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About the Role

This is a high-impact opportunity to partner with senior attorneys and Client Development & Engagement leaders, helping to showcase the Firm’s experience, deepen client relationships, and drive strategic growth. You’ll be part of a dynamic team that values initiative, collaboration, and intellectual curiosity—and you’ll work closely with colleagues across the Transactional practices and our global Client Development & Engagement department.

Responsibilities

Lead the development of strategic pitches, proposals, presentations, and responses to RFPs for Funds, Sponsor Transactions & Advisory, Registered Funds, and related specialist areas, exercising judgment on positioning, messaging, prioritization, and the articulation of the Firm’s value proposition.
Partner with Firm leadership and attorneys to develop and execute strategic client plans, relationship strategies, opportunity pipelines, and new business initiatives that foster new relationships, deepen existing ones, and support practice growth.
Shape and oversee timely, accurate submissions for legal directories, rankings, awards, surveys, and other professional recognition opportunities relevant to the focus areas.
Provide strategic guidance on and oversee the production and maintenance of differentiated client-facing materials, including practice descriptions, capability statements, brochures, engagement and experience lists, and client communications across print and digital channels.
Work with CDE team members to maintain accurate engagement, deal, and case experience data across the Firm’s databases, channels, operations, and systems.
Serve as the senior Client Development & Engagement lead for the Funds, Sponsor Transactions & Advisory, and Registered Funds practices, including related initiatives, pitches, and practice management support.
Advise partners and practice leadership on client development strategy, market trends, competitive positioning, and growth opportunities, anticipating and proactively addressing their business development and client engagement needs.
Integrate private funds, registered funds, fund transactions, regulatory, advisory, and M&A capabilities into a cohesive offering for sponsors and promote cross-practice collaboration.
Coordinate with Communications colleagues to identify noteworthy matters, speaking engagements, writing opportunities, and appropriate media coverage that raise the profile of the Firm and its partners.
Develop and drive the annual event strategy and calendar for the Funds, Sponsor Transactions & Advisory, and Registered Funds practices, aligning programming with practice priorities, target clients and sponsors, and key market and regulatory developments.
Partner with practice leaders and attorneys to define objectives, target audiences, formats, investment levels, and success measures for Firm-hosted events and third-party conference participation, evaluating results and ROI to continuously refine the Firm’s approach.
Serve as the strategic BD lead for practice events, translating practice and client-development priorities into event opportunities and partnering closely with the CDE Events team who owns planning, production, logistics and overall execution.
Manage from a business development perspective Firm-hosted dinners, roundtables, seminars, webinars, CLEs, and receptions from concept through delivery and follow-up, attending events where appropriate.
Advise attorneys on content, speakers and panelists, agendas, and target audiences, developing thoughtful client and prospect guest strategies that advance relationship-building and pipeline goals.
Develop and manage the approach to third-party industry conferences, including recommendations on sponsorship opportunities, speaking submissions, partner participation, side events, client meetings, and other opportunities to maximize the Firm’s presence and investment.
Collaborate closely with the CDE Events, Communications and Graphics teams, providing strategic direction and practice-specific context to support invitations, audience development, attendee communications, event materials, and other elements of successful event delivery.
Lead the business development activation surrounding events, including pre-event partner preparation, post-event follow-up plans, CRM capture of engagement, and tracking of resulting opportunities and relationship activity.
Manage event and sponsorship budgets from a business development perspective, ensuring investments align with practice priorities, Firm policies and approval requirements, and providing clear recommendations and timely budget updates to partners and Firm leadership.
Assess CDE workflows supporting the Funds practices, including events, pitch and proposal production, directory submissions, experience management, CRM data, and marketing communications—to identify inefficiencies, gaps, and improvement opportunities.
Design and implement standardized processes, templates, playbooks, and checklists that improve consistency, quality, and turnaround time.
Lead process and tool implementations from planning through rollout, including defining scope and timelines, assigning owners, managing change, delivering training, and driving adoption.
Partner with Technology, Knowledge Management, and other operational teams on enhancements to CRM, experience databases, event management tools, and related systems, including requirements gathering and testing.
Establish metrics and reporting to assess the effectiveness of processes, events, and initiatives; document procedures; and share best practices across the broader CDE organization to drive continuous improvement and innovation.
Develop, manage, and monitor the annual client development and events budget for the Funds practices, including forecasting, tracking actual spend, and reporting variances to practice leadership.
Build and maintain trusted relationships with practice leaders, partners, and senior attorneys, serving as their primary CDE point of contact and a central coordinator across Registered Funds, Private Funds, Fund Transactions, and Sponsor Advisory.
Partner with colleagues in Communications, Events, Finance, Knowledge Management, Technology, and other Firm departments on Firm-wide projects and cohesive, high-impact initiatives.
Exercise discretion and prioritization in managing competing stakeholder demands, setting clear expectations, resolving cross-team issues, and keeping senior partners informed of status, trade-offs, and results.
In partnership with Strategic Intelligence colleagues, oversee research and analysis related to clients, prospects, competitors, and industry trends affecting sponsors, fund managers, and regulated fund markets.
Translate complex market, competitor, and regulatory developments into synthesized, actionable insights, reports, strategic recommendations, event themes, and content for partners and practice leadership.
Supervise, manage, mentor, and develop CDE team members supporting the Funds and Registered Funds practices, fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Set clear expectations, assign and prioritize work, review work product, and support team members’ professional growth and engagement.
As a member of the CDE leadership team, model senior-level judgment, accountability, innovation, and effective partnership with attorneys, senior colleagues, and internal stakeholders.

Requirements

Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated experience in a law firm environment, preferably in a business development role supporting Registered Funds practices, working directly with Partners
Possess a solid foundation of market trends impacting Registered Funds
Strong project management and organizational skills, with a proven ability to prioritize and balance competing demands in a fast-paced environment
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively present information
Proven ability to collaborate with a diverse team across multiple seniority levels and departments
Strong, independent decision-making skills, with the capacity to interpret policies and counsel staff effectively
Excellent relationship building skills, maintaining a high level of customer service, diplomacy, and discretion
Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality work in a rigorous and competitive setting
Strong analytical skills, capable of developing creative solutions to complex problems
Deep business acumen and organizational awareness
Exceptional attention to detail and flexibility to adapt to varying work situations
10+ years of experience at a leading law firm
Previous experience as a practicing lawyer in a Registered Funds related role is highly desirable
In-depth knowledge of the firm’s substantive practice areas, particularly in Registered Funds
Experience with proposal generation systems or desktop publishing is a plus

Skills

Client Development
Business Development
Marketing
Events Management
Communications
Pitch Deck Creation
Client Acquisition
Event Strategy
Process Improvement
Budget Management
Market Research
Competitive Analysis
Strategic Planning
Relationship Management
Project Management
Organizational Skills
Verbal Communication
Written Communication
Collaboration
Decision-Making
Analytical Skills
Business Acumen
Attention to Detail
Flexibility
Proposal Generation
Desktop Publishing

Location

New York

Work Type

Hybrid

Experience Level

Associate Director
Senior Level

Education Level

Bachelor's degree
J.D. (Preferred)

Salary/Compensations

$250,000 to $300,000

Benefits

Exempt status (not overtime pay eligible)
Will not sponsor work visas

About the Company

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is one of the world’s leading international law firms, established in 1884 with approximately 2,000 lawyers.
Headquartered in New York with offices globally, the Firm provides coordinated legal advice and transactional capability to clients around the globe.
Simpson Thacher serves as counsel and trusted adviser to the world’s most successful and innovative sponsors.
The Client Development & Engagement (CDE) function sits at the heart of the Firm’s growth strategy, bringing together business development, marketing, events and communications.

Equal Opportunity

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is committed to a collegial work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.
The Firm prohibits discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, marital or partnership status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status or any other legally protected status.
This Policy pertains to every aspect of an individual’s relationship with the Firm, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, training and development, promotion, transfer, discipline, termination, and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment.