Head of Practice Management for US DR

Overview of the Function

The Dispute Resolution (DR) Department's fee earning population is comprised of associates reporting to partners across several sub-practice teams. The DR group is made up of litigation, investigation, and international arbitration lawyers. On occasion, associates from bankruptcy or ACT work on DR matters and vice versa. The DR department also includes several practice support functions, including the Managing Attorney's Office, paralegal support, and an eDiscovery team.

The position reports directly to the Practice Group Leader, with a dotted line to the US COO.

The role is supported by a practice resource coordinator, as well as a secretary which will be shared by others.

Role summary/purpose of job

The Head of Practice Management, US will serve as trusted advisor and operational chief to the US DR Practice Group Leader and will support and advise all US DR partners. The person in the role will have primary responsibility for management and coordination of budgets and resources within US DR and will work directly with practice group leadership to drive profitability, accountability and operational efficiency.

The role will liaise with global practice group leadership and regional and global heads of business services functions to support the practice group's goals associated with financial performance; growth; operations and resourcing; talent development; knowledge and innovation; and other strategic areas of focus.

Key responsibilities and deliverables

Strategic Planning

• Collaborate with Practice Group Leader, partners and other key stakeholders to develop practice group strategic plan with clear and achievable goals focused on revenue, profitability, headcount, reputation, brand awareness, profile and competitive differentiation. Will coordinate on reporting against practice group strategic plan.
• Employ data collection and analysis to drive strategic initiatives and operational decision-making. Identify gaps and design solutions to support growth of business. With Practice Group Leader and Finance and Marketing and Business Development (MBD) colleagues, develop and measure key performance indicators to assess the effectiveness of practice group strategic initiatives and expenditures.
• Collaborate with MBD on strategic initiatives and ensures alignment of resources. Participate in key strategic projects (e.g., capacity analysis, market intelligence, competitor analysis).
• Track progress and assist, as required, with implementation of practice group strategic plan and individual partner business plans.
• Support the lateral partner recruiting and integration process and serve as a liaison for lateral partners.

Financial Reporting and Budgeting

• Collaborate with Finance colleagues to analyze practice group financial performance; report regularly on key performance indicators, make recommendations for appropriate actions to improve group financial progress, monitor progress and execute on related action items.
• Support Practice Group Leader in developing and monitoring the annual budget. Take primary role in monitoring the practice group's operational expenditures.
• Identify opportunities for operational efficiency and cost management.

Practice Support and Operations

• Provide operational oversight of practice group support functions (e.g., paralegals, eDiscovery, Managing Attorney's Office) to ensure optimal delivery of legal services.
• Collaborate with business services departments (e.g., Legal Recruiting, Learning and Development, Talent Development, D&I, HR, IT, Knowledge, Legal, etc.) to ensure appropriate support for the practice group.
• Identify opportunities for improvement, innovation, and efficiency in business operations, matter management, infrastructure, methodologies, and develop solutions and plans for corresponding action.
• Promote innovation within the team by providing direction and input into ways of working, resource management, and use of technology.
• Provide input and collaborate on design and implementation of different operating models for resourcing.
• Oversee knowledge program and precedent management system.
• Oversee development and delivery of practice group training programs.

Talent Recruitment and Development

• Support the Practice Group Leader and partners in building high performing legal teams.
• Oversee associate work allocation and associate utilization with support of practice management coordinator.
• Work closely with Recruiting on all lateral associate and counsel hiring including preparation of business cases for lateral hires and advising on headcount needs.
• Oversee process for lateral attorney integration.
• Work closely with Recruiting and Talent on associate rotations.
• Collaborate with Talent Development, HR and partners in delivery of annual performance appraisals.
• Escalate utilization and performance issues. Work with partners, HR, and other business services departments to appropriately manage associate and counsel performance.
• Facilitate professional development and career progression of associates and counsel, collaborating as appropriate with talent development committee, DR partners, and regional and global business services departments.
• Support the Practice Group Leader in annual partner/counsel promotion process.

Internal Communications

• Collaborate with MBD to prepare talking points and materials for DR Board and other DR-wide or firm-wide updates.
• Oversee development and coordination of practice group meetings.
• Work with Practice Group Leader to develop agendas for partner-counsel meetings.

Pay and benefits

For individuals assigned and/or hired to work in New York and California or reporting to someone in those states, Freshfields is required by law to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role.

This compensation range is specific to the States of New York and California and takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $300,000 to $350,000.