Legal Project Manager

K&L Gates is seeking a Legal Project Manager to join their firm, responsible for managing complex legal matters and consulting on various stages of the matter lifecycle. The role involves collaboration with legal teams, budgeting, training development, and implementing process improvements.

Responsibilities:

• Utilize proven project management techniques to support the efficient management of matters through all stages including scoping, framing, budgeting, planning, managing, monitoring, and evaluation
• Provide on-demand support on matters that may need specific, limited, assistance during a particular phase in their lifecycle
• Become an embedded and trusted member of the legal team, understanding their needs and pain points and focusing on a solution oriented approach
• Work with the Matter Planning Analysts to budget matters by reviewing historical data and other key data points
• Work with practice leadership and human resources on issues of resource allocation and development
• Work closely with the Matter Planning team on developing and deploying firmwide training on Legal Project Management
• Support training and implementation of technology related to project management
• Liaise with client’s internal legal operations teams as needed
• Willingness to challenge 'the way things have always been done' and support related change management initiatives
• Assist with identifying opportunities for process improvement initiatives and knowledge management projects and, where appropriate, help develop and evangelize best practices
• Work closely with other administrative departments at the firm including practice support, IT, finance, professional development and marketing
• Confidence communicating with all levels of the legal team and client; including delivering difficult messages and challenging current assumptions
• Ability to deliver creative answers with pragmatic solutions
• Demonstrated interest and passion in ways to make legal practice more efficient and innovative
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong awareness of what type of communication is appropriate for what audience
• Comfortable operating in both structured and unstructured environments
• Understand and articulate the business case behind decisions in matter management
• Ability to encourage and build positive relationships and communicate (both verbal and written) effectively with all co-workers and outside vendors

Requirements:

• 5 or more years within law, consulting, or project management
• Experience working in a legal services environment strongly preferred; ability to translate project management methodology to a legal setting required
• Comfort using Excel, SharePoint, and similar technology
• Assist with identifying opportunities for process improvement initiatives and knowledge management projects and, where appropriate, help develop and evangelize best practices
• Work closely with other administrative departments at the firm including practice support, IT, finance, professional development and marketing
• Confidence communicating with all levels of the legal team and client; including delivering difficult messages and challenging current assumptions
• Ability to deliver creative answers with pragmatic solutions
• Demonstrated interest and passion in ways to make legal practice more efficient and innovative
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong awareness of what type of communication is appropriate for what audience
• Comfortable operating in both structured and unstructured environments
• Understand and articulate the business case behind decisions in matter management
• Ability to encourage and build positive relationships and communicate (both verbal and written) effectively with all co-workers and outside vendors
• Master's degree or J.D. preferred
• Formal project management certification preferred
• Experience in training, influencing, and change management a plus