Practice Manager Appellate & Constitutional Law

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies that are meticulously tailored to every matter however complex or high-stakes. The firms work is distinguished by a unique combination of precision and vision.

Gibson Dunn is looking for a dynamic contributor that is passionate about the subject matter and work of the practice and that can act as an interface not only to the partners and associates at the firm but also in client-facing scenarios.

Based in Washington D.C. or Los Angeles the Practice Manager (PM) Appellate and Constitutional Law will be responsible for supporting day-to-day business and operational tasks of the practice as well as the development and implementation of the practices strategic initiatives in collaboration with practice group and firm leadership. This individual should have a strong working familiarity with the work and procedural posture of an appellate and constitutional law practice including appellate and Supreme Court practice and procedure constitutional law administrative law and agency review and significant developments before the U.S. Supreme Court the federal courts of appeals and state appellate courts.

The PM is a key piece of the firms business services function and will join a growing practice management team collectively responsible for supporting practice leaders in the management and development of their groups. This role will be responsible for (1) strategic planning and management of the practice group; (2) driving talent management initiatives including supporting the firms free market system pipeline development and productivity goals; (3)developing practice-specific education and trainings; (4) serving as a primary contact and driver of knowledge management and client development efforts for the group; (5) serving as information conduits to support cross-department and cross-office initiatives and projects; and (6) supporting initiatives and projects in collaboration with a number of firm departments including Professional Development Marketing & Client Development Knowledge Management Communications Recruiting Diversity Career and Alumni Services Technology Human Resources and Office Administration.

Communication leadership subject matter expertise and emotional intelligence are important skills needed in this role along with an understanding of the life cycle of a matter and how attorneys practice in a law firm setting.

This role reports to the Firms Director of Practice Management US Litigation under the Chief Legal Operating Officer and will take daily direction from the Practice Group Leaders while working closely with the Firms other Practice Managers.

Responsibilities include:

Strategy & Planning

• Work with the practice group leadership in coordination with the practice group management team to develop strategic business goals objectives and tactics in alignment with Firm strategy.
• Assist in the preparation and implementation of the practice groups strategic goals and objectives as defined by practice group leadership including required coordination and execution.

Talent Management & Development

• Work with practice group leadership to manage talent across the groups including through regular assessments of firms recruiting and senior talent pipelines in coordination with Human Resources development of performance improvement plans and coordination with attorney review teams.
• Support the firms free market system from both an associate and partner perspective including by helping lawyers identify appropriate staffing for matters and opportunities for new work.
• Work to manage the associate journey for practice groups including mentorship review support low billing interventions and other career guidance.
• Work with professional development team to develop practice-specific educational trainings and CLE programming including development of core expertise developmental goals for junior mid-level and senior associates.
• Work cross-functionally with professional development and diversity departments to support and promote attorney development.

Knowledge Management

• Develop maintain and publicize in coordination with Knowledge Management and PG leadership relevant practice group materials including forms templates interpretation documents and databases. Act as the central repository for the knowledge of matters and work product developed by the practice groups including research materials publications past articles newsletters model briefs notable decisions and matter files. Coordinate and distribute periodic practice-specific updates tracking relevant legal developments for internal and external education.
• Monitor relevant legal and news developments for issues relevant to the practice groups. Circulate relevant information from these sources to the practice group and/or clients including information on their applicability to current matters.

Business Development & Marketing

• Collaborate with marketing business development and communications teams to support firms business development efforts including managing external events rankings and awards submissions client updates identification of targets for existing clients and more.

Operations & Meeting Management

• Develop agendas and drive follow-up for regular partner and group meetings.
• Manage tracking of all practice specific data including matters oral arguments and staffing.
• Work collaboratively with peers across the firms business support departments to manage initiatives and support business strategies as determined by practice groups.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and drive follow-through on execution.
• Assist with special projects as they arise.

Qualifications:

• Strong understanding of federal and state appellate practice and procedure constitutional law administrative law and U.S. Supreme Court and appellate advocacy.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication and people skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders. Collaboration and facilitation skills to work with various departments and facilitate their ability to work with each other.
• Ability to work independently and with a team and to delegate and manage resources effectively. Strong leadership skills to lead a large and geographically dispersed team.
• Exhibit high degree of initiative and critical-thinking skills in exercising independent judgment and making decisions in managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced deadline-driven detail-oriented work environment.
• Creative thinker who is open to considering multiple approaches to issues and collaborating with other leaders to develop and execute plans.
• Strong time management skills and the ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment. Able to coordinate multiple tasks concurrently and prioritize effectively.
• Excellent organizational skills including the ability to work concurrently on a variety of projects with changing priorities. Have meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with Department personnel Firm management other attorneys and staff.
• Highly motivated strategic focus: ability to understand and support Firm goals services culture and strategy to present self and the Firm in a positive professional manner.
• Understands and stays up to date on current legal market trends news and innovations.
• Exhibits high degree of initiative in managing multiple priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced deadline-driven high-stressed detail-oriented work environment.
• Strong knowledge of the legal industry the relevant laws and regulations and the best practices and standards.
• Ability to work independently to solve problems relating to both technical issues and situations involving the coordination of and collaboration with attorneys non-attorney staff and different administrative departments.

Experience:

• Bachelors degree and J.D. or Bachelor of Laws or equivalent graduate degree with strong academic credentials required.
• Minimum of 5-7 years experience directly related to the duties or skills described herein including at least two years experience as a manager of a function.
• Preferred experience in a professional services firm ideally a law firm.
• Judicial clerkship experience (federal or state appellate) preferred.

Gibson Dunn will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of local law.

Compensation & Benefits:

The annual compensation range for this position is $230000 - $280000. The salary offered within this range will depend upon qualifications and other operational considerations.

Benefits offered for this position include health care; retirement benefits; paid days off including sick time and vacation time; parental leave; basic life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts; as well as discretionary performance-based bonuses.

For technical difficulties with our online application please contact us at. Our recruiting support team will respond as soon as possible.

Gibson Dunn is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants including individuals with disabilities. We strive to ensure an inclusive and accessible hiring experience. The Firm will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable participation in the application and recruitment process unless doing so would impose an undue hardship in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application participate in an interview or otherwise take part in the recruitment process please contact us at . Please note this is a dedicated email inbox established exclusively to assist applicants with accommodation request related to the recruitment process. Inquiries about the status of an application or other non-accommodation matter will not receive a response.