Practice Area Manager - Litigation

JOB TITLE: Practice Area Manager – Litigation STATUS: Non-Exempt Type: Full Time Smith Anderson is a well-established and dynamic mid-size law firm, providing top-tier legal services to clients across a range of industries. We value a collaborative, innovative, and an inclusive culture. We are looking for a Practice Area Manger to join our litigation team.

The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, proactive, and thrive in a setting that demands accuracy, efficiency, and strong communication skills. The Practice Area Manager is a new position to support the growing litigation group at Smith Anderson, named Benchmark Litigation’s Firm of the Year for litigation for seven straight years.

The Practice Area Manager will coordinate and oversee scalable processes related to intake, billing, matter administration, and technology use.

Responsibilities include

helping establish workflow standards and processes, administering quality control standards, and recommending improvements to team workflows, work product, and processes. Success in this role requires collaboration, strong execution and client service skills, sound judgment, attention to detail, discretion, and effective communication.

Primary Responsibilities: Coordinate the day-to-day efforts of the practice group team to support attorneys, all team members, and clients efficiently and effectively. Assist with setting workflow standards and processes for team members related to intake, billing, case tracking, and case management. Assist with coordinating team assignments and tracking deadlines to help workflow smoothly.

Assist with matter- and task-level billing tracking to improve insight and client communications around budgeting and case expenditures. Assist with the implementation of technology tools and developing standards and practices for the use of those tools within the department. Identify opportunities for collaboration and shared resources and initiatives within the litigation team.

Administer quality control standards for practice group work product and processes, and recommend improvements as needed. Compile and create documents for the litigation team vault. Work with the professional development team, the Training & Education Committee and Litigation Practice Group leaders to identify training needs and coordinate training to meet the needs and professional development goals of litigation attorneys and other professionals.

Evaluate performance metrics and identify process improvement opportunities. Collaborate across functions to establish consistency and optimize performance, including working with Operations, Litigation Technology, Innovation, Finance, Lawyer Development and lawyers, paralegals, and administrative assistants in the litigation team.

Identify and address additional operational needs and opportunities for growth within the litigation team. Help all litigation team members, and all colleagues interacting with the litigation team, to solve problems and elevate performance. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum of five years of experience in a law firm or legal department. Working knowledge of case intake, conflict check, and new matter procedures. Demonstrated experience coordinating assignments and implementing quality control standards. Strong organizational and communication skills, and proficiency with Microsoft Office and legal practice management software.

Education

Bachelor’s degree minimum or equivalent related work experience. Paralegal Certification preferred. Smith Anderson is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and maintaining a diverse work force. It is the policy of this Firm to recruit, hire, train, develop, promote, and compensate employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, genetic information, disability or covered veteran status.