Director of Legal Project Management

Director of Legal Project Management

Requirements

• Combination of strategic thinking and leadership, as well as the willingness and ability to participate directly when required.
• Committed to high standards of excellence and proven results.
• Proven track record in gaining trust and credibility and partnering collaboratively with leaders.
• Ability to relate to individuals at all levels, internally and externally and build productive relationships.
• Detailed understanding of the billing process with a detailed understanding of firm and client accounting systems, as well as billing and e-billing platforms.
• Sense of urgency, with the ability to prioritize and change priorities when necessary while remaining composed and providing strong leadership and guidance.
• Capable of identifying issues, developing creative and effective solutions, and resolving conflict through acceptable and practical business solutions.
• High level of energy and professionalism with well-developed interpersonal strengths.
• High level of discretion, diplomacy, and a commitment to maintaining the highest level of confidentiality.
• Ability to interact on a strategic level with business professional teams, attorneys, and other relevant professionals, both internal and external.
• Ability to work with individuals at all levels, internal and external, and build effective relationships.
• Ability to communicate ideas or positions in a professional manner, promoting teamwork and a commitment to outstanding customer service.
• High level of professionalism, sound business judgment, discretion, and diplomacy.
• Ability to multitask effectively and efficiently.
• Highly motivated, proactive, and collaborative.
• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline. Masters’ degree or JD preferred.
• Minimum of fifteen (15) years’ experience in progressively responsible in project or program management positions at an AmLaw 100 law firm or large corporate legal operations department.
• Minimum of ten (10) years’ people management experience.

Responsibilities

• Drive the strategy and business operations strategy around key client relationships, with a focus on large, institutional-scale clients and complex engagements.
• Effectively manage a team of project management staff to accomplish core functional responsibilities, such as financial and expense budget management, workload, and staffing management.
• Assess current services, needs, and issues related to the large clients operating under AFAs and strict counsel guidelines, as well as other areas of the firm where LPM may be beneficial, based on firm strategy.
• Document related firm processes and practices; drive increased awareness of and compliance with Outside Counsel Guidelines and other key information sources related to the client, focused on improving the billing and collections cycle and mitigating revenue loss and risk of non-compliance.
• Work with lead attorneys to identify and address staffing and support team needs and challenges for different engagements; identify operational tasks that can be removed from attorneys and timekeepers to allow for increased billings and improved operational efficiency.
• Successfully manage risk and meet client expectations, ensure effective budgeting and profitability, and support critical client relationships to enhance long-term viability.
• Create relevant and scalable LPM service templates, ensuring the ability to easily customize for various clients and projects.
• Collaborate with attorneys and firmwide administrative departments to identify organizational issues and solutions and advocate best practices to facilitate the development and implementation of Firm and LPM business objectives.
• Drive effective communication to and with legal teams on performance against budgets and profitability, supporting critical client relationships to enhance long-term viability.
• Identify and implement effective tracking mechanisms to show continued progress and returns.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters’ degree or JD preferred.