Law Firm Managing Attorney

Steinbacher Goodall & Yurchak•State College, PA

About The Position

Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak is seeking an experienced attorney-executive to serve as Managing Attorney. Based at any of the firm’s seven Pennsylvania locations, the role works directly with firm ownership and the leadership team to advance the firm’s vision and mission while guiding legal excellence, strategy, growth, culture, and organizational effectiveness. Occasional travel to other offices and occasional evening or weekend professional or community events are required. The position is intended for a respected legal leader with substantial experience in estate planning, elder law, special needs planning, trusts and estates, public-benefits planning, fiduciary matters, tax-sensitive planning, or a closely related field, along with the ability to develop attorneys and lead firmwide initiatives. A central focus is ensuring that legal advice, documents, processes, and client service remain accurate, current, consistent, and aligned with applicable law and professional obligations. The Managing Attorney leads the firm’s legal research and legal-update agenda; monitors legal and regulatory developments; translates them into practical guidance, training, and action; and maintains and updates legal knowledge resources and planning materials. The role also leads initiatives involving professional responsibility, compliance, and legal-risk controls; supports attorney licensing and continuing-education requirements; and coordinates appropriate responses to significant legal-quality, compliance, client-service, or professional-liability concerns. The Managing Attorney leads attorney onboarding, training, mentoring, continuing education, feedback, and professional development; establishes expectations for legal quality and professional conduct; and collaborates on recruiting, performance management, succession planning, retention, and accountability. In partnership with ownership and firm leadership, the role converts strategic priorities and decisions into clear goals, accountable owners, timelines, operating rhythms, and measurable results, while strengthening collaboration across departments and offices. The position also represents the firm with clients, referral sources, professional organizations, community partners, regulators, and the broader legal community, and may participate in speaking, writing, teaching, and thought-leadership activities. Competitive executive compensation is offered commensurate with the selected candidate’s experience, expertise, responsibilities, leadership record, and ability to deliver results. Employee benefits include paid time off, holiday pay, jury pay, birthday off, bereavement leave, health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, a retirement plan, gym membership, student loan assistance, and tuition assistance. Eligibility, coverage, and plan terms are governed by firm policies and benefit plans.

Requirements

Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
Active Pennsylvania law license in good standing, or ability to obtain and maintain active Pennsylvania admission promptly following hire.
Substantial legal experience in estate planning, elder law, special needs planning, trusts and estates, tax-sensitive planning, public-benefits planning, fiduciary matters, or a closely related field.
At least five years of progressively responsible legal experience, including meaningful leadership of attorneys, legal teams, practice groups, or law-firm initiatives.
Demonstrated ability to research and communicate complex legal developments and convert them into practical guidance, training, templates, and procedures.
Strong knowledge of attorney ethics, professional responsibility, legal-quality controls, risk management, and obligations involved in supervising legal work.
Experience with strategic planning, organizational leadership, change management, and law-firm or professional-services operations.
Strong business and financial acumen.
Exceptional communication, facilitation, coaching, judgment, and relationship-building skills.
High integrity, discretion, resilience, humility, and ability to lead difficult conversations with clarity and respect.
Ability and willingness to travel among SGY offices and attend occasional evening or weekend professional or community events.

Responsibilities

Lead legal research and updates across estate planning, elder law, special needs planning, asset protection, fiduciary matters, tax-sensitive planning, public benefits, and related practice areas.
Monitor statutes, regulations, administrative guidance, court decisions, ethics opinions, agency practices, and other relevant legal developments at federal, Pennsylvania, and applicable local levels.
Translate legal developments into practical guidance through meetings, written summaries, issue alerts, training, recommended actions, and client-impact analysis.
Maintain and periodically update legal knowledge systems, practice guides, checklists, model language, forms, templates, research resources, and shared precedents.
Coordinate review and updates to planning documents, engagement materials, advice protocols, workflows, and educational content.
Serve as a senior resource for complex or novel legal issues and facilitate consultation, peer review, outside expertise, or escalation when appropriate.
Promote consistent standards for legal analysis, drafting, file documentation, issue spotting, risk identification, and client communication.
Lead professional-responsibility, legal-service compliance, conflicts, confidentiality, supervision, competence, file-practice, and legal-risk-control initiatives.
Collaborate with firm leaders and advisors to assess changes in laws, ethical requirements, court rules, regulations, and agency procedures.
Develop and reinforce policies, training, controls, and documentation practices that support responsible, compliant legal services.
Coordinate confidential and appropriately escalated responses to significant legal-quality concerns, compliance issues, client-service risks, or potential professional-liability matters.
Support compliance with continuing legal education, attorney registration, professional licensing, and other attorney-specific requirements.
Lead attorney onboarding, substantive training, mentoring, continuing education, and professional-development initiatives.
Establish expectations for legal quality, responsiveness, productivity, professional conduct, collaboration, and client communication.
Provide feedback and coaching to strengthen attorneys’ legal knowledge, judgment, leadership, and client-service skills.
Facilitate attorney meetings, case and issue reviews, peer learning, and cross-office collaboration.
Collaborate on attorney recruiting, selection, integration, performance management, succession planning, retention, and accountability.
Identify emerging legal and leadership talent and create opportunities for growth and contribution.
Work with firm ownership and the leadership team to develop and execute strategic priorities that advance the firm’s mission and long-term sustainability.
Turn ownership decisions into clear goals, accountable owners, realistic timelines, operating rhythms, and measurable results.
Strengthen communication and collaboration among attorneys, departments, and office locations, and address barriers to execution.
Represent the firm with clients, referral sources, professional organizations, community partners, regulators, and the broader legal community.
Participate in speaking, writing, teaching, and thought-leadership opportunities related to the firm’s practice areas, law-firm leadership, and legal developments.
Support responsible business development and referral relationships in compliance with professional-conduct and marketing requirements.

Benefits

Paid time off
Holiday pay
Jury pay
Birthday off
Bereavement leave
Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Disability insurance
Life insurance
Retirement plan
Gym membership
Student loan assistance
Tuition assistance
Competitive executive compensation commensurate with experience, expertise, responsibilities, leadership record, and ability to deliver results