Legal Client Services Manager
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Client: Top-Tier Global Law Firm (Confidential)
Position Overview
Our client, a leading global law firm serving major financial institutions and companies worldwide, is seeking a Legal Client Services Manager. This is a unique opportunity to drive operational excellence and innovation within a high-profile disputes practice.
As part of the firm’s global Legal Project Management (LPM) function, you will oversee the end-to-end delivery of complex matters, streamline workflows, and implement client-facing innovations, including data visualization and Power BI dashboards. This role is pivotal in guiding local counsel teams, leading strategic financial analysis, and collaborating across Finance, Billing, and Business Development functions.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership: Collaborate with leadership to strengthen the firm’s legal operations and LPM capabilities, influencing Partners and lawyers to adopt best practices and LPM principles.
Operational Management: Manage the full lifecycle of legal matters, including arranging kick-off and steering meetings, defining scope, and validating project milestones and deliverables.
Financial Oversight: Manage matter budgets and financials, tracking progress and escalating changes in scope or budget to ensure effective corrective action. Collaborate with legal teams to draft budget proposals and track actuals against estimates.
Process Improvement: Utilizing lean principles, contribute to the continuous improvement of LPM methodology, governance, and training. Lead post-project reviews and “lessons learned” workshops.
Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary interface for project stakeholders, including clients, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and third-party vendors. Build strong collaborative relationships between the firm’s legal teams and local counsel across jurisdictions.
Innovation & Tooling: Utilize project management tools to draft artifacts such as project plans, risk logs, and status reports. Support the creation of LPM collateral for bids and pitches to highlight the firm’s innovative service delivery.
Team Management: Provide line management and mentorship to junior team members and provide LPM guidance and training to lawyers and clients.
Qualifications & Experience
Experience: 5+ years of relevant work experience, including client-facing roles. Significant experience managing project teams and supporting complex, multi-jurisdictional matters in a dedicated project management capacity is required.
Education: Strong academic record required; a Law Degree or relevant Postgraduate Degree is advantageous.
Certification: Formal project management qualification is essential (e.g., PMP, APMG).
Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Project) and Power BI is required. Knowledge of extranets, e-billing software, and legal tech tools is expected.
Core Competencies:
Excellent financial analysis skills with an understanding of law firm performance metrics.
Strong change management experience.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated ability to negotiate with and persuade senior business stakeholders.
. . . Pay Statement and Pay Transparency Laws: rate of pay listed is on a per hour basis. You will be entitled to health insurance once employed for 60 days and you must work 30 hours per week, on average, per month to enroll and maintain health insurance through Complete Staffing Solutions. Once both qualifiers are met you must complete the enrollment packet and your benefits will start on the first of the subsequent month. . . It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, veteran status, ancestry, national or ethnic origin or any other legally protected class. We are committed to a diverse workforce. We value all employees’ talents and support an environment that is inclusive and respectful. We are strongly committed to this policy, and believe in the concept and spirit of the law. #ZIP