Attorney Career Development Practice Manager

New York, NY, Bay Area, CA, Santa Monica, CA or Seattle, WA

Summary

The Attorney Career Development Practice Manager is responsible for providing a combination of technical, analytical and operational support to the Practice Management department. This professional is a self-starter and strategic thinker who can work with all levels of firm management. The Attorney Career Development Practice Manager will play an active role in the development and implementation of key practice group initiatives and play an integral role in the retention and development of our associates through workflow management. This position can be based in any of our California offices, Seattle (WA) office or New York office. 

Responsibilities

Attorney Development and Workload Support

• Manage work allocation and utilization within the free market workflow system using technology/systems.
• Support partners and associates to navigate the free market workflow system and assist with staffing matters as needed.
• Serve as a knowledgeable and trusted resource of on-the-ground practice activity levels and associate bandwidth.
• Evaluate practice group needs on an ongoing basis, identify gaps in associate resources and support recruiting team efforts.
• Collaborate with our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) experts and practice group leaders to further the firm’s and our practice groups’ DEI goals through work allocation and opportunities.
• Manage orientation and integration support for lateral and junior associates.
• Serve as a first point of contact for associates on workflow and time management.
• Work with partners and Legal Training teams to plan and conduct formal training programs for attorneys.
• Work with the Legal Personnel team to support the evaluation and associate development process.

Management and Reporting

• Manage general daily administration and business operations of the Practice Management department.
• Partner with peer departments on various strategic practice group projects, including implementing process improvements to increase efficiencies across practice and firm operations.
• Collaborate with Practice Management colleagues to develop practice group business strategies; oversee execution of and progress on practice group strategic initiatives; ensure that practice initiatives are in line with the firm’s goals and objectives of the strategic plan and the firm’s strategic plan.
• In collaboration with the Finance department, review and analyze utilization and profitability reports and other key performance indicators and update Practice Management team on significant performance markers, highlighting potential issues.
• Conduct routine analyses of practice group financial reports and metrics.

Operational Support

• Provide operational support to Practice Management team and partner leads as needed.
• Develop substantive agendas and presentations for practice group, subgroup meetings and other industry meetings. 

Desired Skills & Qualifications

• Sound judgment and extreme discretion with respect to confidential and sensitive information.
• Strong emotional intelligence, ability to influence and guide others, and able to provide quality and efficient client service (to both internal and external clients) in a fast-paced industry.
• Awareness and understanding of business improvement processes and best practices.
• Strong interpersonal skills, service mentality and ability to build relationships.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong data analytics skills to assess a range of metrics and presents data in an effective manner.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize work in a dynamic and complex environment to meet deadlines and daily requirements.
• Proficiency in MS Office and the ability to quickly learn and utilize additional software.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Practice Management, the qualified candidate will preferably have 3+ years of law firm or other professional services experience. Experience in practice management/staffing support a plus. Bachelor’s degree required; JD or MBA a plus.