Chief Operating Officer

Position Summary

Founded in 1977, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. is one of the nation’s largest and most respected labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Clients range from Fortune 50 corporations to small local businesses, with no one client representing more than 2 percent of the Firm’s revenues. With administrative operations centered primarily in Greenville, South Carolina, the Firm has more than 1,050 attorneys in 60 offices in 32 US states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, and in Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

For the 14th consecutive year, the Firm has been recognized as a “Law Firm of the Year” in the U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” publication. For 2025, the Firm has been named “Law Firm of the Year” in Employment Law – Management. Only one law firm is named in each nationally ranked practice area. In addition, 44 of Ogletree Deakins’ 50 U.S. offices earned Metropolitan Tier 1 rankings across multiple labor and employment law categories.

In addition to firm honors, individual Ogletree Deakins attorneys received the following recognition:

• 60 attorneys are Fellows in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
• 83 attorneys are ranked in Chambers USA 2024.
• 318 attorneys are listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2025.
  
  

The Firm is governed by a nine-person Board of Directors which is led by the Chair (Managing Shareholder), who is elected annually until reaching the earlier of eight years in the position or age 65. Two Managing Directors report to and support the Managing Shareholder. Board members are elected to staggered three-year terms and are eligible for two consecutive terms. A five-member Compensation Committee, also led by the Chair, is elected (except the Managing Shareholder) for one-year terms (with a maximum of six years). The culture of the Firm is entrepreneurial, collaborative, hardworking, professional, and open.

Ogletree Deakins has made significant investments in upgrading its operational infrastructure in technology, finance and accounting, operations, client relations, human resources, and legal information services, and is increasing representation of large national and global clients while maintaining its strong position with many local and regional clients. The Firm plans to continue to expand through growth of existing offices and opportunistic acquisitions of practices and partners

in selected domestic and international offices.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) reports to the Firm Managing Shareholder and serves as a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. The COO will manage all functional areas of business operation including Administration, Finance, Information Technology, Knowledge Management & Innovation, and Talent. They will collaborate on firmwide strategic planning, drive implementation and execution, and help ensure that overall business goals and objectives are achieved. The COO works closely with the Managing Shareholder, the Executive Committee, the General Counsel, the Board of Directors and other operational and office leaders of the Firm.

We are fully committed to the importance of diversity within the legal profession, as well as all workplace environments. Equal Opportunity Employer.

Requirements

• A minimum of 10 years of experience serving in senior-level business operations leadership roles in sophisticated law firm or other professional services firm environments with multiple locations; Additional experience with business locations in Canada, Europe, and/or Mexico preferred;
• Demonstrated success managing, mentoring, and developing a team of top-tier professionals and leading all functional areas of business operations; extensive background driving continuous improvement, innovation, and optimization;
• Exceptional business acumen, strategic financial and analytical skills, and experience driving institutional, market, revenue, and profitability growth; the ability to synthesize data, decipher trends, and extrapolate to broader business goals, and to develop, implement, and communicate operating and business plans and programs from broadly stated objectives;
• Demonstrated experience leading high-level teams in areas including but not limited to administration and facilities, client services and business development, finance, IT, knowledge management and innovation, and talent;
• Exceptional financial acumen with the ability to analyze and make recommendations regarding high level budget, cost, and investment decisions;
• Experience and understanding with programs related to timekeeping, billing, and accounts receivable, including Aderant and Intapp;
• Strong drive, “can do” attitude, entrepreneurial spirit, and results-orientation; willingness to “roll up one’s sleeves” when necessary and lead by example;
• Outstanding interpersonal skills; able to lead through influence rather than control and to create consensus-based support for business strategies and decisions;
• Superior presentation, writing, and verbal communication skills; the ability to interact credibly and diplomatically with all levels in an organization and external parties, tailoring effectively for different groups and stakeholders;
• Demonstrated history of successful process and project development and management; strong ability to prioritize and manage multiple operational projects simultaneously;
• Ability to develop, lead, inspire, and provide strategic direction to team members, and to hold team members accountable;
• Innovative and strategic thinking to bring new and creative ideas to the Firm and to encourage innovation by other team members;
• Strong organizational skills, follow-through, and attention to details;
• Experience with and strong ability to lead meetings and conduct effective presentations;
• Ability to create and manage meaningful change and participate in process improvement and project management initiatives;
• An undergraduate degree in business administration or a related field is required; MBA and other advanced degrees preferred.
  
  

Benefits

Ogletree Deakins offers a robust suite of benefits for our Staff including: Paid Time Off, Paid Sick Leave, a 401(k) matching program, Profit Sharing, Paid Holidays, Paid Parental Leave, affordable Health and Life Insurance including Dental & Vision coverage, Health Savings Account /Flexible Spending Accounts to help offset the cost of dependent care and/or health care expenses, Tuition Reimbursement and an Employee Assistance Program.

Contact Information

All interested applicants should apply directly to Sarah Mitchell at smitchell@thealexandergroup.com. Please do not apply directly to Ogletree's Career Portal.

Firm Overview

Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Best Law Firms® has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for 14 consecutive years. In the 2025 edition, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Litigation – Labor and Employment category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 1,100 attorneys located in 59 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, including many of the Fortune 50 companies in the U.S.

We are fully committed to the importance of diversity within the legal profession, as well as all workplace environments.

Equal Opportunity Employer.