Legal Technology and Operations Manager

Democracy Forward•Columbia, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Democracy Forward Foundation (“Democracy Forward”) is seeking a detail-oriented professional with deep experience in legal technology and process improvement to join their team as a Legal Technology and Operations Manager. This role is instrumental in ensuring the effective and efficient work of the Legal Team, which includes litigators and a legal support team of paralegals and legal assistants. The Legal Team operates in a fast-paced environment with a growing litigation docket and tight deadlines. The position involves understanding the Legal Team’s technological needs and workflows, assisting with platform usage, recommending and testing new platforms, and providing support for filings and discovery when necessary. The role requires managing relationships with current vendors, exploring new platforms, and ensuring accurate data and file maintenance for reporting. Occasional support for filings and discovery productions may be required. This is a full-time position that may require evening and weekend work due to time-sensitive filings or issues. The office is located in Washington, DC, and while remote work is flexible, regular in-office presence (eight times per month, averaging twice a week) is required to support the Legal Team. The Legal Technology and Operations Manager will report to the Managing Attorney and collaborate with Deputy Managing Attorneys and other Legal Team members.

Requirements

5+ years in a legal operations, litigation support, or legal technology role, or a comparable mix of legal and technology experience.
Experience working in a fast-paced litigation environment.
Demonstrated experience managing or administering legal technology platforms.
Ability to translate complex technical concepts and workflows into clear, accessible language for non-technical legal staff.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience coordinating with external vendors and legal staff.
Experience managing, organizing, and auditing large volumes of legal data and documents, with a strong attention to accuracy and file hygiene.
Familiarity with e-discovery platforms and litigation support tools; ability to evaluate new platforms against the team's operational needs and recommend solutions.

Responsibilities

Provide expertise and assistance on existing Legal Team technology and platforms to maximize utility based on workflow and needs.
Serve as the Legal Team's liaison to the organization's IT team, fostering collaboration to meet needs across enterprise systems, infrastructure, and technology initiatives.
Identify skills gaps and recommend/coordinate training for the Legal Team on existing platforms.
Evaluate the Legal Team’s technology and platform usage and recommend improvements.
Research and recommend cost-efficient new legal platforms and technology to enhance efficiency, recordkeeping, organization, and efficacy.
Test new platforms/technologies for utility, identify problems and solutions, organize vendor trainings, and provide user support for adoption.
Develop vendor relationships to evaluate technology and platforms and address Legal Team questions.
Track technology and platform contracts for timely renewal and identify duplicative services.
Support organizational leadership in cultivating a culture of accountability, inclusivity, and excellence through real-time support and skills development for the Legal Team.
Assist Legal Team managers in obtaining, auditing, maintaining, and evaluating data regarding the Team’s work and resource usage.
Clean data and organize folders to ensure files are appropriately maintained and easily accessible.
Recommend improvements in the accuracy and type of data maintained regarding cases, investigations, actions, clients, co-counsel, partners, and other organizational information.
Create reports regarding the Legal Team’s work using maintained data for internal or external use.
Assist other parts of DF in obtaining necessary Legal Team data, syncing systems with Legal data, and developing systems to track relevant information.