Practice Manager

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP•Los Angeles, CA

22h•Hybrid

About The Position

This is an exciting opportunity to work for one of the top law firms in the U.S.! Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is looking for a Practice Manager to join our team in our Seattle, San Francisco, Culver City, or Los Angeles offices. We offer a hybrid work engagement with two days of remote work, and three days in-office. Practice Management (PM) plays an instrumental role in helping our lawyers operate more effectively and efficiently to drive revenue growth, better utilize time spent on non-billable activities, facilitate the integration of lateral hires, and foster a collaborative environment to leverage all our business professional teams' capabilities to support our lawyers in building their practices and serving clients. The Practice Management Team comprises revenue enablers who ensure operational efficiency; develop, drive, and execute on PG/industry strategic vision; provide financial insights that drive economic improvements; support client value initiatives; and otherwise support each practice's business needs and operations. As trusted advisors to the Practice Group Chairs (PGCs) and practice leaders, the Practice Manager must be a highly innovative and collaborative self-starter, with demonstrated experience, confidence, and professionalism in communicating with partners, management, and timekeepers at all levels of the organization. To perform at the highest levels and ensure the highest level of operational efficiency for the practice groups, the Practice Manager must develop an unparalleled knowledge of the inner workings of the Firm and provide timely and effective responses to the Practice Groups they support.

Requirements

5+ years as a business professional in a professional services organization preferred; law firm experience or prior experience as a practicing attorney is a plus
College degree required; Master’s degree in Marketing or Business Administration or similar field, or JD preferred
Demonstrated ability to develop professional working relationships and create a consultative, advisory-type level of trust with attorneys
Demonstrated understanding of the business of law, including finance, sales and marketing, staffing models and industry trends
Ability to work in a professional and collegial manner with attorneys, paralegals and staff
Previous supervisory experience is required
Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously is required
Strong writing skills and excellent grammar, spelling and proofreading skills are required
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to maintain effective working relationships and communicate verbally and in writing in a professional, courteous manner with clients, firm members, and other business contacts are required
Demonstrated ability to provide direction and guidance in business plan development efforts – at the individual, practice group and office levels
Demonstrated understanding of alternative fee arrangements in the service industry (understanding of law firm pricing models a plus) is required
Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office Products required, i.e. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel; CRM technology a plus
Ability to pay close attention to detail and be highly organized and accurate is required
Ability to travel occasionally within the United States is required

Nice To Haves

law firm experience or prior experience as a practicing attorney is a plus
Master’s degree in Marketing or Business Administration or similar field, or JD preferred
CRM technology a plus
understanding of law firm pricing models a plus

Responsibilities

Manage the daily execution of business needs / operations of the Practice Group, including developing and managing the practice operations budget, establishing a consistent framework for Practice Group meetings and communications, supporting Firm processes and follow-up on initiatives/action items, etc.
Serve as main point of contact and primary person responsible for all operations related to the practice group by working closely with its attorneys and professionals, as well as the firm’s business departments
Drive efficiencies and process improvements and introduce innovative approaches to improve the overall operation of the practice group and infrastructure, driving improved service to the Firm’s clients and generating revenue
Maintain practice-specific resources that pertain to lawyer-led trainings
Guide attorneys on efficient use of technology to improve service delivery, especially AI
Build a strategic vision for the practice group, industry teams, and/or investment area
Collaborate with PG Chairs, partners and other business operations departments to facilitate the development and execution of Practice Group strategic plans with clear and achievable goals focused on culture, revenue, profitability, growth and retention, reputation, brand awareness, profile and competitive differentiation
Support the firm’s strategic value that “People Matter” by building trust and credibility with partners, counsel, associates, and direct reports including having an in-depth understanding of professional aspirations, experiences, strengths, development needs, and relevant personal circumstances
Track the group’s talent pipeline and ensure forward progress on succession plans, mentorship
Provide operational and strategic support client teams for the firm’s top and fastest growing clients
Manage and supervise specialists and senior specialists to assure they are executing on practice group strategy and departmental strategic plan while providing excellent client service
Work with Professional Development Partners (PDPs) to ensure that each attorney in the group is fully utilized, with the opportunity to work on a variety of matters and with a variety of partners, while balancing development opportunities with client needs
Work with Recruiting on needs assessments and lateral recruiting initiatives
Act as point person to facilitate problem solving and address attorney concerns related to operational and strategic objectives
Track and report utilization data and proactively looks for opportunities to even out workflow and flag underutilized and overutilized associates
Keep abreast of case developments and potential leavers, joiners and secondments of associates and paralegals to help with future workload estimations and reporting to team leaders as necessary/requested
Work closely with the Firm’s Professional Development to develop training content and ensure the appropriate development, evaluation, and training of practice group attorneys. Recommend the Firm’s training resources, or other assistance as appropriate, to meet identified development needs
Analyze and report on Practice Group financials and other key performance indicators to monitor timekeeper utilization, performance trends, and overall practice revenue
Work with Finance on tracking and managing alternative fee agreements and other matter management reporting as necessary
Managing and approve Practice Group budgets and expenses
Analyze monthly AR and work with Financial Partner and Collections team to collect outstanding revenue
In collaboration with the Revenue and Profitability team, help practice groups and individual lawyers manage the economics of their practices
Provide strategic guidance and PG specific information and customization as needed to Business Development and Marketing department on strategic initiatives; RFP and pitch responses; targeted marketing collateral, accolades and recognition, etc., and ensure alignment of resources
Work with business development and other staff departments to promote client and group initiatives, including client training programs and presentations (CLEs)
Provide coaching on individual business plans as well as coaching relationship partners on target client business development plans