Manager/Senior Manager - Business Development - Law Firm

Manager/ Senior Manager - Business Development Role

Location: Bengaluru

Reporting to: Director Client Strategy

Coverage: South India

About the Firm:

Khaitan & Co is one of India's oldest and full-service law firms comprising over 800 fee earners and consultants including 350+ partners and directors. The Firm was founded in 1911 by Debi Prasad Khaitan, a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and one of the 7 members of the Drafting Committee which framed the Constitution of India. Khaitan & Co has offices in Kolkata (founded in 1911), New Delhi (started operations in 1970), Bengaluru (1994), Mumbai (2001), Chennai (2021) and Singapore (2021).

The key practice areas are Banking & Finance, Capital markets, Competition Law, Corporate/M&A, Dispute Resolution, Energy, Hospitality, Infrastructure & Resources, Environment, Intellectual Property, Funds, Labour & Employment, Private Client and Trusts, Private Equity, Real Estate, Taxation, Technology, Media & Telecom, White Collar Crime.

Focus of the role:

The focus of this role is to support client-facing business development and market coverage for South India, in close coordination with the Director Client Strategy, partners and practice teams.

• Support outward-facing engagement with clients and target accounts / investment funds by building working relationships with senior stakeholders (CFOs, Tax Heads, GCs, Company Secretaries and business leaders).
• Prepare partner-ready market intelligence and client/account research to guide outreach, prioritisation and follow-through.
• Support insight-led engagement initiatives that elevate Khaitans visibility with decision-makers.

Responsibilities:

The incumbent will primarily support business development and client strategy initiatives for Southern India. The role will be client-facing and will also support the Director Client Strategy in market coverage, account planning and coordinated execution. As such, he / she will be expected to:

Business Development:

• Support identification and development of opportunities with priority clients and target accounts, including engagement with senior decision-makers (CFOs, Tax Heads, General Counsel, CS and business leaders).
• Build and maintain long-term, trust-based relationships with clients and target accounts, strengthening the Firms share-of-mind across all practise areas.
• Conduct account and market research to identify client triggers (regulatory/tax changes, enforcement trends, corporate actions, fundraising/M&A activity) and translate insights into actionable BD inputs.
• Support execution of go-to-market initiatives across sectors, in collaboration with partners, practice teams etc.
• Plan and coordinate client meetings and partner engagement. Ensure disciplined follow-through with help of the in-house research support team.
• Support / coordinate proposals, pitches and RFP responses.
• Maintain a structured opportunity pipeline and report progress; ensure strong CRM hygiene and pursuit governance.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to support BD processes (account planning, pursuit playbooks, proposal repositories, win/loss learning) and improve outreach effectiveness.
• Work closely with the Director Client Strategy to align BD activity with practice priorities and the Firms strategic objectives and support coordinated execution of GTM initiatives.

Client Retention:

• Support the Firms client pursuit and relationship-management processes, helping structure outreach and engagement in a consistent, measurable way (account plans, touchpoint cadence, CRM discipline, feedback loops).
• Help deepen existing relationships by identifying whitespace, cross-sell opportunities, anticipating needs, and proactively curating relevant updates/insights for key stakeholders.
• Support partners and practice teams in positioning new or expanded services to existing clients.

Business Development Planning:

• Support development and maintenance of practise / sector-level BD plans for the region (priority accounts, target stakeholder map, engagement cadence and pursuit themes) aligned to Firm priorities.
• Analyse and provide feedback and information on market trends and competitors moves.
• Track business trends and client developments with a view to supporting cohesive approaches that can increase market share.
• Support CRM and pipeline governance across Southern India (Indian business houses and India subsidiaries of MNCs): account plans, activity tracking, opportunity stages and periodic reporting dashboards for the Management Team.
• Coordinate targeted client-engagement / profile-building initiatives for key decision-makers (e.g., invite-only CXO roundtables, curated client briefings, focused local engagements), in partnership with the Marketing & Communications team, ensuring each initiative is mapped to priority accounts and measured on BD outcomes (meetings, qualified opportunities, conversions).
• Prepare partner-ready market intelligenceclient triggers, regulatory/tax developments, deal and corporate action tracking, and competitor activitytranslated into actionable outreach and pursuit recommendations.
• Support the leadership in running a disciplined pursuit review rhythm (what to prioritise, who to engage, next steps and conversion blockers) and support forecasting / visibility.

Education & Competencies:

Education: MBA preferred; strong undergraduate credentials may also be considered.

Experience: 5-10 years in client development / BD / strategy / research roles within professional services (law firm / Big4 / consulting / advisory) or relevant corporate environments.

BD orientation: Demonstrated ability to support client outreach, meeting preparation, proposals, follow-ups and pipeline management.

Sector & industry understanding: Good grasp of broad sector dynamics and business drivers, with the ability to translate industry context into relevant advisory conversations and BD themes.

Client-facing maturity: Comfortable engaging with CFOs, GCs, Tax Heads, Company Secretaries and business leaders, with confidence and discretion.

• Ability to identify, qualify and prioritise opportunities and support disciplined pursuits with partners and the Director Client Strategy.
• Strong capability to translate market/regulatory/deal signals into actionable outreach themes.
• Excellent written/verbal communication and strong coordination skills.
• Influences without authority; self-starter comfortable operating with a lean team and supporting multiple stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of regional industrial hubs and business ecosystem.