Professional Development Assistant

McDermott Will & Emery•Chicago, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Professional Development (PD) Assistant provides administrative support to the Professional Development team for initiatives related to attorney development and general team support. The PD Assistant follows instructions, processes, and guidelines to perform the essential functions of the job.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
Knowledge of Microsoft 365 Suite (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, OneDrive, and Project Planner)
Strong oral and written communication skills
Strong organizational and attention to detail skills
Strong client service skills
Ability to work well within a collaborative team environment
Ability to work under tight deadlines and prioritize responsibilities
Ability to handle and maintain confidential information
Ability to learn new concepts and skills quickly

Nice To Haves

Some travel required

Responsibilities

Coordinate logistics and communications for firmwide attorney development programs and initiatives.
Support program administration, including invitations, registration, participant tracking, material preparation, attendance monitoring, and feedback collection.
Create surveys, compile participant feedback, and prepare program evaluations, summaries, and reports.
Assist with planning and executing practice excellence workshops, attorney onboarding and orientation, practice group boot camps, and other in-person and virtual programs.
Travel to other firm office locations to provide on the ground support for in-person attorney trainings and events.
Coordinate conference rooms, audio/visual (AV) support, catering, program materials, and other event logistics.
Maintain and communicate in regard to timelines and project plans to move initiatives forward.
Exercise critical thinking and judgment in coordination of training and event logistics.
Maintain program records, participation data, metrics, and electronic files; assist with reporting and data analysis.
Assist with the maintenance of attorney development resources, intranet page, and internal program materials.
Collaborate with attorneys, business professionals, and external vendors to support program delivery and participant experience.
Prepare client-ready written communications to attorneys, business professionals, external vendors, and other stakeholders.
Provide administrative support for team operations, including meeting coordination, cross-functional collaboration, special projects, and other department initiatives.