Professional Development Manager

The Professional Development Manager will be based in Dallas, TX and will have primary responsibility for supporting the professional development of lawyers in Sidley's Dallas office. Drawing on superior relationship-building skills, the manager will conduct ongoing formal and informal outreach to individual lawyers; leaders at the practice, office, and committee level; and other key stakeholders to facilitate dialogue and maintain a practice of continuous needs assessment on matters of professional development.

The manager will collaborate broadly within and beyond the Professional Development team to create and implement local, regional, and firmwide programs and initiatives to advance our lawyers’ development, engagement, and satisfaction; meet our clients’ needs; and ensure the satisfaction of relevant continuing legal education and other requirements. The manager will collaborate with the firm’s broader Learning & Development team, report to a Dallas-based Professional Development Director, and supervise, develop, and mentor a Dallas-based Professional Development Specialist.

Assist in local and regional implementation of the firmwide strategic direction for attorney professional development.
Develop and deliver regional and firmwide training offerings that meet professional, business, and client-service goals.
Propose, design, introduce, and support new initiatives as needed.
Collaborate with the Director and appropriate firm committees to deliver and continually enhance attorney orientation programs and lateral attorney integration initiatives, coordinate and implement summer associate training, respond to identified training and development needs, and otherwise further attorney training and development.
Track and evaluate the quality and quantity of attorney training opportunities, including collecting relevant data and producing related reports.
Produce professional development resources and craft professional development communications as needed.

Assist with and oversee the Professional Development Specialist’s tracking of lawyers' Texas CLE compliance.
Communicate with Texas-admitted lawyers in Dallas regarding their compliance status; work with the Professional Development Specialist, Director, and Office of General Counsel to help ensure 100% compliance for Texas-admitted lawyers firmwide.
Assist with tracking other CLE compliance requirements for Texas-based attorneys licensed elsewhere, as identified and delegated by the Director.

Promote a work environment that helps lawyers reach their highest potential.
Counsel lawyers on career-development matters as needed.
Help support firm mentoring programs, including implementing training and other resources for mentors and mentees.

Help train, develop and mentor the Professional Development Specialist.
Conduct annual performance reviews.

Required:

• J.D. degree
• A minimum of 5 years of work experience in learning and development, law, or related field
• A minimum of 2 years of supervisory experience
• Ability to format presentations, graphs, charts, and other visual methods of presenting information
• Ability to work effectively across offices and time zones
• Availability to travel occasionally to other offices within the US

Preferred:

• Texas practice experience
• Adult education and program design experience
• Teaching or public-speaking experience
• Familiarity with CLE rules and regulations
• Experience with a global or national law firm

• Superior relationship building skills and judgement
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong project management and…