Practice Area Manager – Litigation & Dispute Resolution

The role

Clifford Chance US LLP seeks a dynamic and strategic, full time Practice Area Manager to support the Litigation & Dispute Resolution (L&DR) practice across the Americas region.

The Practice Area Manager (PAM), alongside its respective Regional Practice Area Leader (RPAL), drives and implements practice strategy, connecting the strategic agenda with operational delivery. It leads, coaches and influences a variety of fee earning and Business Professional stakeholders at all levels to drive performance. It champions commercial discipline within the Partner community by driving practice financial health and commercial performance.

The PAM delivers its remit by providing strategic support to the RPAL and its Partner population. It works closely with its counterparts in the Corporate and GFM practices in for the Americas to support overall regional strategy implementation, integration and align ways of working.

This position reports to the Regional Chief Operating Officer- Americas and the Global Practice Area Manager – L&DR, offering a unique opportunity to influence and shape the strategic direction of the practice across the region.

Key responsibilities

Strategic Advisor

• Assist in developing and executing and implementing practice area priorities and business initiatives aligned with Firm strategy.

• Project manage the delivery of the practice strategy implementation program.

• Provide direction and coordination to the Business Professionals teams supporting the practice area in the Americas, ensuring that their objectives and activities are aligned with the wider Firm objectives.

• Act as a strategic advisor to the RPAL and key stakeholders, supporting practice area oversight and leadership engagement. Ensure senior stakeholders have the necessary information for effective decision-making.

• Develop and refine agendas for Partner meetings, all-hands meetings, and other key discussions, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

Commercial Performance & Awareness

• Manage the Americas L&DR business planning process, budget and forecasts for all aspects of the practice P&L relating to gross profit, working closely with the Global Practice Area Manager and Americas Finance.

• Monitor practice performance against the agreed targets, flagging risks and opportunities to practice leadership. Develop action plans to support individual Partners to improve commercial performance.

• Champion commercial discipline within the Partner community by driving awareness of practice financials and profitability drivers. Collaborate with Finance to support the delivery of Commercial Awareness Framework interventions into the practice, delivering practice-specific training as required.

• Hold visibility of overall working capital position for the practice working closely with Finance. Collaborate with Finance on key risk areas and work with Partners on the resolution of escalated issues.

• Collaborate with Commercial Advisory (Finance) to connect pricing expertise to Partners, providing input and advice as required. Implement the regional pricing governance matrix, e.g. approving write offs.

Practice Area and Operational Management

• Work closely with the RPAL, HR and Finance on the business case for new fee earners (including lateral hires), aligned to strategy and affordability parameters.

• Prepare candidate slate, nomination forms and submissions for non-equity partner and equity partner promotions, working in collaboration with HR.

• Work closely with the RPAL to develop Partner retirement and succession plans, in consultation with HR.

• Support the RPAL with the development of unit and bonus proposals during the annual and biennial review processes.

• Track utilization and work distribution, providing process improvements as needed.

• Promote the engagement of matter delivery support teams (e.g. Legal Project Management, Legal Tech Transformation, Delivery Centers) to encourage adoption of best practice within the practice.

• Ensure that appropriate business continuity and practice-specific risk management processes are in place.

• Coordinate practice area partner meetings and retreats.

• Fulfil role in travel and expenses authority matrix.

Your experience

• 7-10 years of practice management experience in a law firm or professional services firm.

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, accounting, finance, or project management preferred, MBA a plus.

• Proven ability to develop advisory relationships with senior stakeholders, influence decision-makers, and drive strategic outcomes.

• Strong understanding of financial planning, budgeting, and resource allocation, and working capital management, with experience optimizing commercial performance.

• Demonstrated expertise in process improvement, legal project management and operational efficiency within a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, prioritize competing demands, and navigate complex personnel and business challenges.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to coordinate across teams, break down silos, and facilitate internal and external engagement.

• Strong command of Microsoft Office and other relevant technology tools used for practice optimization, performance tracking, and data analysis.

• Ability to operate effectively in an international firm with a global mindset and cross-jurisdictional considerations.

• Ability to work outside the core business hours as needed.

• Must be able to adhere and comply with the Firm's Agile Working Policy which requires employees to work from the office at least three days each calendar week.

• Must be independently authorized to work in the United States.

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Clifford Chance US LLP offers a comprehensive benefits and compensation package. The salary range for this role is $260-300k. Actual salary will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and relevant experience.

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm.

Find out more about our inclusive culture here.

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