Senior Legal Project Manager

The role

The purpose of this role is to be a senior leader in the Legal Project Management (“LPM”) team, which is part of the Law& team at DLA Piper. The Law& team at DLA Piper includes project, process and technology experts that work with all global teams to deliver efficiency, tech solutions and process improvement to enhance our client offering and increase competitiveness. The LPM team is client facing and acts as a key relationship partner between the wider Law& function, the business services function, our lawyers, and our clients bringing together the best combination of people, processes and technology to deliver some of our largest and most complex legal projects more efficiently.
LPM is already well established and tested within the firm and the LPM team works alongside lead Partners across DLA Piper International to deliver legal project management activities and advise on best practice in relation to matter management.

The focus of the LPM team is to drive and implement significant change by focusing on delivery, process improvement and innovation, to increase efficiency and provide excellent client service on the most complex matters through effective legal project management. This is an exciting time to join the firm as developing more efficient ways of working lies at the heart of the firm’s current strategy.

A successful candidate will demonstrate experience in four key areas: 

• firstly, to be recognised as an excellent practitioner with a track record of delivering major projects in a law firm or other professional services context
• secondly, to be an ambassador for the Law& function with a proven track record in delivering holistic solutionsthat include effective problem solving, deployment of suitable technologies and business change management
• thirdly, to have provided strategic leadership to a team or function in a professional services organisation (ideally Management Consulting); and
• fourthly, to have experience interacting and effectively communicating directly with a variety of clients all the way up to the C-suite

The Senior LPM will report into the Head of LPM along with the other Senior LPMs forming a leadership team to further develop the LPM capability, methodology and best practice in order to meet the evolving demand of the firm and our clients. In addition, the Senior LPMs will have line management responsibilities for LPMs and Legal Project Analysts (LPA). 

You will work closely with lead Partners and their teams to lead the project management activities and to co-ordinate delivery of the legal work to meet the clients’ needs. This will involve client contact from the outset to define and document scope, advice on and set-up of internal matter management structure and governance, resourcing and budgeting, tracking transaction and financial progress, managing risk and identifying efficiencies throughout the life of the project. 
This role will be based in a specified office, but the Senior LPM may be expected to travel as and when required as part of their role.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as an ambassador for the Law& internally and externally as well as promote the services of the Law& team as well as those of other Service Areas as part of a holistic solutions-based approach
• Provide supervision, development, and support to the LPM and LPA community as required
• To be responsible for a specific workstream or sub-function of the LPM team
• Quickly understand and interpret legal working processes through discussions with lawyers in order to develop delivery solutions
• Working alongside the lead Partner and core legal team to support on project delivery
• Manage client relationships and serve as a primary point of contact for clients, maintaining regular communication to understand their needs, expectations, and feedback throughout the project lifecycle
• Coordinate work effort, scoping, pricing, planning, fee monitoring and reporting, status reporting, liaising with clients (where agreed), tracking scope changes, liaising with specialist departments and potentially other DLA Piper offices
• Articulate delivery approaches and solutions supported by LPM effectively in proposals and pitches
• Assess and implement Legal Project Management tools where appropriate, to set up, track, and report on the status of each project
• Proactively and continuously review requirements and determine the best way to deliver the outputs required using the right people, processes, and technology
• Analysis of work product to identify tasks that could be done by different/more suitable resources
• Roll out improvements and solutions through coaching and training sessions
• Identify and propose to the central management team any future needs and identified improvements to the firm’s systems and approach
• Support the monitoring of the LPM team’s financial and overall performance and putting in place corrective measures where required to ensure targets are met and quality ensured
• Develop strong working relationships with other departments and teams including Finance

ABOUT YOU
Technical:

• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant experience leading a variety of projects and strategic initiatives in a professional services environment such as law firms or management consultancies
• Excellent written and verbal communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrably strong stakeholder management skills and experience working with senior stakeholders
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience working in a leading role that is client-facing
• Very financially aware and numerate
• A solid understanding of and ability to apply all common project/program delivery methodologies and approaches. Relevant project management qualification (e.g. Prince2, PMP, Agile) is an advantage but not 
• essential
• An analytical and strategic mindset
• Experience with undertaking business analysis and delivering business change into an organization
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in business, social sciences, legal studies, or another relevant area
• Technologically savvy – ideally familiarity with common legal technologies (e.g., HighQ, Legatics, Kira) but requiring at least advanced working knowledge of common IT applications, particularly Excel, Outlook
• PowerPoint, and Word
• Experience of working in a large international organization is an advantage but not essential
• Experience of working in or knowledge of the legal sector is an advantage but not essential

Behavioural:

• Ability to quickly prioritise between competing demands and multitask where required
• Capacity to adjust and thrive in evolving situations, demonstrating flexibility in approach and mindset
• Aptitude to inspire and guide teams, driving motivation, and fostering a positive work environment
• Capability to handle conflicts and disagreements constructively, fostering positive outcomes and maintaining relationships
• Capacity to understand and empathize with others’ perspectives and needs, enhancing communication and collaboration
• Customer-focused attitude with a desire to always deliver outstanding service both internally to our lawyers as well as externally to the client
• Team player who will work within and be part of a collegial and rapidly growing international team
• Ability to maintain poise and patience under pressure
• Forward-thinking, strategic growth attitude, and an opportunistic mindset focused on long-term team success
• Capacity to bounce back from setbacks and challenges, maintaining composure and determination in the face of adversity
• Ability to grasp requirements and tasks quickly and work either autonomously or leading a team
• Capacity to think innovatively and generate novel solutions to complex problems, driving continuous improvement and differentiation

This job description is not designed to be exhaustive and can be varied, as required, to develop or fulfil the role of the Senior Legal Project Manager

ABOUT US
DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers and business service professionals located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES
In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collabrativeo – we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold – we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional – we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.

Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

HYBRID WORKING
We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That’s why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING
In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.