Practice Area/Department Business Development and Marketing PQE Level N/A Description Travers Smith is a leading full-service law firm, with a wealth of experience in its areas of specialisation. The firm has a market-leading reputation for its international expertise in Asset Management, M&A and Dispute Resolution & Investigations. Clients include asset managers across the alternative asset classes (private equity, venture, credit, infrastructure and real estate), publicly listed and private companies, financial institutions, and other business enterprises involved in large and complex UK and cross-border matters, transactions and disputes. Our purpose is to provide the highest quality of service to our clients whilst enabling our people to achieve professional fulfilment in a supportive, inclusive and enjoyable working environment.
Department
The Business Development, Clients, Marketing, Events and Communications team consists of 33 people who focus on increasing the profile of the firm and the brand through a variety of channels to create leads and opportunities that can increase profitable revenues. The department is at the forefront of several key strategic firmwide initiatives. Priding itself on achieving strategic aims while ensuring a collaborative, inclusive and rewarding team dynamic.
The International Board
Most of our clients work globally - so do we. We ensure access to our close alliance of leading independent law firms across the globe, carefully chosen because they share our specialist strengths and very demanding quality standards.
Whilst all Travers Smith partners are regularly involved in international matters, our dedicated International Board ("IB") has overall responsibility for our international strategy. This includes undertaking periodic reviews of our key relationships with overseas firms to ensure they are delivering what we need them to and developing new ones.
The overseas offices of most law firms lack strength and depth relative to the local leading independent firms: we are confident our model provides a superior client service. We have built excellent relationships with hand-picked, high-quality, independent law firms across the world. This approach gives us the flexibility to work with the best lawyers in each location to guarantee a first-class service on any matter and with immediate access to global resources.
The Role
Reporting to the Head of Client Relationships and Solutions and working closely with the Head of International and his Executive Assistant, the Senior International Relationship Manager is responsible for supporting the International Board with the implementation of the firm's international strategy, relationships with other law firms, business development plans and marketing activities. The role is both strategic and operational, focused on executing the international plan and delivering an overall first-class service to the partnership.
The key characteristics aligned with this role include: Commercial Thinking - Demonstrate commercial value and understanding of the legal market when liaising with law firms in other jurisdictions. Communication - Communicate effectively with law firms and stakeholders, manage expectations, provide updates on deliverables, and support collaboration with Travers Smith. Emotional Intelligence - Confidently engage with senior leadership at other law firms, both in person and via MS Teams. Teamwork - Work collaboratively across the firm, leveraging individual strengths, sharing knowledge, motivating others, and driving improvements to meet deadlines and deliver high-quality results.
Key Responsibilities
Business Planning and Business Development Working with the International Board and senior stakeholders across the firm and the Executive Assistant to the Head of International, to assist with the creation and implementation of the international BD strategy and business plan Liaise with other law firms in our key jurisdictions and manage inbound and outbound referrals Collaborate with BD colleagues and the Executive Assistant to the Head of International to ensure that international business is a key component of all practice group business plans - including, where appropriate, tying in any country "desks" - e.g. the Lux desk Keep track of major BD successes and developments, new referral instructions and client matters and feed back to the International Board Use the financial dashboards for international relationship activity to track progress at individual relationship firm and country level Collaborate with the Pitch team and BD colleagues to ensure that any pitches, RFPs and proposals with an international element align with the strategic aims of the firm, including the choice of referral firm included in a pitch where appropriate Undertake ad hoc research on countries, market sectors, organisations and individuals to support business development initiatives
Reputation Building and Relationship Development with International Firms Work with the relevant Country Partners to raise the firm's profile in key jurisdictions and with key international 'best friend' firms through international trips, communications and regular newsletters, events and speaking opportunities and website/digital activity Conduct regular client listening with key relationship firms to collect feedback, identify new ways to collaborate and achieve greater alignment around client opportunities Oversee and support international secondments in line with the firm's approach to client secondments, including regular check-ins, prebriefs and debriefs
Budgets Propose and manage the annual International BD budgets, reviewing and analysing spend on a monthly basis and reporting back to the International Board Where possible, calculate ROI on events, international trips and major expenditure - e.g. the annual IBA event
Data and Systems Work with the Head of Client Relationships & Solutions, the Enterprise Data team and the Executive Assistant to the Head of International and the Central Finance team to ensure that the appropriate systems are in place to enable all appropriate data to be captured. Collate source of business information on all international referrals and analyse trends
Internal marketing Create regular reporting showcasing the firm's international strategy, work and credentials, to ensure that all partners and lawyers are fully aware of the firm's messaging and successes Create the content for dedicated pages on the firm's intranet ("the Hub"), for the IBA (including sub-groups and committees) and other major groups including USEN, AIJA etc. Produce and maintain cheat sheets for preferred international firms
Trips/meetings/events International Board: Attend and contribute to meetings of the International Board Attend and contribute to Departmental Representatives and Country Managers meetings Outbound trips: Working with the International Board and the Executive Assistant to the Head of International, plan 12/24 months in advance, a schedule of the international trips to be taken Coordinate the production of marketing materials Produce research packs (activity reports, cheat sheets, strategic plans) Manage the co-ordination of International Events with the Executive Assistant and the events team: International Secondment Programme(s) International Associate Drinks Annual IBA Conference New Year Dinner Dinners and other events for London offices of overseas firms Seminars and workshops on international matters New joiner process: Run the introduction to international workshop with new trainees (March + September) Present the introduction to international presentation to new lawyers
Key Stakeholders Head of Client Relationships and Solutions (line manager) Chief Marketing Officer Head of International International Board and Country Managers
Personal Specification - Experience, Knowledge & Skills
Experience 8+ years' experience working in a Business Development role in a professional services environment, preferably within a law firm Proven experience of managing client relationships within a professional services environment Commercially astute with a strong track record in growing existing and new business
Skills and attributes Advanced skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and CRM Understands macro-economic issues and applies insights to business development Strong, credible leader and trusted adviser Excellent communicator and presenter, able to influence at all levels Experience in managing and motivating teams (desirable) Resilient, able to manage demanding relationships Inspires teams with strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm Skilled at prioritising and meeting multiple deadlines Strategic, analytical, and commercially astute Proactively generates quality strategic ideas for growth Advises and influences partners, driving behavioural change Builds strong internal and external relationships Flexible, adaptable, and confident with ambiguity Acts as a change agent, driving and delivering positive change Strong listening and questioning skills to gather feedback
We are excited to be moving from our London headquarters in Snow Hill, to a brand-new building in the City - Stonecutter Court. The move is expected to take place in early 2026.
Diversity & Inclusion statement: We value and celebrate the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of every individual including differences in gender, ethnicity, disability, faith, and more. We're committed to building an inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of our clients and communities, where everyone feels empowered, respected, and heard. We actively partner with organisations and networks that champion equality and fairness, ensuring our policies and practices uphold these values.
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Support and Adjustments for candidates: We are committed to ensuring that people who are disabled or have a long-term condition are empowered in their identity, valued equally, and listened to. If we can adjust the recruitment process to make it more accessible, please let us know. For further information please visit our website:
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