Senior Legal Project Manager – GFM

Company Description

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.

Alongside world-class legal careers, Clifford Chance offers excellent opportunities in the support functions that underpin its business operations. By joining our Business Professionals team, you will help us to innovate in the way we deliver our services and enable us to run a successful multinational business that never stands still.  Business Professionals are integral to the running of the firm and are critical to its success.

Job Description

The role

Clifford Chance US is seeking a full time Senior Legal Project Manager to play a key role in delivering complex legal services within the Americas Global Financial Markets (GFM) practice. The Firm has embedded Legal Project Management to various practice areas focusing on continuous improvement and innovative technology to enhance client outcomes. This role will be located in our New York office and reports to the Practice Area Manager – Global Financial Markets with a dotted line to the Director of Legal Project Management.

The Senior Legal Project Manager will be responsible for strategically planning and building demand in the GFM practice area, deploying resources, and implementing best practices for large mandates. Additionally, the role will actively participate in client matters, track workstreams, manage budgets, and enhance the client experience through efficient project management. This role requires bringing new ideas and expertise to navigate a rapidly evolving legal landscape.

Responsibilities:

• Support partners and senior stakeholders in complex matters with the opportunity to drive, deliver and implement outstanding project management.
• Responsible for developing and coaching project management best practices.
• Assist and attend client pitches, providing a compelling explanation of how the firm will effectively manage the project to time, cost and quality.
• Assist with the preparation of all project initiation documentation – such as preparing scope, resourcing and budget proposals for relevant matters or workstreams and then tracking progress against those proposals.
• Dissect problems and processes and apply logical and analytical approaches to solving them.
• Influencing stakeholders (across a range of roles and seniority) to change and adapt their ways of working.
• Explain theoretical concepts to senior stakeholders, including clients, and be comfortable amending your delivery approach and style.
• Manage effective planning over the short, medium and long term, then execute against those plans, such as documenting minutes, actions and tracking workstreams. 
• Continually assess and understand where issues are and how they can be addressed and then provide and implement pragmatic solutions to ensure the programme moves forward.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of best practices, tools, and processes that enhance the efficiency and quality of our legal services
• Identifying risks, such as conflicting deadlines, or a lack of skills, and then provide alternative solutions to mitigate the risk.
• Monitor accruals and manage the project against agreed budgets including scope change.
• Responsible for influencing and integrating new ways of working to improve service delivery.
• Responsible for allocating project management work and tasks for specific matters to the appropriate resources within the Legal Project Management function.
• Advise and engage with legal technology tools available, to provide support to effici