Legal Process Improvement Manager

We are currently recruiting for a Legal Process Improvement Manager to join our team in London tosupport building the firm's capability in legal process improvement. This will include providing support for the creation of a framework to identify, design, implement, monitor and measure process improvement projects across practice groups.

Legal Process Improvement is a team within Advanced Delivery & Solutions. Our aim is to transform the way A&O Shearman delivers its services and improve outcomes for the firm, our people and our clients. Our role is to:

• Work with practice areas to identify Legal Process Improvement projects. Prioritise opportunities that improve fee-earner experience, client experience, and profitability and market position.
• Deliver legal process improvements end-to-end utilising Advanced Delivery & Solutions technology and resourcing
• Promote and facilitate the use of Advanced Delivery & Solutions by practice groups through Innovation Leads
• Facilitate and support the practice areas to adopt solutions and new ways of working for the long term

Role and responsibilities
Provide support to Legal Process Improvement in:

• Managing end-to-end Legal Process Improvement projects including adoption and change management
• Analysing data and hypothesising areas for improvement
• Working with practice groups to analyse legal services and target areas for improvement
• Create strong business cases for change
• Seek and gain sponsorship from senior stakeholders
• Review legal work as a process, from end-to-end using process improvement methodology
• Facilitate workshops to gain stakeholder input, buy-in and understand where issues and constraints lie
• Identifying root causes and where Advanced Delivery can help
• Ideate and develop new solutions
• Manage subject matter expertise from practice areas and Advanced Delivery & solutions
• Support matter teams to pilot, learn and adopt new ways of working
• Lead the design of the support structures required to change culture and ways of working for the long term
• Measuring the effectiveness of the improved processes, refining as necessary, and monitoring medium to long term effectiveness
• Facilitate change by leading adoption campaigns

Team

• Working closely with practice groups to identify, analyse, design and deliver legal process improvement
• Day-to-day deep working relationship with Advanced Delivery & Solutions departments to understand their services so that they can be imbedded within legal processes
• Provide feedback to Advanced Delivery & Solutions on services (process, resourcing and technology) that they should deliver to maximise their usefulness to practice groups

Key requirements

• Strong consultancy skills gained from either working internally or through formal consultancy experience
• Desirable to have Lean Six sigma training and accreditation, Black Belt preferable
• Robust experience of working in a professional services environment, leading delivery of multiple operational excellence, lean or business transformation projects
• Experience working on legal process improvement and change management, incorporating new technology and digital processes
• Strategic thinker, able to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data and quickly draw conclusions and recommendations
• Self-starter that possesses a high degree of initiative and independent judgment with excellent troubleshooting, decision-making, and follow-through skills
• Proven ability to manage multiple work-streams and projects at once, delivering tangible results across multiple change/transformation projects either for external or internal clients, ideally within a law firm or in house legal
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail and a focus on delivering results
• Strong technology skills with a good working knowledge of MS Excel, Visio and Project
• Excellent organisational, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment
• Strong influencing, ability to build consensus and buy in at all levels and flexes style appropriately
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders
• High-level interpersonal skills to facilitate communication in person, by email, and telephone with professionalism and diplomacy
• Very strong facilitation and presentation skills

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing an onsite gym, wellbeing centre and GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, holiday entitlement increasing with length of service, holiday trading, season ticket loans and online discounts and lifestyle management services.

Our approach to hybrid working seeks to combine and maximise the benefits of effective remote working with the benefits of being in the office. Our current hybrid working arrangements require office based working for a minimum of 60% of your time ( i.e. three days per week for a full time role ) in accordance with our hybrid working policy.