Practice Manager, Energy & Infrastructure

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP•Washington, DC

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Practice Manager works closely with the Chief Practice Officer, Firm leadership, E&I attorneys and other business professionals to accomplish E&I’s strategic, financial, talent, and operational objectives and to support the Firm’s shared client service, collaboration, and innovation goals by overseeing and actively managing associate and of counsel utilization, addressing resource demands, adhering to financial management best practices, and enhancing profitability in E&I. The E&I Practice Manager will be primarily responsible for managing associate staffing in the U.S. and associate utilization and professional development globally. The successful Practice Manager will apply an in-depth understanding of client service and partner needs, staffing requirements, pricing arrangements, deal and inventory life cycles, and key financial metrics to make sound judgements and minimize the administrative burden on practice leaders and partners. The Practice Manager will be part of a growing practice management team within our firm.

Requirements

Strong preference for an individual who has practiced law for at least 4 years in a large law firm or corporate legal department.
Excellent project management, prioritization, attention to detail and organizational skills
Ability to effectively collaborate with teams of partners, associates and other professionals at all levels.
Ability to work efficiently in a matrix environment, which requires frequent collaboration with cross-department teams
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and decision making.
Demonstrated ability to be discreet and treat confidential information appropriately.
Demonstrated ability to effectively use technology, database, presentation, and spreadsheet software at an advanced level.
Ability to deliver strong customer service, commit to meeting deadlines, and multitask in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
Exceptional problem solving and communication skills, both written and verbal.
Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Office and financial and data information systems.

Nice To Haves

Significant experience working in Energy & Infrastructure areas preferred.
J.D. preferred; MBA or equivalent industry experience considered.

Responsibilities

Drive practice group utilization and manage the work allocation process for U.S. associates in the group.
Monitor workloads and professional development of U.S. associates and help allocate new matters in a manner which ensures an equitable distribution of assignments consistent with the clients’ needs and the attorneys’ individual professional development goals.
Track, aggregate and analyze associate metrics, including availability information and utilization rates. Partner with the Chief Practice Officer and associates to ensure that individual goals relating to productivity are achieved and practice group productivity is optimized.
Staff non-partner attorneys on partner requests for staffing.
Manage U.S. vacation and OOO calendar for NPAs and partners.
Monitor and manage associate-led initiatives.
Coordinate with supervising partners to identify staffing needs and hiring targets; partner with the Talent and Finance teams to ensure hiring efforts are supporting the goals and needs of the group and supporting firm profitability targets.
Coordinate with non-partner recruiting on E&I lateral and summer program hiring opportunities.
Regularly connect with associates to level-set on professional development goals, perceived skills gaps, and socialize the Practice Manager role as a firm resource for E&I’s non-partner attorneys.
Collaborate with the Talent team and the Chief Practice Officer to address associates who may be having specific challenges so that appropriate mentoring, training, and other actions can be taken to address such challenges in a timely manner.
Manage the associate/partner mentor assignments and discuss same with associates.
Facilitate practice group integration of new associates and of counsel.
Coordinate with legal recruiting and practice partners to facilitate efficient associate recruiting.
Collaborate with the innovation team to assign the right resource to the right task including leveraging innovative solutions to maximize impact on client matters.
Oversee E&I associate training and professional development.
Collaborate with partners and CPO to build and lead a robust training program for associates across E&I practice lanes and subsectors.
Identify associates who need additional or specialized training and coordinate individualized support.
Drive knowledge management and precedent development and maintenance.
Support associate retention through direct coaching and check-ins, complementing the associate’s existing mentoring relationships.
Serve as an ad hoc resource for junior associate questions on E&I matters and occasionally provide quality control on first drafts and guidance before work reaches the supervising partner.
Help prepare materials for BU events and presentations.
Help with organization of BU retreats, bootcamps and teach-ins.
Initiate ideas for improving profitability of matters, including the efficient allocation of internal resources and staff across client matters & group initiatives.
Collaborate with Chief Practice Officer to provide review and approval of matter opening requests, fee alerts, non-billable travel, write offs and similar administrative tasks.
Research, compile data and perform business and financial analysis related to E&I strategic initiatives.
Assist in oversight of partners’ billing and collection practices throughout the year and in connection with the year-end and periodic billing/collections pushes.
Provide ad hoc financial analysis (profitability, billing, collections, time entry, utilization, etc.), and collaborate with the Business Operations team on reporting requests.
Coordinate with records team and relevant timekeepers to facilitate non-partner attorney departures, client file transfers and partner exit procedures.
Collaborate with and support E&I leaders on practice group communications.