Senior Practice Manager

We are always seeking talented, motivated, growth-minded, and creative individuals. Our firm is committed to providing employee support and advancement, while embracing inclusion and innovation as keys to a stronger future.

We invite you to explore the position below and to submit your application to join our team!

The Firm is organized into legal Practice Departments comprised of Practice Groups.  The Senior Practice Manager for each Department plays an active role in developing, managing, and executing strategic and tactical initiatives to help advance business goals. 

The Senior Practice Manager works with the other members of the Practice Management Team to support the Department Chair and the Practice Group Leaders (PGLs) and is responsible for the daily execution of the business operations of the practices, as well as supporting strategic planning for their departments as assigned. The Senior Practice Manager is a liaison to the PGLs and works with other firm legal and administrative groups to support the practice groups’ goals related to marketing and client development, financial performance, talent management, partner support, and firm-wide strategic initiatives. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Work with PGLs and practice team leaders to develop strategic business goals, objectives, and tactics in alignment with the firm’s strategy.

• Work collaboratively with peers across the firm’s business support departments (e.g., Business Development, Client Experience, Legal Talent, Finance & Accounting, Innovation, Information Technology, Human Resources) to manage initiatives and support business strategies as determined by the Department and Practice Groups.

• Under the direction of the Practice Director and in partnership with Business Development, lead the development and implementation of Department and Practice Group annual business plans; work with PGLs and other partners to execute tactical steps to accomplish goals and objectives of the plans.

• Confer with the Practice Director, PGLs, and practice team leaders to determine recruiting/hiring needs for the practices.  Provide onboarding and integration support to junior associates and lateral attorney hires.

• Oversee the billable and pro bono assignment process for practice group lawyers as needed and collaborate with other colleagues in Practice Management to address cross-staffing needs.

• Monitor attorney workloads and productivity and identify associates for performance intervention as well as for advancement opportunities.

• Work cross-functionally to manage and promote attorney development and diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives.

• Work with Practice Group and practice team leaders, as well as with Professional Development colleagues to plan and conduct formal training programs for lawyers as needed.

• Review and analyze monthly financial reports on utilization, inventory, alternative fee arrangements, budget, and other key performance indicators, raise trends and highlights of analysis to Practice Director to ensure optimal practice performance, and recommend trends to share across Practice Management to ensure alignment and leveraging of practices that are beneficial cross-firm.  Work with colleagues in Finance to address specific reporting needs for the Practice Groups and practice teams.

• Plan, organize, and support Department and Practice Group meetings and retreats, including coordinating with appropriate administrative departments, preparing, and communicating agendas and materials, and developing and executing action items.

• Collaborate with attorneys, IT, Innovation, and Business Intelligence teams to
  define, implement, and maintain appropriate knowledge management systems. Partner with other leaders in Practice Management to identify best practices and how to implement across the entire team.

• Communicate and coordinate Practice Group support staff needs for paralegals and other non-attorney timekeepers and legal practice assistants with Human Resources and Office Administrators.

• Facilitate communication across Practice Group to proactively identify areas for process improvement and partner with Practice Director to develop solutions consistent with internal best practices; identify and act on opportunities for implementation of best practices across all Practice Management teams.

• Ensure Practice Group receives adequate technical support in all services areas, including Finance, Business Development, and Library Services for appropriate technology procurement to support emerging work and projects.

• Formulate an expense budget for approval by senior management and track expenditures to ensure they are within approved budget guidelines, recommending corrective action as needed.

• Oversee practice management support personnel and provide regular feedback and development opportunities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Professionalism, integrity, sound judgment, and discretion regarding sensitive and confidential matters.

• Ability to work independently as well as on a team with minimal supervision and to collaborate effectively across administrative departments and practice groups in all offices.

• Demonstrated success with strategic and cross-team planning, with the ability to independently take concepts from design through to successful implementation and ongoing execution.

• Service mindset and the ability to take the initiative, think critically, identify, and solve problems, and marshal appropriate resources.

• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships and gain the trust of the attorneys and professional staff. Ability to influence senior-level decision makers through thoughtful analysis and demonstrated understanding of business needs.

• Strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks and to execute with an attention to detail, even when under pressure.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Awareness and understanding of business processes and ability to identify areas for process improvement to develop and implement best practices.

• Motivated self-starter who is has been successful working in a high performance, fast-moving, dynamic environment.

• Ability to delegate appropriate tasks to the Practice Management Coordinator and Assistant.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite is preferred, as well as an ability to quickly learn and utilize additional technology solutions.

• Flexibility and a positive attitude.

Education and/or Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (JD, MBA) is a plus; a combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the job may be considered.

• Minimum of eight (8) years’ experience in a law firm or other professional services firm strongly preferred.

The Firm will comply with any applicable city or state workplace mandates in effect in regards to Covid-19. 

This position description is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of the job.  The statements contained in the position description are not necessarily all-inclusive and additional duties and responsibilities may be assigned as determined by business needs.

This position description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

By applying for this position, you agree and understand that Troutman Pepper Locke will process your Personal Information pursuant to the terms of our Worker and Applicant Global Privacy Notice. If you have questions about our data handling practices, or you are a resident of California, the United Kingdom, or the European Union and wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at privacy@troutman.com. 

Equal Employment Opportunity
Troutman Pepper Locke adheres to a policy of equal opportunity and will make all employment decisions, which include hiring, promotion, transfer, demotion, evaluation, compensation and separation, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, pregnancy, citizenship, disability, genetic information, marital or armed forces status and any other classification as protected by law.

Compensation is dependent on several factors, such as position, location, education, training, and/or experience.