Senior Manager: Practice Management (Corporate)

Mayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes. We are recognized by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do.

We are a collegial, collaborative firm where highly motivated individuals with an unwavering commitment to excellence receive the opportunity, support, and development they need to grow, thrive, and realize their greatest potential all while supporting the Firm’s client service principles of excellence, strategic partnership, commercial instinct, integrated strengths, innovation, and collaboration across our international firm.

If you enjoy working with team members whose defining characteristics are exceptional client service, initiative, professionalism, responsiveness, and adaptability, you may be the person we are seeking to join our Administration department in our New York office, as a Senior Manager: Practice Management.

The Senior Manager: Practice Management serves as the principal deputy and second-in-command to the Director: Practice Management (Global Corporate Practice). This role supports and helps to drive the effective operation of the Corporate Practice by overseeing key operational, talent, financial, strategic and related functions. Working closely with the Director, Practice leadership, and administrative teams across the firm, the Senior Manager helps execute strategic priorities, ensures consistent operational excellence, and supports the long-term, sustainable success of the Practice.

The Senior Manager plays a critical role in managing the day-to-day operations of the Practice, escalating issues where appropriate, and acting as a trusted advisor and thought partner to the Director.

Essential Functions:

• Operational Excellence
  • Partner with the Director to advance Practice and firm strategic initiatives, taking responsibility for implementation and follow-through.
  • Maintain strong working relationships with business services teams to ensure seamless support for the Practice.
  • Oversee day-to-day operational processes to optimise quality, efficiency and utilisation of technology and resources.
  • Ensure firm-wide tools and systems are effectively adopted within the Practice; identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
  • In partnership with the Director, manage the development and dissemination of operational and financial updates, plans, and communications for Practice leadership.
  • Identify operational issues proactively and recommend improvements to procedures, controls, and workflows.
  • Support the Director in preparing agendas, materials and action items for key meetings; track progress and drive accountability.
  • Perform other operational duties as needed to support Practice goals.

• Talent Development
  • Monitor attorney productivity and utilisation in coordination with HR and Legal Resources teams
  • Partner with Learning & Development to evaluate and enhance training offerings for lawyers and business professionals
  • Contribute to initiatives that promote attorney engagement, culture and community within the Practice

• Financial Management
  • Work with Accounting and the Director to ensure reliable financial reporting that supports operational and strategic decisions
  • Help review financial performance and trends with the Director and Practice leadership
  • Identify and escalate attorney business practice issues (e.g., time entry, aged WIP/A/R) and support partners in resolving them
  • Liaise with billing, eBilling, and records teams to ensure financial operations run efficiently
  • Support operational budget analysis and expense monitoring in partnership with the Director and Accounting

• Collaboration Across Teams
  • Lead or support the implementation of firm-wide initiatives within the Practice; act as the key operational liaison for cross-functional projects
  • Support change management efforts, working closely with IT, Innovation and other teams to coordinate rollout, adoption and training for new tools or processes
  • Identify opportunities to leverage knowledge management, legal project management and other business services to improve efficiency and profitability
  • Work with innovation teams to explore new technologies and drive continuous improvement

• Client Development and Market Prominence
  • Support the Director and Practice leadership in developing and executing operational components of the Practice’s strategic plan
  • Partner with Business Development & Marketing to develop and implement business plans for the Practice and its Product Areas
  • Help track progress against business plan objectives and ensure support for related initiatives
  • Assist partners with identifying and pursuing cross-selling opportunities in coordination with BD & Marketing

Education/Training/Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required

Professional Experience:

• Required:
  • Minimum of 6 years of related experience, such as business or financial management within a law firm or legal operations role
• Preferred:
  • Experience supporting delivery of legal services (as a lawyer or non-lawyer working alongside lawyers)
  • Experience of coordination or leading change in a legal or professional services environment
  • Understanding of legal industry
  • Understanding of Corporate practice and its products, including M&A, PE and Funds

Technical Skills:

• Required:
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office products and ability to learn and work in various software applications as needed
• Preferred:
  • Strong data and financial analytics skillset
  • Understanding of law firms business services operations
  • Experience of working with legal technology

Performance Traits:

• Strong executive presence
• Strong customer service skills and high degree of emotional intelligence, able to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgement while teaming and navigating a high-performance environment
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where multi-tasking and working across organizational lines is the norm
• Comfortable taking input and direction from multiple sources, synthesizing, and finding common ground to ensure key initiatives move forward
• Self-starter with a high level of initiative
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple projects
• Exercises solid strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to communicate effectively and in a professional manner with all levels of the Firm and outside vendors
• Maintains confidentiality and exercises discretion
• Able to determine and implement change processes to improve workflow efficiencies
• Process and service-oriented with strong leadership and project management skills
• Able to set priorities and delegate in an efficient manner

Physical Requirements:

• May require travel to other offices as needed