Practice Support Manager

The Role

The Practice Support Manager (PSM) manages a group of circa 30-35 Practice Assistants (PAs) and Junior Practice Assistants (JPAs) to ensure that the Business Support operating model is achieved, and all fee earners receive exceptional and efficient support to aid and assist them in their client service delivery.

Who you will work with

The Practice Support Manager is a role aligned with a London Practice Area and will have strong relationships with key stakeholders. The PSM will have an excellent understanding of the Practice Area and groups they are aligned with and will work under the direction of the Head of Practice Support Services and the relevant Practice Area Manager (PAM) to align support needs to the firm's strategy, ensuring consistency across the London office and continually evolving the Business Support operating model and relevant processes.

The PSM will liaise with Partners and Business Professional teams, including Facilities and Business Operations, Finance, Risk and Compliance, Best Delivery, Business Continuity, IT and HR, on a range of core management support activities and best practice projects.

The PSM must be flexible and collaborate with the other PSM's to share ideas, ensure consistency, adaptability and willingness to adjust to working with different practice areas and teams, as required.

What you will be responsible for

• The PSM will be responsible for the overall service to their dedicated practice area by embedding the Operating Model with the aim of standardising the approach across all London Practice Areas. The remit will involve working closely with the Head of Practice Support Services, the aligned PAM and the Service Centre Managers (SCM) to ensure that the evolving Operating Model is reflected in the relevant Practice area.  The main areas of focus will be:

• Line Management Responsibilities for JPA/PA population.

• Recruitment in line with the Operating Model.

• Working with PAMs and the Head of Practice Support Services to own and streamline efficiencies and tasks relating to Practice Area Administration.

• Working with the Head of Practice Support Services and the London Working Capital Team on all areas of Financial and Matter Management, ensuring that fee earners receive effective support in all areas of financial discipline.

• Participating in or taking the lead in ad hoc Projects for the Head of Practice Support Services, PAMs, Best Delivery and other major stakeholders as necessary.

What you will do

Embedding the Operating Model

• Overseeing the distribution of tasks (four areas of focus – practice management, client focus, financial and matter management and best delivery) in line with the agreed standards of the operating model and regularly updating the PAM and the Head of Practice Support Services.  Ensure consistency of hybrid working across London in line with other support functions and fee earner requirements.

• Monitors business needs and headcount requirements using data from dashboards and feeding into the Head of Practice Support Services' Monthly Information Report (MIR).

• Contributing to PA headcount budgets for dedicated Practice area and feeding in to plans for the PAM and Head of Practice Support Services to deliver forecasting for resource requirements.

• Actively promotes transfers of JPA and PA support around London Practice Area teams to ensure a 1:7 fee-earner ratio is maintained, and the right team/right task ethos is followed using London Leverage and other appropriate data.

• Raises awareness and shares information on TAs, JPAs and PAs, showcasing capabilities via different forums including Town Halls, Partner and group calls etc.

• Works closely with the Legal Technology Manager (LTM) to build an understanding of new technology and to assist in the roll out of updates and new equipment/software, where PA support assistance is required.

Line Management Responsibilities

• Holds overall line management responsibility for PAs and JPAs within aligned Practice Area(s) ensuring that team members understand the expectations of their roles according to the PA competency framework, and that the team works on higher value tasks in line with the four areas of focus.  Ensures that the team understands how their roles contribute to the success of the firm.

• Manages full appraisal process in line with "3 Conversations", gathering feedback on performance, challenging views and managing expectations as needed.

• Manages the JPA and PA resources and associated work processes to ensure that fee earners are supported by a professional and efficient service. Monitors the business need requirements for JPA and PA support which will include regular communications with key stakeholders (notably partners and allocation), review of task tracking and leveraging data to determine key support requirements and managing support allocation, sometimes having to make unpopular decisions.

• Identifies each individual's skills gaps and training requirements, developing effective training and resources to upskill as needed, providing growth opportunities for JPAs and PAs with a focus on evolving the business support for fee earners.

• Works under the guidance of the PAMs and Head of Practice Support Services to share best practice and ensure JPAs and PAs attend the bite-size learning initiatives to continually develop the skills and capabilities needed to provide optimal support to their allocation.

• Assesses salary and bonus review decisions for JPAs and PAs, ensuring appropriate ratings and reward decisions are made against the competency expectations.  Feeds decisions into the Head of Practice Support Services and moderates with other Practice Areas to ensure consistency and fairness.

• Monitors and approves holiday, absence and overtime requests through a thorough understanding of business needs and with oversight of Practice Area / group resources and cost implications. Working with other PSMs and the SCM as required.

• Manages sickness absence and return-to-work discussions within the team and responsibility for management of team capability issues, HR and Occupational Health / well-being matters with support from the HR Business Partner team.

• Oversees the onboarding of and training programmes for new employees, delegating related tasks as appropriate. Works with the Head of Practice Support Services and the SCM as appropriate to standardise approach.

• Leads on Code of Conduct and Best Delivery.  Ensures appropriate knowledge is sourced and shared.

Recruitment

• Raises relevant Requisitions for recruitment with guidance from the Head of Practice Support Services in line with the operating model (TA and JPA development) and Practice Area requirements.

• Works with the Head of Practice Support Services and alongside the SCM to look at recruitment programmes and/or apprenticeships. Seeks out and recommends alternative solutions that can feed into the Service Centre and JPA / PA population, aiding diversity where possible.

• Responsibility for hiring decisions for JPAs and PAs for aligned practice areas.

Practice area administration

• Ensures delivery of exceptional customer service to the fee-earners in the dedicated Practice Area.

• Takes ownership of office management processes and activities which support the efficient running of the practice area e.g., secondments, office moves and space planning (to include discussions with partners and fee earners about space decisions), holiday management and financial management.

• Has an awareness of Best Delivery processes and projects and liaises as necessary with members of the team to support fee earners in their client service delivery.

• Maintains appropriate expenses register, ensuring that PAs work closely with Client & Market Development (CMD) so that compliance approval is sought for all applicable client entertainment.

• Supports the PAM with tasks including being a / the representative for the practice area in respect of business continuity, incident management and general health and safety compliance.

• Responsibility for ensuring JPAs and PAs support fee earners with practice compliance with all HR, Risk and Professional Standards policies and training. 

• Works with the HR Business Partner team and manages the process of scheduling lawyer and partner appraisal meetings and ensures adequate JPA and PA support in terms of producing paperwork in a timely manner.

• Ensures that PAs schedule 3 Conversation meetings for their fee-earners and supports the partner appraisal process.

Financial Management

• Full accountability for ensuring FE timesheets are completed for month end and affiliated administration is accurate and timely.

• Actively improves Engagement Letter (EL) compliance and investigates / delivers on Stage 1 and 2 delays in Intapp, liaising with PAMs and Working Capital teams as required.

• Supports all areas of commercial and financial discipline as one of the key areas of focus – actively encourages JPAs and PAs to develop in this area (producing fee updates, MRR reviews and adherence to client guidance) to reduce administrative burden on fee earners.

Projects

• With an in-depth understanding of strategic priorities identifies and implements new operational initiatives and participates and/or takes the lead on various PA related operational projects that impact fee earners, influencing key stakeholders and leading change within the Practice Areas.

• Supports the PAM and is a representative in any group specific or practice area projects as required.

• Works with Best Delivery on current and future projects, enlisting support from the team as required

Your Experience

• Experience in a similar role managing a large population preferably in a professional service environment, and have the following skills and experience:

• Exceptional customer focus with a proven experience of delivering a service through a team to stakeholders. You will have proven experience of prioritising workloads to meet deadlines with the ability to remain calm in highly pressured situations.

• Ability to manage / supervise a medium to large team including proved experience in day-to-day team management issues, recruitment and ongoing development.

• Experience of conducting appraisals and feeding into development plans.

• Demonstrate experience of promoting career development in teams and contributing to a positive learning environment

• Ability to delegate with confidence.

• Possess a critical eye in terms of accuracy and attention to detail with strong proofreading skills.

• You will have excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to liaise confidently at all levels within the firm.  You will have the ability to adapt your communication style and use influencing and negotiation techniques to ensure maximum effectiveness.

• The ability to develop strong working relationships with, and to influence, senior stakeholders

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will continually have varied opportunities to grow and develop your skills and knowledge, via formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning. 

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.

Hybrid Working

Due to the nature of this role, office attendance is required for more than our 'balanced' hybrid working policy. The expectation for this role is to be working in the office for a minimum of 60% of your time.

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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