Conflicts Attorney

Thompson Hine LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm consistently recognized for our Innovation, Inclusion, and collaborative culture, is seeking a Conflicts Attorney to join our Cleveland office. As a member of the firms Risk Management group, the primary responsibility of this position is to perform due diligence research as part of the law firm New Business Acceptance workflow. This includes identification and resolution of ethical and business conflicts of interest, as well as identifying business risks from accepting new work. Additionally, the Conflicts Attorneys and Conflicts Specialists are expected to perform a wide variety of business intake functions, including opening matters, performing data changes, communication with attorneys and legal secretaries, and more. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES This position reports to the Director of Business Intake Services and will require close interaction with fellow Business Intake Services colleagues, as well as the Director of Business Intake Services, Office of General Counsel, Firm management, Firm attorneys, firm legal secretaries, Legal Recruiting staff members and others. Conflict Analysis: Perform conflict searches within the firm’s Conflict management database software, to return potential conflicts of interest. Analyze the conflict search results to identify potential conflict situations, requiring application of the Rules of Professional Conduct for all jurisdictions in which the firm practices. Conduct research using a variety of database searches, including but not limited to Dun & Bradstreet, OpenCorporates, Lexis Diligence, as well as search engines and other tools. Research will include retrieving corporate family tree information amongst other risk identification and mitigation purposes. Analyze each new transaction to determine the relationship of the parties, review names against the conflict database, conduct any necessary research and request additional information from the initiating lawyer when necessary. Responsible for obtaining and parsing additional information from lawyers on potential conflict situations, for new business. This will include augmenting prior conflict searches. Responsible for verifying that all searching is complete, consistent and accurate, adhering to established standards and procedures for all conflicts of interest searches performed firm-wide, and creating an accurate judgment about the existence of ethical or business conflicts presented by the proposed new work. Guide the conflict resolution process which will include in-person, verbal and electronic communication with many lawyers and may include draft preparation of conflict waivers and/or ethical screens. Responsible for storing conflict waivers and ethical screens in a standardized manner for subsequent retrieval. Assist in review of all new business requests prior to Practice Group Leader (“PGL”) approval for assistance in identifying red flags and ensure matter quality matches established policy. Assist with recommending and implementing new procedures for analysis of conflicts of interest searches performed by the department. Contribute to improving processes, procedures and technological advancements to provide optimal client service and efficiency. Play an active role in related dialogue and discussions. Work well under the pressure of tight deadlines, competing priorities, and be willing to seek out help from teammates, supervisor and Office of General Counsel as needed. In addition, this position must be willing and able to deliver unwanted news to our clients, as certain proposed work may not be permissible from a risk management perspective. Assist with performing the above new business acceptance steps for potential new hire attorneys, many of which will bring a large book of portable and non-portable clients and matters which necessitate timely review and resolution of many conflict searches simultaneously. Additional Duties (as required): Client and Matter Number Entry. Data Clean-Up projects and research. Data Changes. Provide training to colleagues on department procedures and the implementation thereof. Work with other Team members to help team to evolve, grow, and comply with deadlines and time-sensitive issues. Actively participate in all projects assigned to the Business Intake Team. Other projects and duties as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS Education, Training and/or Experience J.D. required or 5+ years of relevant Compliance or Due Diligence experience. Experience with risk management, conflict analysis, compliance, due diligence or related work. Prior legal training with knowledge of database search strategies. Minimum of 2 - 3 years of prior law firm or related Compliance or Due Diligence experience in a related area. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Individuals must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities, or be able to explain or demonstrate that the individual can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodations through some other combinations of skills and abilities. Knowledge of Word, Excel and other Microsoft applications. Proficiency in online research, including the ability to perform complex searches in Dun & Bradstreet, Bureau van Dijk, Lexis Diligence and other resources. Excellent customer service skills and telephone etiquette are mandatory. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Attention to detail and accuracy. Knowledge of conflict of interest principles that includes the ability to define relationships and related parties within the Conflict of Interest system as well as the ability to interpret Hoovers or related data for this purpose. Ability to recognize and complete the necessary steps needed for effective conflict resolution. Ability to establish and meet deadlines and shift work priorities accordingly. Possesses interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow instructions effectively from a diverse group of clients, attorneys, and staff and is a team player. Ability to handle tasks under pressure. Ability to adjust work schedule to work other hours, as required. Growth mindset to enhance emotional intelligence, empathy and an understanding of inclusion and belonging practices that support managing and collaborating across differences. Compensation is determined upon the market in which the position is located, the responsibilities of the position, the experience and skills of the applicant, and other job-related factors. The estimated salary range for this Cleveland position is $84,000 to $105,000. Thompson Hine LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer that offers competitive wages, and a robust benefits package. Benefit offerings include, but are not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as Paid Time Off (PTO). #J-18808-Ljbffr