Legal Project Manager

Overview

Cleary Gottlieb is a pioneer in globalizing the legal profession. We have 14 offices in major financial centers around the world, but we operate as a single, integrated global partnership and not as a U.S. firm with a network of overseas locations. The firm employs approximately 1,100 lawyers from more than 50 countries.

Since 1946 our lawyers and staff have worked across practices, industries, jurisdictions, and continents to provide clients with simple, actionable approaches to their most complex legal and business challenges, whether domestic or international. We support every client relationship with intellectual agility, commercial acumen, and a human touch.

The Legal Project Manager ("LPM") will work alongside practice groups, legal matter teams, and partners to provide strategic and operational support across project management, staffing, budgeting, profitability analysis, and client communications. The LPM will play a central role in enhancing client service, streamlining the delivery of legal services, driving process innovation and efficiency, and maximizing matter profitability.

This role reports to the Senior Manager of Legal Project Management, and will contribute to the development and scaling of a global Legal Project Management function at the Firm. This includes helping to define its structure, demonstrate its value, and embed project management discipline across practices and offices.

Responsibilities

Matter-Level Project Management

• Apply established project management methodologies to plan, lead, and coordinate matter deliverables through written communications (including workstream trackers, project plans, and budget estimates), team meetings, and regular updates to lead partner(s), matter team members, and clients.
• On all matters to which the LPM is staffed, the role will involve substantial engagement in the following areas:
  • Scoping and Budgeting: Define matter scope and develop budgets, including monitoring legal spend, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), and profitability, in close collaboration with the Financial Reporting team and Practice Development Lawyers (PDLs).
  • Staffing and Resource Allocation: Support matter staffing decisions and facilitate clear team communications regarding roles, responsibilities, and workstreams.
  • Time Entry and Data Integrity: Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and compliance of time entries with client billing guidelines, and support the harnessing of time entry data for matter analytics and reporting.
  • Client Service Delivery: Serve as a point of coordination to ensure the matter team is meeting client expectations regarding quality, responsiveness, and deliverable timelines.
  • Task and Timeline Management: Develop and maintain project plans, track milestones, and proactively identify and escalate risks or bottlenecks.
  • Matter Closure and Post-Matter Review: Facilitate post-matter reviews, document key learnings, and ensure insights are captured and disseminated to improve future matter execution.
  • Client Feedback: Gather and synthesize client satisfaction information and data to inform continuous improvement.

Strategic and Functional Development

• Act as an internal consultant focused on continuous improvement by performing process analysis, gathering learnings, refining workflows, and advising on the innovative use of technology and tools for matter management.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on project planning, scoping, fee estimating, budget preparation, fee and scope management, and status reporting.
• Develop and maintain budgeting materials, project management templates, and playbooks for use in managing active and incoming matters and in business development efforts (e.g., pitch materials and RFP responses).
• Collaborate with PDLs, the Financial Reporting team, and other professional staff to develop and leverage these materials.
• Work in close collaboration with PDLs to ensure alignment on the upcoming stages and needs of each matter, coordinating LPM and knowledge management support as appropriate.
• Contribute to the adoption and optimization of legal technology platforms (e.g., matter management tools, collaboration platforms, and data visualization solutions) to enhance matter delivery and reporting.

Training and Change Management

• Identify and address legal project management training needs across the Firm, including the development of intranet resources, delivery of departmental sessions, and one-on-one coaching for partners and associates on project management principles and tools.
• Support change management efforts related to the adoption of new processes, tools, and ways of working.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• JD or Master's degree (preferably in finance, accounting, business, or a related field) is a plus.
• A project management certification (e.g., PMP, Lean Six Sigma, PRINCE2, or equivalent) is a plus.
• At least 3 years of legal project management, practice management, or legal operations experience at a law firm; experience at a large or global firm strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, AFAs, and profitability analysis in a legal services context.
• Exposure to legal technology platforms (e.g., matter management systems, HighQ, Brightflag, iManage, or similar tools) is preferred.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Proficiency or willingness to develop skills in data visualization and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
• Comfort with technology adoption and a continuous learning mindset, with an eye toward identifying and implementing tools that enhance matter management and client service.
• High-impact written and verbal communication skills; comfortable commanding a room to drive project success and secure stakeholder buy-in.
• Poise and sound judgment; ability to manage competing priorities across multiple matters simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with global teams, including partners, associates, and professional staff across offices and departments.
• Willingness and ability to operate across a wide range of tasks such as strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to hands-on troubleshooting and detail management.
• Creative and resourceful thinking; ability to identify issues early and implement practical solutions.
• Exceptional time management, prioritization, and decision-making capabilities.
• Strong desire to help build and grow the LPM function, contributing to its visibility, credibility, and impact across the Firm.

The estimated base salary range for this position is $140,000 to $160,000 at the time of posting. The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of job-related factors, including skills, education, training, credentials, experience, scope and complexity of role responsibilities, geographic location, and performance. This role is exempt meaning it is not overtime pay eligible.

Cleary provides a comprehensive benefits package, including health care benefits. More information can be found here: Benefits

We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination based on any category protected by law. Cleary provides reasonable accommodations to enable otherwise qualified employees to perform the essential functions of their position, provided the accommodation does not pose an undue hardship to the Firm.

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