Firmwide Director or Senior Manager of Practice Management

The Firmwide Director or Senior Manager of Practice Management serves as a strategic advisor and business partner to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), practice leaders, and firm leadership. This role is responsible for driving effective practice management across the firm by optimizing attorney staffing and utilization, supporting matter and financial management, implementing practice initiatives, and facilitating collaboration across practice groups and professional staff departments.

The position will provide data-driven insights and practical solutions to help practice leaders achieve business objectives, enhance operational efficiency, support client and carrier expectations, and proactively address staffing, workload, and resource needs. The ideal candidate combines strong legal industry knowledge with exceptional analytical, project management, communication, and relationship-building skills, as well as the ability to operate effectively in a complex, matrixed organization.

• Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic liaison to the COO, practice leaders, and other firm leaders on practice management, operational, staffing, and resource matters.
• Partner with practice leaders to develop, execute, and monitor practice goals, strategic initiatives, and operational priorities.
• Review matters and consult with practice leaders regarding staffing, team composition, and attorney assignments throughout the lifecycle of a matter and an attorney’s experience with the firm.
• Monitor partner-to-associate ratios, attorney capacity, client needs, and firm business requirements to proactively identify practice areas and offices requiring additional attorney resources.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and firm leadership to anticipate hiring needs and develop proactive attorney recruitment and staffing strategies.
• Monitor attorney workload, utilization, capacity, and productivity; identify trends and recommend resource adjustments or other appropriate interventions.
• Monitor compliance with matter budgets, billing requirements, client and carrier expectations, and internal operational standards.
• Collaborate with practice leaders, practice managers, and professional staff departments to support practice objectives and ensure effective execution of firm initiatives.
• Partner with practice leaders and practice managers to align matter management practices with client and carrier guidelines, expectations, and requirements.
• Identify, assess, and resolve operational issues; elevate matters requiring senior leadership attention and decision-making.
• Lead the implementation of practice management initiatives, training programs, and process improvements, including identifying skill gaps and coordinating with the Professional Development team and practice leaders.
• Establish and promote consistent execution of firmwide practice management processes, procedures, and standards.
• Provide cross-functional stakeholder coordination and communication support for practice management activities and initiatives.
• Support new-hire onboarding and lateral integration by coordinating with appropriate stakeholders and overseeing role-level support, where applicable.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the practice management team, including practice managers and practice management assistants.
• Collaborate with the Innovation and Emerging Technologies team to identify, evaluate, and implement technology, tools, and resources that enhance attorney and paralegal effectiveness and support practice-specific needs.
• Partner with the COO and relevant stakeholders to develop and enhance reporting that enables firm and practice leaders to make informed, data-driven decisions regarding practice, matter, staffing, and financial…