Legal Project Manager

New York, NY

Summary

The Legal Project Manager (“the Manager”) will be responsible for working alongside Litigation legal matter teams, including the partners, to provide project management, staffing, profitability and communications support, strategically and operationally. The role will be charged with helping to implement significant changes by focusing on client service, the delivery of legal services and process innovation, efficiencies, and the overall profitability of Litigation matters.

The role will focus on efficiency, process, budget and profitability improvements, helping the matter teams to better leverage people, processes and where applicable, technology, in order to more effectively manage the firm’s Litigation legal matters.

This role will be a part of creating a formalized global Legal Project Management (”LPM”) function at the Firm.

Responsibilities

• Use proven project management knowledge, technical knowledge, and experience to plan, lead and coordinate deliverables through written communications (including workstream trackers and budgets), team meetings and regular communications with the lead partner(s), other legal matter team members and clients about the progress of matters. Specifically the Manager should count on heavy involvement in the following areas on all matters to which they are staffed to assist in a LPM capacity:
  • Scoping and budgeting including the creation, management and monitoring of budgets, alternative fee arrangements and profitability, with assistance from and in close collaboration with, the Firm’s Financial Reporting team and Litigation Practice Development Lawyer
  • Staffing and communications
  • Ensuring the integrity and usefulness, from a data harnessing perspective, of time entries being recorded to the matter in addition to compliance with client requirements for time entries
  • Service delivery for the client
  • Task management and traditional project management
  • Closure and feedback on performance
  • Key learnings, to be used to help on improving future matters
  • Gather client satisfaction information and data
• Act as an internal consultant by focusing on continuous improvement projects, gathering learnings, analysis and know how that relate to processes and project management, refining processes and implementing change, and advising on innovative use of technology for
• Act as the subject matter expert on a range of topics including processes, project planning, scoping, fee estimating and budget preparation, fee and scope management and status reporting.
• Develop budgeting materials and budgeting and project management templates to be used widely for managing active matters, incoming matters and to be used in business development (i.e., pitch materials). Collaborate with other professionals, including the PDL and the Firm’s Financial Reporting team, to develop and leverage these materials.
• Keep the Litigation PDL apprised as needed to ensure the Manager and Litigation PDL both know the upcoming stage(s) and needs of a matter and can support the matter team with more/less support in the form of LPM as well as KM.
• Provide for legal project management training needs as appropriate (including intranet materials, occasional departmental sessions, delivering training and partner coaching).

Qualifications

• JD degree a plus with experience practicing as a lawyer or a minimum of 3 years of legal project management or practice management at a law firm.
• Strong familiarity with complex organizations like law firms and the interplay amongst fee earners, staff, and processes, and how to effect change in complex organizations
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Agile with technology generally and open to continuous learning about technology with an eye towards implementing it for matter management.
• Project management certification or training preferred.
• High-impact written and verbal communication skills; comfortable commanding a room (literal or virtual) in order to drive project success.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively and collaboratively with global
• Being willing and able to cover a wide range and level of tasks – from thinking strategically to troubleshooting detail where needed.
• Able to focus on collaborative working and on internal
• Creative and pioneering thinking; being able to spot issues and implement
• Poise and patience under pressure; ability to multi-
• Superb time management, judgment, decision-making and problem solving
• Strong desire to collaborate closely with diverse colleagues across offices and departments to grow the LPM function.

Compensation

The base salary for this position is $140,000 to $150,000. Actual pay is determined based on a number of job-related factors, including skills, education, training, credentials, experience, scope and complexity of role responsibilities, geographic location and performance.

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