Fenwick & West

Business Development Specialist - Startup

Fenwick & West$84K — $120K *
Business Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in business development or related field
  • Bachelor's degree required
  • Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills
  • Strong organizational skills to manage multiple projects and deadlines
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)
  • High attention to detail with a professional demeanor
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively with a proactive mindset

Responsibilities

  • Assist in drafting and coordinating client pitches and proposals
  • Develop and maintain impactful marketing content and experience summaries
  • Manage the lifecycle of client alerts, newsletters, and other content
  • Coordinate rankings submissions and collaborate on promotional materials
  • Track client wins and participation in events for reporting
  • Support strategic initiatives to achieve business development goals
  • Organize event data to identify cross-selling opportunities

Benefits

  • Comprehensive healthcare benefits
  • Life insurance coverage
  • Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Wellbeing programs for physical and emotional health
  • Hybrid work arrangement fostering work-life balance
Full Job Description
Job Description Summary:
Fenwick is seeking a creative, detail-oriented and collaborative Business Development Specialist to join our Marketing and Business Development team, supporting our nationally recognized Startup and Emerging Companies Practice.

We're not your typical law firm - and our clients aren't typical either. From startup disruptors to Fortune 100 companies, we partner with the world's most innovative tech and life sciences businesses, helping them navigate every part of the lifecycle. Our startup attorneys are business advisors as much as they are lawyers, and this role supports their efforts to win new work, stay visible in the market, and drive strategic growth.

As a Business Development Specialist, you'll play a key role in helping shape the group's external presence, supporting pitches and proposals, developing impactful content, and coordinating high-value profile-raising activities. You'll work with lawyers across the startup group and collaborate with a high-performing marketing and BD team that values creativity, initiative, and follow-through.

This position can be based in our New York (NY), Boston (MA), Santa Monica (CA), San Francisco (CA), or Seattle (WA) office locations and offers a hybrid work arrangement, allowing you to work both from home and at your designated Fenwick office. The frequency of in-office work will be determined by business needs and guided by your department's directives.

Job Description:

Pitch and Proposal Support
  • Assist with drafting, formatting, and coordinating client pitches, proposals, and panel submissions in collaboration with BD leadership.
  • Help develop and maintain marketing content, including representative matters, experience summaries, and practice descriptions.
  • Data entry of pre and post pitch activities to our CRM database.


Content Development and Thought Leadership
  • Assist with managing the full lifecycle of client alerts, newsletters, and other group-related content.
  • Support the planning and execution of webinars, CLEs, panels, and client-facing events.
  • Coordinate with PR and Communications teams on external promotion and coverage.


Rankings, Directories, and Awards
  • Coordinate the submission process for key rankings such as Chambers, Legal 500, and other directories.
  • Collaborate with attorneys and Communications to prepare materials, coordinate interviews, and ensure timelines are met.
  • Assist with tracking outcomes and in building a long-term rankings strategy.


Experience Management and Practice Support
  • Assist in tracking and updating representative experience for use in pitches, rankings, and practice materials.
  • Support the collection of client wins, speaking engagements, and major initiatives for internal and external reporting.


Events and Contact Intelligence
  • Assist in tracking and maintaining information on client and prospect participation in firm events, conferences, and external industry gatherings.
  • Help capture and organize contact intelligence - including client relationships, touchpoints, and engagement activity - in the firm's CRM and analytics tools.
  • Partner with BD and Marketing team members to use event data and contact insights to identify cross-selling and client expansion opportunities.
  • Support post-event follow-up efforts, including attendee summaries, outreach lists, and impact tracking.


Strategic Initiatives and Practice Growth
  • Collaborate with BD Managers to help implement the group's strategic business development goals.
  • Help prepare client development briefings, target lists, and competitor research as needed.


Desired Skills and Qualifications:
  • Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
  • Strong organizational skills, with the ability to work on multiple projects and deadlines.
  • A proactive, collaborative mindset and the ability to work independently.
  • Strong attention to detail and a high standard for accuracy and professionalism.
  • Possess a general understanding of marketing databases.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook).
  • Possess a high degree of self-direction, tact, diplomacy, and a clear, courteous and professional manner when dealing with business professionals.


Reporting to the Sr. Business Development Manager for Emerging Companies, the ideal candidate will have 5+ years of experience in a business development capacity. Bachelor's degree required.

Benefits and Compensation Details:

At Fenwick, we believe that our partners and employees are our most important asset. Helping you and your families achieve and maintain good health - physical, emotional, and financial - is the reason we offer a comprehensive benefit program. We provide benefits to eligible employees under plans such as Healthcare, Life Insurance, Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Wellbeing. Except as otherwise required by law, temporary employees are generally not entitled to these benefits.

The anticipated range for this position is:
$84,000 - $120,000

Depending on the role, the actual base salary offered may depend upon a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

A discretionary bonus for eligible employees may also be available based on performance. Additional information about employee eligibility for benefits and discretionary bonus will be made available upon request.

About Fenwick & West

Fenwick & West is a law firm that provides comprehensive legal services to technology and life sciences clients of national and international prominence. The firm is headquartered in Mountain View, California and has additional offices in San Francisco, Seattle, and Shanghai. Fenwick & West has been recognized as one of the top law firms in the United States for technology and life sciences companies and has a reputation for providing high-quality legal services and innovative solutions to its clients.
Learn more about Fenwick & West
Size
500 employees
Industry
Net Income
$50 million
Founded
1972
5 Year Trend
+20%
Revenue
$350 million
NASDAQ

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