Legal Project Manager

Responsibilities

The Legal Project Manager will lead the process control of projects, managing project scopes, budgets, and timelines while delegating tasks to Legal Project Coordinators. They will also collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to implement legal technology and process improvements to enhance matter profitability and efficiency.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree and a formal project management qualification such as Prince 2 Practitioner. At least 4 years of experience in project management within a law firm or professional services environment is required.

Skills

• Project management
• Legal project management
• Budgeting
• Risk management
• Stakeholder management
• Pricing strategy
• Legal technology
• Process improvement
• Change management
• Data analysis
• Visualization tools
• Coaching
• Communication
• Relationship building
• Financial reporting
• Strategic planning

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401(k)
• Bonus eligible

About this role

DESCRIPTION & REQUIREMENTS

Role Purpose

Work alone or supporting Senior LPMs to secure, design and lead on the process control of projects. Delegate and manage work of the Legal Project Coordinators. Ensure successful delivery of tasks within both client- and internally-facing projects bringing solutions using established and new tools and processes.

Main responsibilities

* Manage multiple projects with competing deadlines
* Scope and manage specific client-facing projects
* Manage own case load and that of more junior legal project management resources on projects
* Liaise with the client and the Firm's client project team, as well as the Firm's specialist departments and offices worldwide, along with external stakeholders
* Use (and assist others in using) pricing tools and analyse the outputs, bringing in the Pricing Strategy Team as required.
* Support the Principal/Lead Associate in defining matter scope, track and manage changes
* Capture explicit and implicit client requirements/ preferences and design the project approach accordingly
* Identify, quantify, record and manage risks/issues in projects including mitigation strategies
* Prepare, manage and report on suitably-detailed project plans to internal and client matter teams
* Support whole-project budgeting, monitor and report on costs and fees on an ongoing basis both internally and externally
* Prepare internal and client status reports and provide timely updates to team leaders on potential risks/issues identified
* Support the matter review process for key matters and identify areas of improvement in practice area processes through discussions with fee earners
* Be creative, solve problems and improve on standard delivery solutions on a given project
* Identify future needs / opportunities for new service delivery and lead on analysis and design workshops
* Work with the Global LPM Leadership Team to define, enhance and integrate a single set of project management standards, processes, methodologies and tools to improve the efficiency of LPM
* Roll out improvements and solutions through individual attorney coaching and training sessions
* Work with internal stakeholders to secure and define LPM role on projects; move matter work into or out of LPM team where appropriate
* Assign priorities across large task lists, identify and communicate dependencies, and capture items in project timelines
* Disaggregate routine tasks and reassign by leveraging Alternative Legal Services and other non-traditional resourcing models on projects
* Clarify and communicate roles and responsibilities of the project team and all internal/external stakeholders
* Actively contribute to the Firm’s Innovation and LegalTech strategy and localize and leverage these on projects, finding ways to encourage team uptake
* Become a subject matter expert on given tech and standardized processes: evangelize, advise, train, apply to projects and support refinement
* Lead portions of LPM training for internal audiences
* Design end-to-end, matter specific portals for small to medium projects
* Integrate with allocated practice areas/ service lines; become comfortable with legal concepts / terminology / principles
* Strengthen network of professional colleagues across the range of PBS (including Knowledge Management, Business Development, Finance, and IT), and legal teams, carving out a role for LPM on new projects
* Build strong client relationships both with client in-house lawyers and Legal Ops professionals; contribute to business development opportunities by leveraging this client knowledge
* Offering PM expertise to non-LPM initiatives  

Travel requirements

This role requires some regional and some global travel driven by client requirements and other internal and external events related to the Professional Business Services function.

Team Purpose

Actively support the project management of strategic matters and portfolios of matters to improve quality, profitability, speed, tractability, and transparency with an emphasis on repeatability, scalability, and pace. Drive through the same benefits to matters that are not actively staffed with LPMs, assisting with infusing project management discipline through consultations, trainings, templates, workflows, checklists, and automation. Remain agile in bringing appropriate focus on localisation, technology and process improvement. The core teams within Services are:

* Business Management
* Legal Operations
* Pricing Strategy
* Legal Project Management
* Global eDiscovery and Data Advisory
* Service Design
* Alternative Legal Services

You will report to: Associate Director, LPM Americas

Key relationships

* Associate Director, LPM Americas
* Associate Director, LPM for other regions / Service Delivery

Teams within the Services function such as Business Management, Pricing, Global eDiscovery, Alternative Legal Services and Service Design

About the candidate

Technical skills, qualifications and experience:

* Bachelor's Degree (law or business degree preferred)
* Formal project management qualification of Prince 2 Practitioner or equivalent (required) and LSS Green Belt (desirable)
* Formal project management qualification of Prince 2 Agile, Management of Portfolios (MoP) or PMP (desirable)
* At least 4 years of experience in project management roles
* Ability to manage multiple projects at a time
* Understanding of/ experience working in large complex organizations, ideally in a law firm or professional services firm
* Knowledge/ experience of relevant IT packages: e.g. Document Management Systems, Project Extranets (e.g. SharePoint) or other collaborative project management tools, Other LegalTech knowledge desirable
* Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Visio, Excel, and of financial systems and reports
* Experience of influencing or coaching within a professional services  environment desirable
* Outstanding communication and relationship b...

About Baker McKenzie

Law Practice · 10,001+ employees · headquartered in Chicago, IL