization in a collaborative work environment. The business development team is a specialist business support function with a range of offerings focused on business development in the firm’s practice groups.

The Director of Business Development (DBD) is a senior trusted advisor to the Strategic Transactions Practice Group Leaders, Specialty Group Leaders, and Partners. The DBD provides strategic and commercial leadership on the implementation of business and client development priorities and is responsible for developing and executing integrated marketing and business development strategies that enhance the firm's brand visibility, attract new clients, and drive client satisfaction and loyalty.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute integrated marketing, business, and client development strategies for practice, and related groups and initiatives, to grow revenue and client relationships, increase visibility, and align to firm strategy and messaging.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to partners and recommend appropriate marketing and business development tactics that build the firm’s reputation and revenue.
• Lead the development and implementation of AI-enabled business development practices for their team—particularly around RFP response workflows, prospecting, industry research, and events—establishing workflows and processes that can be scaled across the firm. Drive practice-specific AI successes and champion innovation across BD.
• Customize marketing tactics to business goals and oversee execution of all related marketing and business development initiatives (e.g., proposals, RFPs, sponsorships, hosted events, speaking opportunities, publications, emails, web pages, videos, social posts, awards, PR, etc.).
  • Develop processes around tracking and targeting strategies and systems focused on priority clients.
  • Maintain detailed marketing and business development budgets and drive efficiency.
  • Monitor competitors in the market, share insights about their commercial efforts and apply learnings in real time in line with best practices.
• Drive pitching, targeting and new business generation efforts:
  • Advise on new business opportunities and on the development and implementation of product-targeting initiatives.
  • Oversee and provide quality control on pitches, RFPs, and other materials.
  • Work with finance to develop compelling fee arrangements.
  • Work with attorney teams to prepare for pitches and in-person meetings.
  • Identify opportunities to conduct post-pitch debriefs, post-matter reviews, firm leadership visits and annual meetings with targets and clients.
  • Prepare partners for feedback calls or visits. Where appropriate, conduct debriefs directly with clients and prospects, and report back to partners as relevant.
  • Lead consultative business development coaching and training ranging from individual coaching sessions to practice group trainings to workshops that produce measurable results; lead, motivate and inspire a client-focused philosophy within the firm.
• Manage and develop a team of business development managers and specialists who support both the practice group and related specialty groups, initiatives, and adjacent practices.
  • Ensure the development and maintenance of a high-performing team through effective leadership, training, and performance management.