Legal Project Manager

The Legal Project Manager plays a key role working closely with attorneys, clients and firm’s FOCUS Team (including Value Partners and other staff). The core responsibility of this role is to proactively manage matters through scoping, budgeting, resource planning, monitoring and analyzing. The Legal Project Manager will help foster the integration of Legal Project Management (LPM) techniques into the culture of the law firm and in specific client engagements through the utilization of the firm’s technology, the deployment of firm resources, and by helping to engineer engagement plans that result in high value to the client, exceptional client service and high profitability for the law firm.

This position will require the skills of an individual capable of facilitating process mapping, planning sessions, data collection and analysis, implementing improvements and controls and leveraging technology and knowledge management solutions. The candidate will be a motivated self-starter who has demonstrated experience as a project manager, and strong technical, organizational, and facilitation skills. The Legal Project Manager reports to the Chief Practice Management Officer, Senior Manager of Client Value Initiatives, and the Value Partners.

Responsibilities

• Guide legal teams through the LPM process including scoping, planning, budgeting, executing and controlling the work, cost and resources on a matter.
• Lead discussions of engagement management strategy, goals and related deliverables.
• Coordinate regular project team meetings in consultation with the partners and/or lead associate(s). Develop project plan inclusive of process and procedure, prepare notes, and follow up on action items.
• Work closely with matter teams to support the efficient management of client engagements throughout the full matter lifecycle and identify opportunities to provide enhanced efficiency and quality in our service delivery through alternative uses of people, processes, and technology.
• Creatively adapt LPM tools and techniques to the circumstances to add increased value to the client and legal team.
• Liaise with other business services teams (pricing/finance/IT/business development/lit support/etc.) and vendors to optimally support partners and their clients/matters.
• Identify opportunities for efficiency and innovation, both at the matter level and the LPM program level.
• Contribute to discussion about lessons learned and identify templates for future use. Help capture this input for application towards future engagements and identifying opportunities for improvements to training, tools and techniques.
• Work closely with firm’s pricing function in the application of various pricing models, profitability, margins, bill rates and time investments and how they are to be incorporated into budgeting and estimating.
• Exercise excellent understanding of law firm economics and financial management (e.g., pricing, budgeting) closely monitoring legal spend relative to budget and proactively intervening to help the legal team deliver results to expectations and on budget.
• Provide training and development on LPM methodology, tools, and techniques.
• Work in an agile and entrepreneurial manner; exhibiting a continuous improvement mindset.
• Work across FOCUS team connecting various services for optimal client experience.
• Exemplify firm and FOCUS’ client service standards.
• Assist in the development of LPM-specific materials related to internal and external selling of LPM successes.

Qualifications

• Experience as a project manager in a law firm, legal service provider or professional services firm. Legal matter management experience a plus.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience required. J.D. or MBA preferred.
• Project management certification a plus.
• Familiarity with Lean/Six Sigma project/process principles.
• High level interpersonal skills to facilitate communication in person, by email, and telephone with professionalism, courtesy and diplomacy. Ability to build relationships and networks internally and externally, at all levels within the firm.
• High degree of influencing skills and ability to instill confidence in others of proposed LPM solutions.
• Technical skills desired include Excel, HighQ, Iridium and prior use of other legal technology tools to deliver client service a plus.
• Deep knowledge of law firm management metrics, and how day-to-day legal practice interacts with those metrics.
• Strong attention to detail, with highly developed organizational skills.
• Be a self-starting go-getter, with an inquisitive mind, and a love for problem solving.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills (writing, facilitation and presentation).
• Demonstrated experience in leading and managing complex projects that are strategic in nature and large in scope.
• Demonstrated creative problem-solving capabilities.
• Work efficiently without direct supervision, with the ability to multi task, and be flexible with changing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders.

Honigman is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or any other category prohibited by applicable local, state or federal law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, and termination.

Honigman is a premier business law firm in Michigan, Illinois, and Washington D.C. with an international practice. Recently recognized in Ann Arbor and Central Michigan as one of the Best and Brightest Places to Work, we earned this recognition by recruiting attorneys and staff members with outstanding credentials.