Marjorie A. McFarlane Lucas

Marjorie A. McFarlane Lucas is the firm’s Director of Lateral Legal Recruiting. Ms. McFarlane Lucas loves what she does. Her passion and main objective is to incorporate best practices and programs that make law firms better places to work for all people. She is responsible for the strategic growth of our practice areas and geographic locations through the acquisition and retention of elite legal professionals. She manages all aspects of our firmwide partner recruitment process, including aligning partner recruiting strategies with the firm’s strategic plan across all 10 offices. Ms. McFarlane Lucas is well-versed in leadership and client development, diversity and inclusion and mentoring and coaching to advance the careers of our attorneys. She is adept at helping decision makers address both short and long-term needs, assessing cultural fit, and aligning hiring with department strategies and goals. Ms. McFarlane Lucas works closely with the firm’s CEO, management committee, and department leadership teams to drive strategic growth initiatives in multiple geographic markets. She also works with the Diversity & Inclusion Council to help advance the firm’s D&I efforts.

After attending several gifted and talented programs as a high school student, Ms. McFarlane Lucas was taken under the wing of an attorney mentor at Columbia Law School. Her mentor believed in her and thought that her intellect and outgoing personality would blossom in the legal space. She then served as both a law clerk and paralegal at Am Law 100 firms in New York City. However, instead of heading to law school, she followed her passion for people, spending over 20 years building strategic, productive and profitable legal teams at law firms and corporations in some of the most challenging legal markets around the world.

Prior to joining Fennemore, Ms. McFarlane Lucas was the Regional Recruiting Manager at a global law firm where she managed all aspects of the recruitment process, including summer, entry level, and lateral associates, and partner recruiting. Ms. McFarlane Lucas also handled diversity and inclusion initiatives including proposing and successfully installing Juneteenth as an observed firmwide holiday. Ms. McFarlane Lucas also was the Senior Vice President of Client Services and Vice President, Head of National Recruitment at a national full-service alternative legal services provider that focuses on project staffing, temporary attorney engagements, managed review services and e-discovery.

Outside of work, Ms. McFarlane Lucas enjoys life by volunteering, developing her artistic eye in photography, and traveling the globe. An avid runner, she completed her first marathon during quarantine in 2020. Her essentials include lots of coffee, wine in moderation, music, classic movies, and surrounding herself with her family and friends.

• M.P.S., Cornell University, ILR School
• B.A., Chatham University
• Certificate, Peace and Justice Institute Tufts University

• Interview, “With Growth it’s About Making Key Business Decisions for Both the Firm and Our Client Needs,” Fennemore Blog, February 16, 2023
• Interview, “What Makes Fennemore Attorneys Different?” Fennemore Blog, July 1, 2021
• Interview, “Fenn.Talks: Resume Writing Tips – How to Stand Out in the Crowd: Featuring Marjorie McFarlane Lucas,” Fenn.Talks Podcast,  July 1, 2021
• Author, “Twelve Critical Lessons From 2020,” LinkedIn, December 31, 2020
• Presenter, “Tackling Career Search Pitfalls For Young Diverse Attorneys,” New York City Bar Association
• Moderator, “Time Management, Stress Management And Work-Life Balance,” The New York State Bar Association
• Speaker, “Co-Creating Courageous And Compassionate Communities,” The Fire Department of New York’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Annual Women to Women Summit, May, 2019
• Quoted, “Panel Explores Careers Combining Life Sciences  And Business,” Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Alumni Newsletter, June, 2018

• Member, NALP
• Member, NYCRA
• Member, Corporate Counsel Women of Color
• Member, Minority Corporate Counsel Association
• Member, Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF)
• Member, The Masters Conference
• Member, Ivy Referral Network
• Member, LegalTech
• Past Board Member, The New York City Paralegal Association, Inc.
• Past Board Member, The Urban League of Southern Connecticut Young Professionals
• Past Member, Women in eDiscovery
• Past Member, New York Women’s Agenda
• Past Member, Associates Committee, Sanctuary for Families
• Past Member, Women at Risk

• *Not licensed to the practice of law