Paralegal Senior Manager

Our client, a leading law firm, is seeking a Paralegal Senior Manager to join its Chicago office. This senior management position will lead a large department of paralegals and project assistants supporting approximately 500 lawyers and will be responsible for department performance, productivity, employee relations, staffing, professional development, and workflow management.
The ideal candidate will bring significant professional-services management experience, a strong record of leading sizable teams, and the ability to build trusted relationships with lawyers, administrative leadership, and staff. Experience within the legal industry and familiarity with legal-services technology are strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and strategic management of the Chicago paralegal and project assistant department, including direct supervision of the paralegal supervisor and broader oversight of department staff.
• Collaborate with paralegal and project assistant leadership in other offices to promote consistent policies, practices, and service standards while addressing Chicago-specific operational needs.
• Develop and adapt departmental plans, priorities, and processes in response to evolving resource, staffing, and operational requirements.
• Build strong relationships with lawyers, paralegals, project assistants, administrative leadership, Human Resources, and other key stakeholders.
• Serve as a trusted resource and problem solver on department operations, staffing, employee relations, and workflow matters.
• Foster a collaborative and cohesive department across multiple practice groups through regular communication, meetings, and engagement initiatives.
• Partner with department leadership, practice group heads, and Human Resources to develop short- and long-term staffing strategies.
• Forecast staffing needs and participate in the recruiting, interviewing, and selection of paralegals and project assistants.
• Oversee new-hire onboarding, integration, training, and the overall employee experience.
• Lead onboarding and training programs for new project assistant classes and oversee ongoing educational programming.
• Assess training and continuing-education needs and support initiatives designed to improve staff effectiveness, efficiency, and professional development.
• Manage the annual performance management and compensation process, including soliciting lawyer feedback, preparing performance appraisals, making compensation recommendations, and conducting performance review meetings.
• Counsel staff regarding employee relations matters, resolve workplace conflicts, facilitate performance improvement plans, and coach and develop high-performing employees and supervisors.
• Monitor lawyer feedback, productivity, utilization, and employee morale, and recommend appropriate engagement and recognition initiatives.
• Oversee technology programs supported by the paralegal and project assistant department, including graphics support; trial, hearing, and arbitration support; and specialty practice applications.
• Monitor staff utilization and productivity through monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reporting to inform workflow management and resource allocation.
• Track progress against billable-hour and utilization targets and work with lawyers and staff to balance workloads effectively across the office.
• Oversee departmental timekeeping and time-and-attendance records, ensuring compliance with applicable policies and wage-and-hour requirements.
• Handle additional departmental leadership and operational responsibilities as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• At least 10 years of experience in professional services or a related field.
• At least 5 years of management experience, including responsibility for a minimum of 15 direct and/or indirect reports.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to quickly establish credibility and productive relationships with stakeholders at varying levels of seniority.
• Proven ability to build trust and gain buy-in from lawyers and organizational leadership.
• Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive or confidential matters.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively across teams, departments, and practice groups.
• Ability to perform effectively under pressure while managing multiple projects, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• Previous experience working within the legal industry.
• Experience with legal-services technologies, including technology used to support litigation, trials, hearings, arbitrations, graphics, or specialty practices.

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Compensation

The target salary range for this role is $175,000 - $250,000 if located in Illinois.
Actual compensation may vary based on experience and qualifications.