Legal Project Manager

We are currently recruiting for a Legal Project Manager to join our team in London. The Project Management team is dedicated to providing legal project management tools, training, and support to our lawyers to enhance the delivery of our legal work, setting us apart from our competitors. Additionally, to support our most complex matters, the department provides legal project manager resources.

The successful candidate will be a qualified junior or mid-level lawyer or will have experience as a Legal Project Manager and must be hard working, enthusiastic, a team player, have a high level of initiative, and a willingness to learn. Advanced organisational skills, attention to detail, and exemplary writing skills are key. The role is permanent and will involve direct client contact; therefore, excellent communication, professionalism, and interpersonal skills are essential.

Role purpose

1. The purpose of this role is to help increase efficiency, provide exceptional client service, and increase profitability on our most complex matters through effective legal project management.
2. This position will accelerate our ability to deliver tangible financial and non-financial benefits on selected key matters (in conjunction with the legal team), and to develop, coordinate, and implement consistent best practices across our firm.
3. Working closely with Senior Legal Project Managers and lead partners, the Legal Project Manager (LPM) will assist the efficient management of sophisticated client engagements and will relieve busy lawyers of certain non-legal activities, delegating to more junior members of the PMO as appropriate.
4. The LPM will directly support those matters where management to the agreed commercial terms is critical, and where there are a large number of practice areas, fee earners, or jurisdictions involved. Support will primarily be given by supporting client teams to better manage project scope and delivery, resulting in capturing out-of-scope revenue, minimizing write-offs, and improving overall matter efficiency.
5. The LPM will help foster the integration of legal project management techniques into the culture of the firm and in specific client engagements through the utilisation of the firm's technology, the deployment of firm resources, and by helping to engineer engagement plans that result in high value to the client, exceptional client service, and high profitability for the firm.
6. The LPM will be assisting with defining and implementing legal project management best practices throughout the firm through training and tool development.

Role and responsibilities

Supporting the lead matter partner and matter manager through the lifecycle of our complex matters, specifically:

Planning Phase

• Assisting the Senior Legal Project Manager with:
• Scoping; budgeting; setting up project phases
• Preparation of project plans / timelines for internal and external use
• Coordinating matter opening process
• Identifying stakeholders and establishing a communication plan

Execution Phase

• Assisting the Senior Legal Project Manager with:
• Coordinating work effort; status reporting; liaising with clients and communicating progress; tracking scope changes
• Financial management: ongoing monitoring of fees, run rates, and other key financial metrics; regular updates to the client on fees and disbursements; review of fee-earner narratives to ensure they are to the client's agreed format
• Updating project plans / timelines
• Coordinating cross-departmental / jurisdictional activity
• Coordinating creation and execution of work plans
• Ensuring effective communication with specialist departments and counsel (internal and external); adhering to the communication plan
• Providing timely updates to the matter partner and matter manager on potential issues identified
• Risk and change management

Review & Close Phase

• Supporting the post-matter review process including updating project plans / timelines; reviewing matter finances; facilitating learning for future similar matters
• Ensuring know-how is archived
• Coordinating matter closing process

More generally

• Assisting with identifying improvements to work product and processes and supporting their implementation
• Maintaining a close relationship with support departments to communicate potential improvements to software and systems
• Introducing new working efficiencies where appropriate and coaching team
• The position will require skills in process mapping, data collection and analysis, implementing improvements, and leveraging technology and knowledge management solutions

Key requirements

• The role is suitable for a junior to mid-level lawyer from a magic or silver circle firm, who excels at matter management
• Experience as a project manager in a law firm or professional services firm on client-facing, fee-earning legal projects; management experience is a plus
• Demonstrated experience in leading and managing workstreams within complex, strategic, and large-scope projects
• Comfort with financial management
• Advanced organisational and influencing skills, flexibility, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment
• High initiative and independent judgment, with excellent troubleshooting and decision-making skills
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders
• High-level interpersonal skills for professional communication; strong facilitation and presentation skills
• Degree qualification; project management certification (e.g., PRINCE2) is desirable
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and Extranets, with strong technical skills and quick learner ability

Should you require additional support during the recruitment process due to a disability or health condition, please contact our recruitment team for assistance. We are an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or other protected characteristics. We value our people and offer a range of benefits, including pension scheme, income protection, private medical insurance, mental health resources, health and wellbeing services, parental and special leave, holiday entitlements, and more.

Our hybrid working approach combines remote and office work, requiring a minimum of 60% office presence (three days per week for full-time roles), in accordance with our policy.