Legal Project Manager
About The Position
The Legal Project Manager (LPM) works alongside practice groups, legal matter teams, and partners to provide strategic and operational support across project management, staffing, budgeting, profitability analysis, and client communications. The role helps enhance client service, streamline legal service delivery, drive process innovation and efficiency, and maximize matter profitability. Reporting to the Senior Manager of Legal Project Management, the LPM contributes to developing and scaling a global Legal Project Management function, including defining its structure, demonstrating its value, and embedding project management discipline across practices and offices. The LPM manages matter deliverables through project plans, workstream trackers, budget estimates, team meetings, and regular updates to partners, matter teams, and clients. The role supports matter scoping and budgeting, staffing and resource allocation, time-entry accuracy and data integrity, client service delivery, timeline and risk management, matter closure reviews, and client feedback. It also contributes to process improvement, develops project management resources and budgeting materials, collaborates with Practice Development Lawyers and Financial Reporting, supports legal technology adoption, and provides training and change management.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree.
- At least 3 years of legal project management, practice management, or legal operations experience at a law firm.
- Demonstrated experience managing budgets, AFAs, and profitability analysis in a legal services context.
- Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- High-impact written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to lead discussions and secure stakeholder buy-in.
- Poise and sound judgment, with the ability to manage competing priorities across multiple matters simultaneously.
- Ability to work effectively with global teams, including partners, associates, and professional staff across offices and departments.
- Willingness and ability to handle a wide range of work, from strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to hands-on troubleshooting and detail management.
- Creative and resourceful thinking, including the 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 Legal Project Management function and contribute to its visibility, credibility, and impact.
- Comfort with technology adoption and a continuous learning mindset.
Nice To Haves
- JD or Master's degree, preferably in finance, accounting, business, or a related field.
- Project management certification, such as PMP, Lean Six Sigma, PRINCE2, or equivalent.
- Experience at a large or global law firm.
- Exposure to legal technology platforms such as matter management systems, HighQ, Brightflag, iManage, or similar tools.
- Proficiency in, or willingness to develop skills in, data visualization and reporting tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
Responsibilities
- Plan, lead, and coordinate matter deliverables using project management methodologies, written communications, project plans, workstream trackers, budget estimates, meetings, and regular updates.
- Define matter scope and develop budgets; monitor legal spend, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), and profitability in collaboration with the Financial Reporting team and Practice Development Lawyers.
- Support matter staffing decisions and clarify team roles, responsibilities, and workstreams.
- Ensure time entries are accurate, complete, and compliant with client billing guidelines, and support the use of time-entry data for matter analytics and reporting.
- Coordinate client service delivery to help ensure matter teams meet expectations for quality, responsiveness, and timelines.
- Develop and maintain project plans, track milestones, and identify and escalate risks or bottlenecks.
- Facilitate post-matter reviews, document lessons learned, and disseminate insights to improve future matter execution.
- Gather and synthesize client satisfaction information and data for continuous improvement.
- Perform process analysis, refine workflows, gather lessons learned, and advise on innovative uses of technology and tools for matter management.
- Serve as a subject matter expert in 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 active and incoming matters and business development efforts, including pitch materials and RFP responses.
- Collaborate with Practice Development Lawyers, the Financial Reporting team, and other professional staff to develop and use project management materials.
- Work with Practice Development Lawyers to align on matter stages and needs and coordinate Legal Project Management and knowledge management support.
- Contribute to adoption and optimization of legal technology platforms, including matter management tools, collaboration platforms, and data visualization solutions.
- Identify legal project management training needs and develop intranet resources, deliver departmental sessions, and provide one-on-one coaching to partners and associates.
- Support change management efforts related to new processes, tools, and ways of working.
Benefits
- Comprehensive benefits package, including health care benefits.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
