Practice Management Specialist

Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm's core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals.

Practice Management Specialist

Under the general direction of the Senior Practice Manager and according to established firm policies and procedures, the Practice Management Specialist supports the Practice Management Team with daily operations, administration, and management of transactional legal practice groups to drive the strategic and profitable growth of the firm. This position works collaboratively with the Practice Management team, legal practice group and department leadership, and business professional teams on key projects to ensure coordination, effective engagement with firm resources, and high-quality execution of strategic initiatives at practice group and departmental levels.

The Practice Management Specialist will work proactively and collaboratively with lawyers and business professionals across offices, practice groups, and functional departments including Talent Management, Human Resources, Professional Development, Legal Recruiting, Marketing and Business Development, Finance, and Information Technology. This role requires strong attention to detail as well as excellent technical, organizational, written, and oral communication skills. The Practice Management Specialist maintains professionalism and strict confidentiality in all client and firm matters.

The Practice Management Specialist can be located in the Chicago or New York office.
Katten offers a hybrid work model, allowing the flexibility to work both on-site and remotely on a regular basis (KattenFlex). This will require 1-2 days onsite a week.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
include, but may not be limited to, the following. Other duties may be requested and/or assigned. Essential functions are primary job duties that an individual must be able to perform successfully with or without a reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Practice Operations and Administration

• Provide highest level of service to Practice Management team members in support of legal department and practice group leadership, attorneys, and other timekeepers.
• Support Practice Managers and Directors with the general daily administration and operations of transactional practice groups, including organization, logistics, and execution of department, practice group, and partner meeting schedule and materials.
• Assist with management of practice communications including internal newsletters, meeting agendas, minutes, and correspondence.
• Support the implementation and ongoing development of knowledge management systems and practice group resources to drive process improvement and enhance service delivery across the firm.
• Maintain practice group administrative documents and shared workspaces.
• Maintain content for practice group intranet sites, including resources, personnel and leadership updates, news and events, and calendars.
• Oversee a high volume of legal department and practice group meeting scheduling, including related logistics, hybrid (Zoom and onsite) I.T. setup, catering requests, conference room arrangements, and circulation of Outlook invitations/reminders locally and across multiple offices/time zones.
• Provide onsite support as needed for internal meetings, events, and department or practice group retreats.
• Assist with presentation materials and content development for department, practice group, and firm leadership meetings.
• Develop and maintain strong knowledge of firm operating procedures, legal department and practice group structures, key contacts and internal resources to effectively support practice operations.

Strategic Planning

• Support Practice Managers and Directors in the strategic planning process for practice groups and track the execution of plan action items.
• Assist with reporting on strategic planning progress and practice group metrics.

Financial Analysis and Management

• Develop expert efficiency with internal reporting tools to support Practice Managers and Directors with development and circulation of recurring weekly and monthly performance reporting packages.
• Assist Practice Managers and Directors with analysis of practice group financial information, including attorney productivity and profitability.
• Work closely with Practice Managers and Directors to identify trends and track progress on practice group productivity and financial goals.
• Effectively collaborate with Finance team members as needed to address reporting needs.

Administrative and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Support and coordinate cross-functional initiatives, including lateral partner onboarding, by managing communications, onsite logistics, and collaboration across numerous internal teams on behalf of Practice Managers and Directors.
• Partner with Talent Management, Marketing and Business Development, Professional Development, Attorney Recruiting, and innovation teams on related projects and initiatives, collaborating with internal stakeholders to gather and synthesize input to drive projects and strategic initiatives forward.
• Assist with additional projects and firm initiatives as requested by Practice Managers and Directors.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of four years of experience in a law firm, financial, professional services or corporate Prior law firm experience in practice management, operations or client services strongly preferred.
• Proficient in in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) with excellent formatting skills.
• Self-starter mindset: adept at learning and navigating databases, dashboards, and other firm systems.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact professionally and with discretion across all levels of the firm.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management abilities, with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy.
• Exhibit a high degree of initiative in exercising sound independent judgement and managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline driven, detail-oriented work environment.
• Proactive with troubleshooting, problem resolution, and follow-through.
• Collaborative team player who demonstrates ownership, critical thinking, and a commitment to firm goals and values.
• Able to compile, interpret, and present detailed information clearly in written, verbal, or visual formats.

In our Chicago office, the annualized salary range for this position is $80,000 to $95,000.

In our New York office, the annualized salary range for this position is $85,000 to $100,000.

Actual pay will be adjusted based on location, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law.

We offer an outstanding benefit package which includes: medical/dental/vision, 401k with employer contribution, parental leave, transportation fringe benefit program, back-up care option, generous paid time off policy and long-term and short-term disability policies.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.