Director, Staff Counsel

AmTrust Financial Services•Woodland Hills, CA

12d•$170,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Responsible for oversight and management of the overall operation of the in-house defense attorneys including all staff counsel personnel within assigned territory. Establish and monitor procedures to ensure the delivery of legal services meets performance standards, complies with best practices, and supports business strategy. Identify opportunities for streamlining operational efficiency through process improvement initiatives and oversee change implementation. Collaborate within Claim department and contribute to shared initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelors Degree from an accredited college or university
Juris Doctor from an accredited law school
Minimum of 8-10 years of workers’ compensation legal experience.
3 years of supervisory experience
Licensed and in good standing with the State Bar of California with no history of public or private reprisals.
Significant trial experience litigation California workers’ compensation matters across all levels of complexity.
Proficiency in Office Productivity applications including Excel and similar analytics tools.
Experience with creating and utilizing reporting tools to analyze operational metrics, claim outcomes and related KPIs.
Operational experience designing and implementing new workflows and process improvements
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Demonstrated experience with presenting complex information to diverse audiences.
Willingness to travel as necessitated by job duties

Responsibilities

Staff Counsel Operations Direct the overall operations of the Staff Counsel Office to ensure efficient performance.
Assess and manage personnel to maximize resource allocation.
Review and monitor performance metrics, staffing model and claim trends.
Own all aspects of the hiring process including interviewing, onboarding and training.
Leadership and Development Supervise, coach and mentor attorneys and staff to build high-performance team.
Provide clear communication of performance expectations in regular cadence to ensure timely feedback is delivered.
Stay abreast of substantive legal developments and support the development of technical expertise across all roles within the office.
Identify and direct staff training including substantive technical subject matter as well as technology, operational, workflow and process training.
Litigation Management Manage work assignments to balance workloads consistent with staff expertise and experience.
Provide direction to attorneys and staff to ensure files are timely managed, have active resolution plans and comply with all relevant performance metrics.
Provide strategic direction and support for staff and claim partners on matters of high complexity and/or sensitivity.
Evaluate defense strategies to support cost-effective file management across all aspects of the litigation lifecycle.