KM Legal Research Manager

Fox Rothschild•Washington, DC

31d•Hybrid

About The Position

The KM Legal Research Manager serves as the day-to-day leader of the legal research team within the firm’s Knowledge Management & Innovation Department. This role is responsible for supervising a team of legal research analysts, managing workflow and research operations, and ensuring that the team consistently delivers high-quality, cost-effective research to attorneys and practice groups across the firm. The KM Legal Research Manager reports to the Director of KM Legal Research and works to align research capabilities with the firm’s strategic priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in legal research, law librarianship, or a closely related field.
Expert-level proficiency with major legal research platforms, including but not limited to Westlaw, Lexis+, and Bloomberg Law.
Experience with AI platforms and features, including but not limited to Westlaw AI, Harvey, Copilot, and knowledge management systems and emerging legal technology tools.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Exceptional organizational abilities.
Demonstrated commitment to service excellence.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities simultaneously, and collaborating with attorneys and staff at all levels of the firm.
Strong leadership and people-management skills, with the ability to motivate and develop a team of skilled professionals.
Sound judgment in scoping and prioritizing research assignments, a keen eye for quality and detail, and a strategic mindset oriented toward continuous improvement.
Strong critical thinking, problem-solving skills with data-driven decision-making and attention to detail.
Comfort with shifting priorities, tight deadlines, and evolving client needs.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex findings to diverse audiences.
Commitment to responsiveness, professionalism, and delivering high-quality work product.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis now and in the future.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (J.D., M.L.S., or related field) preferred.
At least two years of direct supervisory or management experience preferred.
Experience working in an Am Law 100 or Am Law 200 law firm preferred.
Legal industry trends in knowledge management and research services is highly valued.

Responsibilities

Provides direct one-on-one supervision of all legal research team analysts, including conducting regular check-ins and performance reviews, setting individual goals, and providing mentorship and professional development guidance.
Fosters a collaborative, service-oriented team culture and serves as the primary point of escalation for personnel, capacity, and other matters within the legal research team.
Makes hiring and staffing recommendations, onboards new team members, and manages day-to-day staffing needs such as scheduling, workload balancing, best practices, and leave coordination.
Oversees the end-to-end management of the legal research request and monitoring queue and works in conjunction with other KM Research Manager(s) to oversee the All-Teams queues.
Receives, triages, and scopes incoming research requests in consultation with requesting attorneys to clarify objectives, deliverable formats, and timelines.
Assigns and circulates requests to analysts based on subject-matter expertise, capacity, and development opportunities, and monitors project progress to ensure that all deadlines are met.
Manages competing priorities and implements workflow processes and tools that promote efficiency and transparency across the research function.
Establishes and maintains rigorous quality-control standards for all legal research work product, including reviewing research responses, annotations, use of AI, and other deliverables prior to distribution.
Ensures accuracy, thoroughness, and alignment with the requesting attorney’s objectives.
Oversees the team’s use of research platforms, databases, and other vendor tools, evaluating cost-effectiveness.
Develops and implements structured training plans for all research analysts, covering foundational research skills and advanced topics.
Creates and maintains written best practices, style guides, and standard operating procedures for the research team, ensuring they are regularly updated.
Coordinates continuing education opportunities, facilitates knowledge-sharing sessions within the team, and identifies opportunities to leverage new tools and technologies to enhance research capabilities.
Performs other duties and projects, as assigned.