Legal Project Manager

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP•New York, NY

21h

About The Position

Cleary Gottlieb is a pioneer in globalizing the legal profession with 14 offices in major financial centers worldwide, operating as a single, integrated global partnership. The firm employs approximately 1,100 lawyers from over 50 countries. Since 1946, our lawyers and staff have collaborated across practices, industries, jurisdictions, and continents to provide clients with simple, actionable approaches to their most complex legal and business challenges. The Legal Project Manager (LPM) will work alongside practice groups, legal matter teams, and partners to offer strategic and operational support in project management, staffing, budgeting, profitability analysis, and client communications. This role is central to enhancing client service, streamlining legal service delivery, driving process innovation and efficiency, and maximizing matter profitability. Reporting to the Senior Manager of Legal Project Management, the LPM will contribute to the development and scaling of a global Legal Project Management function, including defining its structure, demonstrating its value, and embedding project management discipline across practices and offices.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
At least 3 years of legal project management, practice management, or legal operations experience at a law firm; experience at a large or global firm strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience managing budgets, AFAs, and profitability analysis in a legal services context.
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint).
Comfort with technology adoption and a continuous learning mindset, with an eye toward identifying and implementing tools that enhance matter management and client service.
High-impact written and verbal communication skills; comfortable commanding a room to drive project success and secure stakeholder buy-in.
Poise and sound judgment; ability to manage competing priorities across multiple matters simultaneously.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with global teams, including partners, associates, and professional staff across offices and departments.
Willingness and ability to operate across a wide range of tasks such as strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to hands-on troubleshooting and detail management.
Creative and resourceful thinking; ability to identify issues early and implement practical solutions.
Exceptional time management, prioritization, and decision-making capabilities.
Strong desire to help build and grow the LPM function, contributing to its visibility, credibility, and impact across the Firm.

Nice To Haves

JD or Master's degree (preferably in finance, accounting, business, or a related field) is a plus.
A project management certification (e.g., PMP, Lean Six Sigma, PRINCE2, or equivalent) is a plus.
Exposure to legal technology platforms (e.g., matter management systems, HighQ, Brightflag, iManage, or similar tools) is preferred.
Proficiency or willingness to develop skills in data visualization and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).

Responsibilities

Apply established project management methodologies to plan, lead, and coordinate matter deliverables through written communications (including workstream trackers, project plans, and budget estimates), team meetings, and regular updates to lead partner(s), matter team members, and clients.
Define matter scope and develop budgets, including monitoring legal spend, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), and profitability, in close collaboration with the Financial Reporting team and Practice Development Lawyers (PDLs).
Support matter staffing decisions and facilitate clear team communications regarding roles, responsibilities, and workstreams.
Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and compliance of time entries with client billing guidelines, and support the harnessing of time entry data for matter analytics and reporting.
Serve as a point of coordination to ensure the matter team is meeting client expectations regarding quality, responsiveness, and deliverable timelines.
Develop and maintain project plans, track milestones, and proactively identify and escalate risks or bottlenecks.
Facilitate post-matter reviews, document key learnings, and ensure insights are captured and disseminated to improve future matter execution.
Gather and synthesize client satisfaction information and data to inform continuous improvement.
Act as an internal consultant focused on continuous improvement by performing process analysis, gathering learnings, refining workflows, and advising on the innovative use of technology and tools for matter management.
Serve as a subject matter expert on project planning, scoping, fee estimating, budget preparation, fee and scope management, and status reporting.
Develop and maintain budgeting materials, project management templates, and playbooks for use in managing active and incoming matters and in business development efforts (e.g., pitch materials and RFP responses).
Collaborate with PDLs, the Financial Reporting team, and other professional staff to develop and leverage these materials.
Work in close collaboration with PDLs to ensure alignment on the upcoming stages and needs of each matter, coordinating LPM and knowledge management support as appropriate.
Contribute to the adoption and optimization of legal technology platforms (e.g., matter management tools, collaboration platforms, and data visualization solutions) to enhance matter delivery and reporting.
Identify and address legal project management training needs across the Firm, including the development of intranet resources, delivery of departmental sessions, and one-on-one coaching for partners and associates on project management principles and tools.
Support change management efforts related to the adoption of new processes, tools, and ways of working.