Job Title: Firmwide Paralegal Manager
Job Responsibilities:
The Firmwide Paralegal Manager is tasked with the comprehensive management and supervision of all paralegal team members, which includes paralegals, project assistants, and other legal support staff. This role involves collaboration with practice leadership, attorneys, and Practice Managers to ensure that paralegal staffing and support are adequate for the firm's clients and their matters. The Firmwide Paralegal Manager must maintain professionalism and strict confidentiality regarding all client and firm matters.
Key responsibilities include:
- Collaborating with practice groups and attorneys to efficiently allocate paralegal resources and provide exceptional service to firm clients.
- Managing work allocation, project planning, delegation, and coordination of workflow for paralegal and legal support staff.
- Ensuring compliance with all firm policies, procedures, and best practices by paralegals and legal support staff.
- Developing and maintaining a database of paralegal and legal support staff experience and expertise.
- Monitoring utilization, hours, and availability, addressing gaps in expertise, and driving improvements in utilization through strategic and cross-practice staffing.
- Overseeing time entry, attendance, and overtime.
- Reviewing and preparing reports on paralegal productivity and addressing productivity issues with appropriate firm management teams.
- Developing and advising on procedures and process improvements for routine paralegal and project assistant responsibilities.
- Collaborating with HR and Practice Management on performance management for paralegals and legal support staff, including overseeing the annual review process, providing feedback, and addressing performance issues as needed.
- Advising and participating in the annual compensation process for paralegals.
- Tracking court and administrative rules, notary procedures, and other regulations or professional codes of conduct related to paralegals or legal support staff.
- Supporting paralegal and legal staff recruitment by vetting resumes and interviewing prospective candidates.
- Leading onboarding, integration, and training for new paralegal and legal support staff hires, including developing and maintaining training materials.
- Supporting transitions and exits of paralegal and legal support staff, identifying staffing needs, and coordinating coverage as applicable.
- Managing recruiting and engagements of contract paralegals and legal support staff at the request of practices or attorneys, and tracking agency or contract paralegal time reports and invoicing.
- Developing and administering a training curriculum for paralegal professional development and managing third-party professional development programming.
- Reviewing and approving all vendor invoices for matter-related expenses incurred by paralegal team members.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
The Firmwide Paralegal Manager directly supervises the work activities of Paralegals, Project Assistants, and other legal personnel. Supervisory responsibilities are carried out in accordance with the firm's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing and training; planning, assigning, and directing work; monitoring time reports; scheduling and approving overtime; providing input into the performance appraisal process; addressing complaints; and assisting in resolving problems.
Education and Experience Information:
Candidates for the Firmwide Paralegal Manager position should have a Bachelor's degree and ten or more years of progressive work experience in a legal practice area, preferably in a law firm or legal department environment. An equivalent combination of education and experience is also acceptable. Experience in supervising the activities of a work team in a large legal or professional services firm is required. Candidates should have knowledge of and experience working with methods of legal research and the ability to use a law library. Knowledge of the principles of judicial and administrative processes, filing requirements, legal terminology and documentation processes, docketing procedures, and transactional closing procedures is advantageous. A paralegal certificate from an ABA-accredited paralegal program is a plus.
Candidates must be proficient and have experience utilizing technology such as Westlaw and other legal research tools and legal technology databases, including litigation support software (Concordance, Summation, LiveNote), Excel, Outlook, and MS Word. Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills are necessary, along with the ability to communicate with courtesy and diplomacy, efficiently follow written and verbal instructions, provide information, and maintain effective relationships with a diverse group of attorneys, paralegals, legal support staff, business professionals, vendors, and other outside contacts.
Candidates should possess supervisory skills necessary to interact and communicate with peers/subordinates, provide instruction/direction/training, determine work priorities, and coordinate the activities of a work team. Being a dependable team player who works collaboratively and cooperatively with others in a team-oriented environment is essential. The ability to act independently and make decisions within the scope of the position's responsibilities is required.
Excellent organizational skills, including record keeping, data collection, and system information, are needed. Candidates should have the ability to compile and analyze complex data and furnish concise, detailed information in report format, written correspondence, e-mail, or verbally.
Candidates should be proactive with excellent troubleshooting, problem resolution, and follow-through skills. The ability to organize, prioritize, and oversee numerous tasks from inception to completion (including the tasks of Project Assistants and Paralegals) and ensure work is completed within strict deadlines is important.
Candidates should exhibit a high degree of initiative and critical-thinking skills with the ability to act independently to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, detail-oriented work environment and make decisions based upon results of research.
The ability to occasionally retrieve and distribute files, written documentation, and copies, or office supplies weighing up to 20 pounds is required. Work occasionally requires more than hours per week (35 hours per week in the New York office) to perform the essential duties of the position. Occasional travel to other firm locations may be required on short notice.
Salary Information:
In the Chicago office, the annualized salary range for the Firmwide Paralegal Manager position is $150,000 to $200,000. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.
The law firm offers an outstanding benefit package, which includes medical/dental/vision, a 401k with employer contribution, parental leave, a transportation fringe benefit program, a back-up care option, a generous paid time off policy, and long-term and short-term disability policies.
The law firm is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
