Senior Conflicts Attorney

Manatt Phelps & Phillips•Los Angeles, CA

21d•$190,000 - $240,000•Hybrid

About The Position

With 500+ professionals and 350+ business professionals, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP (www.manatt.com), is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm known for quality and an extraordinary commitment to clients. The Firm’s groundbreaking approach—bringing together legal services, advocacy and business strategy—differentiates Manatt from its competitors and positions the Firm to provide a distinct and compelling value proposition. Opportunity The Senior Conflicts Attorney will serve as a key member of the Firm’s Legal and Risk Management team, working in close collaboration with the Conflicts team to proactively identify, research, and resolve potential conflicts of interest and risk management issues. This non-billing, business professional role is central to supporting the firm’s risk management and client intake processes. The Senior Conflicts Attorney will lead complex conflict-of-interest analyses, provide expert guidance to partners and firm leadership regarding ethical compliance, and help develop and implement best practices to protect the firm across a wide variety of matters and jurisdictions. This position offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced conflicts attorney who excels in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and possesses the sound judgment required to address sophisticated legal and business challenges, especially for lateral conflicts clearances. This role will not be a billing professional but will be a Business Professional role and sit within the Legal and Risk Management department.

Requirements

JD degree required
Must be currently licensed in good standing in a firm-approved U.S. state.
Member of state bar in the corresponding state in which work is performed.
Minimum of five (5) years law firm experience at an AmLaw 100 firm clearing and resolving new business conflict issues required, with a minimum of four (4) years experience handling lateral conflicts clearances
Effective and succinct oral communication and clear and concise written communication.
Effective analytical, logical reasoning, and problem-solving abilities.
Experience with legal ethics and privilege issues.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines
Demonstrated professionalism, sound judgment, and discretion
Commitment to exceptional internal and external client service
Must be extremely detail oriented, organized and have great follow through skills
Must be able to learn new software programs as needed
Must be able to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner
Must be flexible in order to respond quickly and positively to shifting demands
Must be able to communicate effectively with all Firm constituents
Strong Outlook, Excel and Word skills required
Demonstrated reliability and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a hybrid (remote and in-office) team environment.
The Firm operates on a hybrid work schedule requiring in-office presence Tuesday through Thursday, with optional remote work permitted on Mondays and Fridays. All employees must remain available for onsite work up to five days per week as business needs dictate. This schedule is subject to change; flexibility is required

Nice To Haves

Experience with Intapp is a plus
Prior experience with resolving conflicts for bankruptcy matters a plus

Responsibilities

Review, identify and advise Firm attorneys, staff, and incoming professionals on conflicts of interest issues and appropriate resolutions; and possess and maintain knowledge of the Rules of Professional Conduct in the US generally and California specifically.
Handle lateral conflicts clearances, including identifying and appropriately resolving all conflicts issues, assisting with onboarding new hires, working with candidates to obtain additional information as needed, and communicating with appropriate department chairs and the General Counsel’s office regarding appropriate resolutions.
Serve as a point of contact in handling the resolution of escalated conflicts and intake issues.
Assist with training other members of the Conflicts Department, including assisting with creating written training materials, developing best practices and procedures, and ensuring standardized results across the Department.
Assist with the formulation, documentation, and execution of strategic plans and procedures related to business intake and conflict-of-interest analysis/resolution to ensure proper conflict management.
Work with Firm professionals and the General Counsel’s office to review, draft, negotiate, and ultimately finalize waiver letters, disclosures, and engagement agreements and termination letters on matter-by-matter basis.
Communicate with and advise professionals, secretaries and other Firm personnel on established Firm policies and Procedures related to conflicts.
Consult on procedural issues concerning Firm policies that affect the Conflicts Department.
Propose conflicts and other relevant language for RFP responses.
Review and revise outside counsel guidelines and similar policies and contracts received from Firm clients, and provide direction and options regarding items of concern, including working with Firm attorneys regarding compliance with such terms.
Confirm need for and create ethical walls to screen individuals from particular clients and matters as part of conflict clearing process.
Conduct advanced level research projects on corporate affiliations and corporate relatedness
Prioritize requests and coordinate with other team members as appropriate to maintain appropriate flow of priority requests.
Handle special projects, including research projects, at the direction of the General Counsel’s office.
All other duties as assigned or required.