Associate Director of Knowledge Management, Senior KM Counsel - Finance

Latham & Watkins LLP • New York, NY

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Latham & Watkins is seeking an Associate Director of Knowledge Management (“KM”), Senior KM Counsel to join their Knowledge Management leadership team. This role will report to the Director of Global Knowledge Management and collaborate with Practice Group Chairs. The primary responsibility is to lead and develop KM team members, including KM Counsel and KM Lawyers, who support practice groups such as Banking & Private Credit, Private Equity Finance, Restructuring, and Structured Finance. The successful candidate will structure and oversee effective engagement by practicing lawyers in the Practice Group’s KM strategy, programs, and work product. This includes developing and executing the KM strategy for the Practice Group, establishing priorities, ensuring adequate resourcing, and overseeing all KM activities and workflow. This role is based in New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, or London and may be eligible for a hybrid working schedule.

Requirements

• Deep subject matter knowledge of finance transactions, including market standards, deal and matter structures, and regulatory frameworks relevant to KM resource development.
• Strong ability to quickly and fully understand the Practice Group’s strategy and priorities.
• Strong ability to quickly build a deep understanding of the areas of expertise and the nature of services provided by Practice Group and the KM Team.
• A JD or its equivalent.
• Admission to at least one US State Bar or other jurisdiction in which the firm operates.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible practice management experience in legal or other professional services environment.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in a management role.
• A minimum of eight (8) years as a practicing attorney with a leading international law firm, with significant experience in finance transactions.

Responsibilities

• Leading, managing, and supervising KM colleagues assigned to the Practice Group, including KM Counsel and KM Lawyers (“KM Team”), providing them with guidance and supporting their growth and development to ensure consistently excellent performance.
• Developing a framework for, and overseeing the implementation of, the involvement of practicing lawyers in the Practice Group’s KM activities, ensuring the appropriate allocation of workflow and responsibility between practicing lawyers and KM Team and providing recommendations on recruiting strategy for the KM Team.
• Distilling extensive internal deal/matter datasets to prepare market insights for use internally and externally.
• Continuously monitoring legal, regulatory, and market landscape, with a focus on the Firm’s data and experience; identifying emerging trends for practice leadership and leading the development of materials to communicate such information to members of the practice group, clients, and prospective clients.
• Closely collaborating with other Technology & Information Services leadership, including the Legal Innovation team, driving the development and implementation of AI-based workflows to streamline the extraction and analysis of key provisions from Firm databases and operative documents.
• Protecting and maintaining any highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, financial, and/or proprietary information that Latham & Watkins retains.

Benefits

• Healthcare, life and disability insurance
• A generous 401k plan
• At least 11 paid holidays per year
• A PTO program that accrues 23 days during the first year of employment and grows with tenure
• Well-being programs (e.g. mental health services, mindfulness and resiliency, medical resources, well-being events, and more)
• Professional development programs
• Employee discounts
• Affinity groups, networks, and coalitions for lawyers and staff

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree