Business Development Manager - Litigation & Investigations

We have an exciting opportunity for a Business Development Manager - Litigation & Investigations to join our Marketing team, based in A&O Shearman’s London Office.
Marketing team – London
Our Marketing team helps the firm win and grow the right clients and work. We drive client development across the firm - deepening priority relationships, increasing share of wallet and converting strategic opportunities into profitable revenue. Alongside this, we strengthen the firm’s market profile and reputation to support client acquisition, retention, and growth. We work as one integrated global team, aligning central support and expertise with local knowledge and execution to maximise impact across offices, practice groups, sectors and client programs.
You will support day-to-day business development for the London Litigation & Investigations (L&I) practice by converting strategy into tactical plans and delivering them in an efficient, disciplined and collaborative way. You will provide both reactive and proactive support to lawyers and the business to help pursue growth opportunities, including pitches, events, directories, campaigns and thought leadership, and internal and external profile-raising activities. You will play a key role in helping the L&I group achieve its goals and will be a central member of the wider disputes business development team.
Strategic planning and execution
Use your understanding of the L&I practice and how it relates to the wider firm and market to identify and pursue new BD opportunities.
Monitor market and client news, and feed intelligence into marketing activities.
Manage client events from start to finish, including logistics and promotion. Manage thought leadership publications and campaigns, working with partners, knowledge lawyers and the central content team to ensure that our content reaches the right audiences through the most effective channels.
Develop and enhance standard pitch content for the L&I practice to improve the quality of our pitching collateral. Maintain pipeline hygiene and data completeness.
Client development
Support partners, associates and BD colleagues in the management of strategic client relationships and coordinate client targeting efforts. Work with the central client relationship management (CRM) team on specific client activities, including secondee debriefs, client presentations, training and hospitality.
Support client listening exercises, including preparing briefing materials, participating in client interviews where appropriate alongside the Senior BD Manager, capturing feedback accurately and coordinating follow-up actions, while building your skills through training and experience.
Deliver BD training to the L&I associates and work with them on their individual BD plans.
Use approved marketing function AI tools, including the function’s agents for designated tasks, in line with the firm’s AI usage policy.
Work closely with marketing and BD colleagues across regions, practices, sectors and central teams.
share ideas and help embed new ways of working. Proven experience executing business development activities in professional services. Clear, persuasive writing with a focus on client needs.
Strong relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work across teams and at all levels of seniority. Intellectual curiosity about market trends and client needs, combined with a proactive instinct to shape business development activities in line with these insights.
Comfortable with data and research; confident using client data management systems (e.g., Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.
We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing an onsite gym, wellbeing centre and GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, holiday entitlement increasing with length of service, holiday trading, season ticket loans and online discounts and lifestyle management services.
Our approach to hybrid working seeks to combine and maximise the benefits of effective remote working with the benefits of being in the office. Our current hybrid working arrangements require office based working for a minimum of 60% of your time ( i.e. three days per week for a full time role) in accordance with our hybrid working policy.
NO AGENCIES PLEASE - A&O Shearman does not accept unsolicited CVs. For further information, please see our UK Recruitment Agency Policy and our commitment to direct sourcing here .
#A&O Shearman is a global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in nearly 30 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.