Kathleen Pearson, Sphr Email and Phone Number

I oversee the strategies for all McDermott’s people-related functions, including talent acquisition and management, employee relations, training and development, compensation and benefits. With more than 20 years of experience in human capital management, I have held leadership roles across the legal industry, and specialize in building resilient, diverse teams that are empowered to adapt, innovate and navigate any situation.

As Chief Human Resources Officer, I provided strategic leadership for a global law firm with 21 locations and over 1400 partners and employees. Specific areas of expertise include talent acquisition & management, change management, organizational development, performance management, employee relations, benefit administration and compensation strategy. In addition to overseeing all people-related functions for the firm, serve as a member of Pillsbury’s Executive Committee, the firm’s leadership body that establishes business and operational priorities and sets policies in conjunction with Pillsbury’s Management Board.

Pillsbury’s global operations center in Nashville, TN, houses the firm's global operations staff, including chief officers, staff attorneys, IT, human resources, conflicts, document production, finance and accounting, as well as significant portions of the marketing department. I joined the firm in 2012 to help open and direct the new operations center. Highlights include:• Talent Acquisition – By working closely with a dedicated recruiting team, we successfully sourced over 6,000 candidates and hired the majority of our new staff within 9 months. • Culture Development – Led the development of our Operation Center Guiding Principles, which serve as the building blocks for the culture of our new office. These principles are aligned with our firm vision and strategic plan to ensure seamless integration with the overall culture of the firm. As a result of this effort, our employees voted Pillsbury one of Middle Tennessee’s Top Workplaces in 2013 and 2014 .• Space Planning – Planned, organized and managed Pillsbury’s move to office space in Nashville. This included working closely with the architect to design an innovative, collaborative office space that maximizes efficiencies while ensuring an inviting environment.• Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity – Developed disaster recovery and business continuity plans for our operations center to maintain 24/7 service for attorney and staff clients.

As Director of Professional Recruiting, I directed all professional talent acquisition strategies, including senior administrative staff, partners, associates, contract attorneys, staff attorneys and paralegals. I was responsible for creating the firm’s recruiting budget, managing vendor contracts, maintaining relationships with law schools and representing the firm at events within the community.After examining the traditional student recruiting model and determining it is ultimately broken, I designed and implemented a ground breaking apprenticeship program that focused on training students in their third year of law school.* Member of the firm's Diversity Committee* Member of the firm's Women's Initiative

As Business Development Manager, I managed all business development activities for the Litigation Practice Group, which included more than 130 attorneys throughout the firm’s 10-office Southeastern footprint.

Client Targeting – Worked with corporate restructuring, labor and employment, real estate, regulatory and litigation practice groups on their annual marketing plans to solidify existing client relationships, target new clients and cross-sell with other practice groups within the Client Research – Researched companies and industries for targeted marketing strategies defined in practice group annual plans. I also analyzed internal financial data to monitor current client trends and increase cross-selling within the practice areas.Responses to Requests for Proposals – Worked on five national, multi-practice area RFPs in which we successfully won new business resulting in more than $5 million in revenue.Member, Legal Marketing Association.