Jessica Buchsbaum has extensive experience, serving as Bilzin Sumberg’s Chief Legal Talent Officer since 2002. Her responsibilities include the development and implementation of firm-wide recruiting strategies and initiatives such as behavioral based interviewing programs and competitive compensation and benefits packages.
Additionally, Jessica leads the Firm’s Summer Associate Recruiting Program, which includes coordinating on-campus interviews across the country, evaluating potential candidates and preparing offer recommendations. She annually designs a multi-week summer associate curriculum for students from some of the nation’s top law schools. Responsibilities of designing the program include identifying and securing opportunities for summer associates to shadow attorneys, serving as Chief Editor of the Summer Associates Blog and developing training programs such as seminars and mock transactions.
Jessica also creates and implements Bilzin Sumberg’s professional development strategies and initiatives for the firm’s associates, designing them to improve associate satisfaction, performance and retention through the identification of basic skills necessary for success; development of meaningful training programs; establishment of mentoring initiatives that encourage integration of associates and ongoing feedback and guidance; and regular evaluations of projects. Jessica was also responsible for designing and implementing an integrated competency approach to associate performance evaluation and compensation, professional development training and recruitment. Jessica is regularly involved in the selection of partner retreat topics, consultants and venues.
She also works closely with the Firm’s Culture Committee on its Diversity Initiative. Her responsibilities include participating in outreach events to minority law student associations, hosting and preparing networking events for minority lawyers and speaking to at-risk high schools, focusing on the benefits of professional development and practicing law. Additionally, she is responsible for Bilzin Sumberg’s participation in the NALP/Street Law Diversity Program since 2009.