Senior Manager-Legal Operations, Strategy & Solutions

Who we are: BAL is a team of brilliant people who change lives through elite immigration work and collaborative innovation. We pursue the exceptional in all that we do, but never at the expense of our values. There’s no denying our work is demanding, both in volume and pace, but we’re up for the challenge. We love the balance of hard work and fun – so, you’ll see us in jeans as we shatter glass ceilings and conventional stereotypes. BAL employees feel valued, rewarded, and respected. We seek opportunities to be of service to others and our communities. We are committed to your growth and development and want to set you up for success here at BAL and beyond. 

Who you are: You are looking for work that has a purpose. You aren’t afraid to roll up your sleeves and get stuff done. You learn quickly. You move fast. You embrace challenge and detail as well as creative thinking. You believe you have something unique to contribute and you aren’t afraid to raise your hand. You understand that powering human achievement is ultimately about impacting a real person. You are looking for a place to grow and an environment where everyone has a spot and is genuinely welcome. 

We’re better together: A bright, driven person like you and an industry-leading powerhouse like BAL? It’s a perfect combination! We truly want to see you succeed here and become an integral part of our mission to provide an experience that makes a positive difference in people’s lives. Come be a part of something special, where you can have an impact and be valued just for being you! 

In addition to competitive pay, a discretionary annual bonus, and a supportive, team-oriented culture, we offer an outstanding benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, sick time, unlimited vacation, and 401(k) with company match. 

OVERVIEW: 

The Senior Manager, Legal Operations, Strategy & Solutions plays a critical role in optimizing the allocation and utilization of immigration-focused legal team talent and support resources across the firm. This position works closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to ensure the right resources are deployed to the right team and projects at the right time, supporting both client delivery and internal initiatives. The role requires strong analytical skills, strategic planning capabilities, and the ability to balance competing priorities in a dynamic environment. A proactive approach to resource forecasting, capacity planning, and process improvement is essential to drive efficiency and support the firm’s growth objectives.

This role requires heightened discretion and sound judgment when handling sensitive resource allocation decisions, confidential data, and strategic initiatives impacting firm operations.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Develop and implement mechanisms to monitor workload trends and forecast resource requirements to support firm growth and client demands in alignment with immigration landscape and strategic priorities. 
• Partner with executive leadership to align resource strategies with business objectives and operational goals. 
• Maintain a big-picture view of legal team trends/surge projects and proactively plan and move resources across practices to support fluctuating needs and priorities, in collaboration with People & Culture. 
• Independently collaborate with legal team leadership to strategically allocate legal resources across teams and projects for optimal utilization and timely delivery of client work. 
• Work closely with legal, operations, finance, and other support teams to align resource planning with firmwide objectives and ensure seamless coordination. 
• Manage and implement processes and protocols to facilitate seamless movement of a sizable flex team. 
• Monitor resource-related budgets, track costs, and provide recommendations to ensure efficient production and utilization of resources. 
• Identify, develop, and implement enhancements to resource management processes, tracking tools, and reporting to improve efficiency and transparency. 
• Track production and utilization metrics, prepare dashboards, and deliver actionable insights to leadership for informed decision-making. 
• Manage relationships with external vendors or contractors when additional capacity or specialized expertise is required. 
• Leverage and enhance case management and resource planning tools to streamline allocation and improve visibility across the organization. 
• Prepare and present detailed reports to executive stakeholders, highlighting the progress, achievements, and success metrics of talent model. 
• Serve as the LOMO representative on large-scale, firmwide initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and needs.  
• Liaise with various operations departments (e.g. Knowledge Management, Reporting, Products) to continuously review and improve firm processes, policies, procedures, and technology-driven solutions through a LOMO lens. 
• Maintain a detailed understanding of the immigration legal landscape, including developments that could affect or improve case delivery. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5+ years’ relevant and/or industry experience 
• Experience with resource allocation strategies and utilization reporting for high-volume transactional legal work 
• Deep understanding of proprietary immigration case management software and related reporting and analytics 
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) 
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and resource planning skills, including capacity forecasting and workload balancing.
• Ability to influence others to accept practices and approaches, and ability to communicate and influence executive leadership.
• Proactive and client-service focused. 
• Acute attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret data and provide actionable insights.
• Strong organizational skills.

WORKING CONDITIONS: 

• Able to sit and work at a computer keyboard for extended periods of time.  
• Able to stoop, kneel, bend at the waist and reach on a daily basis. 
• Able to perform general office administrative activities: copying, filing, delivering and using the telephone.  
• Able to lift and move up to 25 pounds occasionally. 
• Regular and on-time attendance. 
• Must be able to prioritized, schedule and complete testing required for multiple applications with overlapping schedules.  
• A certain degree of creativity and flexibility is required.  
• Hours may exceed 40 hours per week.  
• Occasional travel by conventional means including aircraft, motor vehicle and the like within the region and to other locations as required.  

Note: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities or qualifications associated with this job. 

Berry Appleman & Leiden is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of BAL to ensure an equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, alienage or citizenship status, marital status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law. BAL prohibits and will not tolerate any such discrimination or harassment.