Legal Operations Specialist III

Legal Operations Specialist III Location: Oklahoma City, OK, US The Legal Operations Specialist III is a fully qualified, career-level contributor responsible for independently managing and advancing core legal operations functions across matter management, outside counsel billing, reporting, workflow administration, and legal technology. This role applies comprehensive knowledge of legal operations processes and systems to resolve a wide range of issues, drive operational improvements, and deliver reliable, high-quality results with minimal supervision. The Legal Operations Specialist III serves as a primary point of expertise within the team, assists more junior staff with aspects of their work, and contributes meaningfully to the department's operational effectiveness and strategic goals. Professionalism: Exhibit professionalism, sound judgment, and a collaborative, service-oriented approach; serve as a dependable resource for colleagues and internal partners. Cultivate strong working relationships across the Legal Department and with key internal and external stakeholders, including outside counsel, Accounts Payable, Information Technology, and Information Governance. Apply and continuously deepen expertise in legal operations functions, tools, and processes; assist more junior team members with aspects of their work. Provide regular updates to the supervisor on project status, operational issues, and recommendations; operate with minimal day-to-day supervision. Handle sensitive legal, financial, and business information with strict confidentiality and professionalism. Core Responsibilities Matter Management and E-Billing: Independently manage the administration of the department's matter management and e-billing platform (currently Legal Tracker), including matter records, vendor and firm data, user access, and system configuration, ensuring data integrity and compliance with department standards. Review and resolve outside counsel invoice compliance issues, applying comprehensive knowledge of billing guidelines, rate schedules, and budgets; elevate issues requiring senior judgment or policy decisions. Maintain and improve data governance practices within Legal Tracker; identify and remediate systemic data quality issues. Develop and produce matter and spend reports, including customized analyses, to meet department needs; identify trends and surface findings to senior staff. Manage relationships with Accounts Payable and outside counsel on billing operations, coordinating resolution of complex invoice and payment issues. Outside Counsel Billing and Spend Management: Manage outside counsel invoice review and payment operations, exercising independent judgment to evaluate and resolve compliance issues and applying comprehensive knowledge of billing standards, rate schedules, and budget guidelines. Analyze spend data to identify trends, risks, and cost containment opportunities; prepare analyses and present findings to senior staff and department leadership as directed. Maintain and improve vendor and billing records; monitor outside counsel performance against billing guidelines and elevate systemic issues. Support the preparation of budget variance analyses and assist in developing data to inform outside counsel management decisions. Reporting and Data Analysis: Develop, maintain, and continuously improve operational reports and dashboards, translating data into clear, actionable insights for department leadership. Ensure the accuracy, consistency, and integrity of all reporting outputs; establish and maintain standardized data definitions and documentation. Proactively identify data quality issues and implement corrections; recommend enhancements to reporting processes and data governance practices. Manage the timely collection of timekeeper information and other department data inputs, resolving issues independently and escalating persistent non‑compliance. Project Intake and Workflow: Independently manage the department’s project intake and workflow platform, including routing, triage, and performance monitoring against service expectations. Exercise independent judgment in handling complex or novel intake situations; recommend and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and responsiveness. Analyze intake and workflow data to identify patterns, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities; present recommendations to senior staff. Legal Technology: Serve as a subject matter resource on the department's legal technology platforms; independently manage system administration, user support, and routine maintenance. Support technology implementation and enhancement projects, including requirements documentation, testing coordination, training support, and change management activities. Evaluate system features and updates; recommend adoption of enhancements that improve department efficiency and data quality. Assist in assessing new technology tools and solutions as directed by senior staff. Department Operations and Continuous Improvement: Drive operational efficiency by identifying process gaps and inconsistencies, recommending improvements, and implementing solutions within scope of authority. Lead assigned components of the annual budgeting process, including financial data collection, consolidation, and variance analysis. Lead or significantly contribute to operational projects and department initiatives, managing assigned workstreams with minimal supervision. Partner with Information Governance to ensure data retention and compliance practices are followed; recommend enhancements as needed. Education, Experience, and Qualifications Required Bachelor's degree in business, finance, information systems, paralegal studies, or a related field plus 3+ years of professional experience in legal operations, legal billing, legal technology, or a related field; or associate's degree in a related field plus 5+ years of professional experience in legal operations, legal billing, legal technology, or a related field; or in lieu of a degree, 7+ years of professional experience in legal operations, legal billing, legal technology, or a related field. Comprehensive knowledge of legal operations processes, including matter management, outside counsel billing, legal technology administration, and department reporting. Advanced Excel skills and ability to work with complex datasets; experience producing analytical reports and dashboards. Demonstrated ability to manage complex operational processes independently, identify issues, and develop practical solutions. Strong analytical skills and ability to translate data into meaningful insights for department leadership. Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver results with minimal supervision in a dynamic environment. Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to build relationships and work effectively across functions and seniority levels. Ability to handle sensitive legal, financial, and business information with strict confidentiality and professional judgment. Preferred: Demonstrated experience as a system administrator or primary user of Legal Tracker or similar e‑billing and matter management platforms. Experience with outside counsel billing standards (LEDES, UTBMS), accruals, and rate management. Experience with legal intake or workflow tools. Experience supporting or leading technology implementations, system upgrades, or user adoption efforts. Familiarity with Power BI, Tableau, or similar data visualization tools. Experience with ERP or accounts payable systems. Familiarity with CLM or document management systems. Love's is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Veterans encouraged to apply. #J-18808-Ljbffr Loves