Director of Legal Engagement

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP•Washington, DC

1d•$200,000 - $260,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm, is seeking a Director of Legal Engagement & Optimization. This senior role on the Talent team will partner with various leaders across the firm to drive strategic attorney staffing, workload optimization, development alignment, and talent sustainability. The position serves as a crucial link between practice leadership, management, recruiting, training, and performance teams to ensure effective deployment of attorney resources, supporting client service, attorney growth, and firm profitability.

Requirements

JD required
12+ years of experience in a law firm or client‑centered professional services environment, with demonstrated responsibility for attorney staffing, practice management, or resource optimization.
Deep understanding of law firm economics, including utilization, leverage, realization, and the attorney life cycle.
Strong analytical capability, with experience leveraging financial, utilization, and workforce data to inform strategy and decision‑making.
Proven ability to build credibility with attorneys and partners, and to influence across seniority levels, including equity stakeholders.
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and drive alignment.
Highly collaborative, proactive, and comfortable operating in a matrixed, multi‑office environment.
Executive presence, judgment, and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive matters.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
Ability to travel as needed.

Nice To Haves

Additional graduate degree (e.g., MBA) a plus.
Experience with staffing or practice management systems preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement the Firm’s attorney staffing and resource optimization strategy, aligning matter demand, pipeline projections, attorney skill sets, seniority mix, and development needs with client service requirements across practices and offices.
Establish and maintain staffing policies, workflows, and governance structures to support consistent, transparent, and equitable attorney work allocation.
Analyze matter pipelines, demand forecasts, and utilization trends to identify staffing risks, hiring needs, leverage opportunities, and structural constraints.
Collaborate with Business Group Leaders, Business Unit Leaders, and designated staffing attorneys to oversee attorney work assignment processes and proactively manage capacity, utilization, and workload balance.
Track and interpret key attorney staffing and utilization metrics, translating insights into actionable recommendations that support productivity while balancing attorney development, engagement, and well-being.
Support the attorney performance review cycle by helping ensure reviews are timely, calibrated, and grounded in workload and matter experience data.
Collaborate with Practice Leaders to identify high‑performing attorneys as well as attorneys facing specific challenges, facilitating targeted coaching, mentoring, or development interventions.
Support the implementation of review feedback and development plans, working with Talent Team members to align attorneys’ matter exposure with growth and advancement goals.
Partner with Strategic Growth, Legal Training, Practice Management and other business professionals to shape and support the successful onboarding, integration, and engagement strategies for all non-partner attorneys and paralegals.
Partner with Business Directors on leading initiatives to enhance engagement, retention, and career satisfaction across attorney populations.
Take an active role in the Summer Associate Program, including being the point person for Summer Associates, Summer Chairs, Work Allocation Coordinators and Mentors; strategically plan the Summer Associate target numbers and interview all potential Summer Associates.
Serve as Business Professional representative on Associate Leadership Committee.
Manage and administer policies related to non-partner attorneys, including in office attendance, hours, and bar admission policies.
Provide hands-on support for attorney transitions, including internal moves, practice transfers, leaves, visas, secondments and separations, and coordinate outplacement or transition support when applicable.
Ensure streamlined coordination and clear communication of firmwide policies, procedures, and available resources.
Oversee annual salary and bonus programs for Associates, Staff Attorneys, Paralegals, and Specialists in close collaboration with CEO, CLO and COO.
Advise partners and leadership on compensation decisions by analyzing performance data, market considerations, and internal equity.
Provide strategic guidance and support related to advancement decisions, role changes, and career progression.
Partner with Practice Leaders and Strategic Growth to identify attorney hiring priorities and role profiles, ensuring hiring decisions reflect evolving practice needs and capacity forecasts.
Contribute to the design and execution of a robust onboarding and integration experience for new attorneys, supporting early engagement, productivity, and long‑term retention.
Collaborate with the Firm’s Diversity & Inclusion function to champion initiatives that support an inclusive, equitable attorney experience and strengthen engagement across practices.
Partner with HR and Benefits teams to promote attorney well‑being and sustainable workload practices.
Support exit interviews and feedback analysis to identify systemic improvement opportunities related to attorney engagement, workload, and development.