Practice Manager

Wilson Elser is a leading defense litigation law firm with more than 1400 attorneys in 46 offices throughout the United States. Founded in 1978, we rank among the top 100 law firms identified by The American Lawyer and 36 in the National Law Journal’s survey of the nation’s largest law firms. 

The Position:

This position serves as a strategic business and operational leader supporting the firm’s Practice Teams and Practice Chairs. The Practice Manager will drive business planning, marketing and thought leadership initiatives, attorney engagement, operational effectiveness, and cross-functional collaboration across the firm. This individual will partner closely with attorneys and firm leadership to enhance practice visibility, support talent and professional development initiatives, improve internal processes, and help execute strategic priorities that strengthen overall practice performance and growth. The ideal candidate is a highly organized, analytical, and relationship-driven professional with strong law firm experience, executive presence, and the ability to manage multiple initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities:

• Leading the development and execution of each Practice Team’s business and marketing plans


• Conducting market research and competitive intelligence for the practice teams and relevant geographic markets


• Developing and driving the team’s thought leadership initiatives, including client alerts, client insights, 50-state surveys, webinars, and other materials


• Creating targeted, high-quality collateral such as fact sheets, brochures, and other marketing materials


• Ensuring attorneys maintain current, compelling, and client-ready bios


• Proactively identifying and securing opportunities to raise the visibility of our attorneys and the firm (speaking engagements, writing opportunities, industry platforms, etc.)


• Managing the Practice Team’s meeting cadence, including regular all-team meetings and one-on-one meetings with the Chairs; building agendas and driving higher attendance and engagement


• Assist in managing their Practice Team quality initiatives


• Liaising with Recruiting to track open requisitions, communicate needs, follow up on interviewer feedback, and ensure timely candidate follow-up


• Collaborating with IT and Knowledge Management to promote adoption of AI, new tools, and technologies


• Liaising with the Professional Development team and Practice Chairs to identify,  develop, and drive participation in relevant training programs


• Reviewing all Practice Team reports, extracting key insights, and presenting them to the Chairs and at team meetings


• Managing and promoting the Practice Team Intranet sites


• Identifying practice-specific write-off and write-down trends and recommending solutions to address them


• Managing and participating in the onboarding processes for practice team attorneys with regards to Practice Team onboarding


• Participating in integration programs for lateral and promoted partners            

Qualifications:

• 5–10 years of progressive experience within a law firm environment, with a strong understanding of legal industry operations and practice group dynamics.


• Proven experience partnering closely with attorneys, practice group leaders, and firm leadership to support strategic business and operational initiatives.


• Demonstrated background in practice group administration and law firm management, including coordinating cross-functional initiatives and driving team engagement.


• Strong executive presence with the ability to effectively interact with senior leadership, attorneys, and key stakeholders across the firm.


• Experience collaborating with departmental leaders and firm-wide functional teams, including Recruiting, IT, Professional Development, and Knowledge Management.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience developing professional communications, presentations, reports, and marketing-related materials.


• Analytical and process-oriented mindset with the ability to assess trends, identify opportunities for improvement, and support strategic decision-making.


• Highly organized professional with strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Why Should You Apply? 

• Benefits: Outstanding benefits package, including 401k match and generous PTO plan


• Career Growth: Ample opportunities for professional development and advancement


• Employee Perks: Access to corporate discount plans and other benefits

Wilson Elser welcomes submissions of candidates for our open positions exclusively from recruitment agencies with an active, signed fee agreement who have been granted access to a position through our dedicated Recruitment Agency Portal. We are unable to consider submissions from recruitment agencies without a current (dated as of 7/1/2024) agreement in place. We appreciate your understanding. For collaboration inquiries or to establish an agreement, please contact us at [email protected].

Wilson Elser is committed to a collegial work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.  It is the Firm's policy that employment will be based on merit, qualifications, and competence. Further, employment decisions will be made without regard to an applicants race, color, age, sex, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, physical or mental disability, status as a victim of domestic violence, sex offenses, or stalking, past or present service in the uniformed services or application or obligation to serve in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

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California Residents may review our CCPA notice for applicants and employees here.

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