Firmwide Paralegal Manager

Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals.

Firmwide Paralegal Manager

The Firmwide Paralegal Manager is responsible for the management and supervision of all paralegal team members, including paralegals, project assistants and other legal support staff. The Firmwide Paralegal Manager collaborates with practice leadership, attorneys and Practice Managers to ensure adequate paralegal staffing and support for the firm’s clients and matters. The Firmwide Paralegal Manager maintains professionalism and strict confidentiality in all client and firm matters.

The Firmwide Paralegal Manager position can be located in either the Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York or Washington, D.C. office. Katten offers a hybrid work model, allowing the flexibility to work both on-site and remotely on a regular basis (KattenFlex).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include, but may not be limited to, the following. Other duties may be requested and/or assigned. Essential functions are primary job duties that an individual must be able to perform successfully with or without a reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Collaborate with practice groups and attorneys to efficiently and appropriately direct paralegal resources and provide exceptional service to firm clients.
• Manage paralegal and legal support staff work allocation, project planning, delegation and coordination of workflow.
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with all firm policies, procedures and best practices by paralegals and legal support staff.
• Develop and maintain paralegal and legal support staff experience and expertise database.
• Monitor utilization, hours and availability. Address gaps in expertise and drive improvements in utilization through strategic and cross-practice staffing.
• Monitor time entry, attendance and overtime.
• Review and/or prepare reports on paralegal productivity and elevate productivity issues to appropriate firm management teams.
• Develop, maintain and/or advise on procedures and process improvements for routine paralegal and project assistant responsibilities.
• Collaborate with HR and Practice Management on all aspects of performance management for paralegals and legal support staff including overseeing the annual review process, providing informal or off-cycle feedback and addressing performance issues as needed.
• Advise and participate in annual compensation process for paralegals.
• Track court and administrative rules, notary procedures, other regulations or professional codes of conduct or rules and procedures related to paralegals or legal support staff.
• Support paralegal and legal staff recruitment by vetting resumes and interviewing prospective candidates.
• Lead paralegal and legal support staff onboarding, integration and training for new hires. Develop and maintain training materials.
• Support paralegal and legal support staff transitions and exits, identifying staffing needs and coordinating coverage as applicable.
• At the request of practices or attorneys, manage recruiting and engagements of contract paralegals and legal support staff. Track agency or contract paralegal time reports and invoicing.
• Develop and administer a training curriculum for paralegal professional development. Manage third-party professional development programming.
• Review and approve all vendor invoices for matter-related expenses incurred by paralegal team members.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervises the work activities of Paralegals, Project Assistants and other legal personnel. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the firm’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing and training; planning, assigning, and directing work; monitoring time reports; scheduling and approving overtime; providing input into the performance appraisal process; addressing complaints; and assisting in resolving problems.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree and ten or more years progressive work experience in a legal practice area preferably in a law firm or legal department environment; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience supervising the activities of a work team in a large legal or professional services firm is required. Knowledge of and experience working with methods of legal research and ability to use law library are required.
• Knowledge of the principals of judicial and administrative processes, filing requirements, legal terminology and documentation processes, docketing procedures and transactional closing procedures are a plus. Paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited paralegal program a plus.
• Must be proficient and have experience utilizing technology such as Westlaw and other legal research tools and legal technology databases, including litigation support software (Concordance, Summation, LiveNote), Excel, Outlook, and MS Word preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills. Ability to communicate with courtesy and diplomacy, efficiently follow written and verbal instructions, provide information, and maintain effective relationships with a diverse group of attorneys, paralegals and legal support staff, business professionals, vendors, and other outside contacts.
• Supervisory skills necessary in order to interact and communicate with peers/subordinates, provide instruction/direction/training, determine work priorities, and coordinate the activities of a work team. Dependable team player who works collaboratively and cooperatively with others in a team-oriented environment. Ability to act independently and make decisions within scope of the position’s responsibilities.
• Excellent organizational skills including record keeping, data collection, and system information. Ability to compile and analyze complex data and furnish concise, detailed information in report format, written correspondence, e-mail, or verbally.
• Proactive with excellent troubleshooting, problem resolution, and follow-through skills. Ability to organize, prioritize, and oversee numerous tasks from inception to completion (including the tasks of Project Assistants and Paralegals), and ensure work is completed within strict deadlines.
• Exhibit high degree of initiative and critical-thinking skills with the ability to act independently in order to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, detail-oriented work environment, and make decisions based upon results of research.
• Ability to occasionally retrieve and distribute files, written documentation and copies, or office supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Work occasionally requires more than 37.5 hours per week (35 hours per week in the New York office) to perform the essential duties of the position.
• Occasional travel to other firm locations may be required on short notice.

In our Chicago office, the annualized salary range for this position is $150,000 to $200,000. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.

We offer an outstanding benefit package which includes: medical/dental/vision, 401k with employer contribution, parental leave, transportation fringe benefit program, back-up care option, generous paid time off policy, and long-term and short-term disability policies.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.