Senior Manager of Practice Management – Global Projects and Infrastructure

Mayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes. We are recognized by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do.

We are a collegial, collaborative, and diverse firm where highly motivated individuals with an unwavering commitment to excellence receive the opportunity, support, and development they need to grow, thrive, and realize their greatest potential all while supporting the Firm’s client service principles of excellence, strategic partnership, commercial instinct, integrated strengths, innovation, and collaboration across our international firm.

If you enjoy working with team members whose defining characteristics are exceptional client service, initiative, professionalism, responsiveness, and adaptability, you may be the person we are seeking to join our Administration department in our Chicago office as a Senior Manager of Practice Management – Global Projects and Infrastructure.

The Senior Manager of Practice Management – Global Projects and Infrastructure, is responsible for practice group strategic planning, including developing business development strategy, and working with the Projects and Infrastructure Practice Group Leaders in the overall management of the projects and infrastructure practice group (“Practice Group”). This Practice Group consists of approximately 80 attorneys globally. Provides the leadership, management and vision necessary to ensure that the practice group and its sub-groups are strategically positioned in the market and have the proper operational controls and people systems in place to ensure a highly-functioning practice group that is positioned for long-term viability and success. 

Essential Functions:

Operations – efficient and effective day-to-day management of the Practice Group

• Manages the Practice Group operations to optimize quality and efficiency, leverage technology, precedents, and full scope of operational resources
• Ensures firm-wide tools are being fully utilized by the Practice Group
• Establishes and implements best practices, repeatable models, standards, controls, and monitoring procedures
• Works with the Practice Group leaders on communication strategies and materials, including driving meeting agendas and action plans to help advance business goals
• Oversees logistical support for Practice Group internal meetings and events
• Shares responsibility with Practice Group leaders of approving BD budget expenses
• Performs other duties as assigned or required to meet Firm goals and objectives

People – efficient staffing and proactive resourcing

• Monitors backlog and new business pipeline to ensure appropriate resources are available to address client work
• Establishes and leads lateral partner integration process for the Practice Group
• Collaborates with partners, and relevant business functions on paralegal and business services staff performance management
• Maintains oversight of the selection and delivery of training provided to the Practice Group, including leading efforts related to associate development and training
• Monitors attorney and paralegal workloads and productivity levels to foster manageable workloads that optimize attorney utilization, support professional development and promote Practice Group goals and profitability
• Analyses staffing levels and participates in the recruitment process as needed
• Works with leadership to ensure attorney engagement and Practice Group culture are considered when planning Practice Group management activities
• Helps ensure the Practice Group focuses on supporting the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts

Financial – strong financial control and reporting at matter and practice level

• In close collaboration with Finance team, establishes the Practice Group financial reporting to track overall financial performance, such as monthly Inventory (WIP and AR), write offs, collections, and attorney and paralegal utilisation
• Reviews and analyses this reporting to identify anomalies, and generate proposed solutions for areas of opportunity and/or concern
• Liaises with Practice Group leadership to ensure billing, eBilling, rates, and other financial operations are meeting the needs of the team
• Monitors compliance with fee arrangements and ensure timely billing of each matter in accordance with those arrangements
• Oversee and manage the Practice Group’s use of external resources to optimize quality and efficiency, and ensures invoices are received and processed quickly
• Accountable for operational budget analysis and recommendations, including monitoring expenses and reviewing monthly budget variances

Improvement – coordinating and driving performance improvement

• Proactively and independently identifies and analyses problems, develops solutions and delivers results – initial focus on addressing administrative operational challenges (including monthly billing process and matter intake), and long-term focus on improving Practice Group profitability and performance
• Enhances the experience for top clients by serving as a point of contact for the in-house legal operations team to improve the overall engagement and efficient delivery of legal services
• Leads change management efforts within the Practice Group through formal communications and informal influence, and works closely with IT and other business teams to identify needs and coordinate development, rollout and training for change initiatives
• Works closely with innovation team to identify both internal and client-facing technologies to improve efficiency and enhance firm as a market-leader
• Leverages other services such as knowledge management and legal project management to support Practice Group goals and profitability

Growth – supporting Practice Group strategy development and revenue growth

• Works with Practice Group leaders to develop business plans in alignment with the firm’s strategic plan then manage and execute plan goals
• Provides strategic direction to the Business Development & Marketing team on RFP responses, pitches, marketing initiatives, thought leadership promotions, research and analysis and competitive intelligence-gathering for strategic planning, competitive firm positioning and business development activities
• Supports Partners with generation of business leads, expansion of existing client matters, and identification and pursuit of cross-selling opportunities

Education/Training/Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or JD preferred

Professional Experience:

Required:

• Minimum of 6 years of related experience

Preferred:

• Experience in operational roles within the legal industry
• Experience supporting delivery of legal services (as a lawyer or non-lawyer working alongside lawyers)
• Experience of coordination or leading change in a legal or professional services environment
• Understanding of legal industry
• Understanding of projects and infrastructure industry

Technical Skills:

Required:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products and ability to learn and work in various software applications as needed

Preferred:

• Strong data and financial analytics skillset
• Understanding of law firms business services operations
• Experience of working with legal technology

Performance Traits:

• Strong executive presence
• Strong customer service skills and high degree of emotional intelligence, able to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgement while teaming and navigating a high-performance environment
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where multi-tasking and working across organizational lines is the norm
• Comfortable taking input and direction from multiple sources, synthesizing, and finding common ground to ensure key initiatives move forward
• Self-starter with a high level of initiative
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple projects
• Exercises solid strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to communicate effectively and in a professional manner with all levels of the Firm and outside vendors
• Maintains confidentiality and exercises discretion
• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience
• Able to determine and implement change processes to improve workflow efficiencies
• Process and service-oriented with strong leadership and project management skills
• Able to set priorities and delegate in an efficient manner

Physical Requirements:

• May require travel to other offices as needed

The above is a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.

The Firm may modify and amend this job description at any time at its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment.

We offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including medical/dental/vision/life/and AD&D insurance, 401 (k) savings plan, back-up childcare and eldercare, generous paid time off (PTO), as well as opportunities for professional development and growth.

Thank you for your interest in Mayer Brown. We are committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities and disabled veterans. To request a reasonable accommodation related to the application process and/or job interview, please email uslateralrecruiting@mayerbrown.com. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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