Practice Innovation Manager

Overview:
The Practice Innovation Manager will assist the Firm’s innovation efforts in sourcing, identifying and piloting AI tools, mapped to strategic priorities of each practice and the broader firm, and contribute to defining the broader innovation roadmap, strategic agenda and portfolio.

 

The Manager will support the Firm’s efforts in evaluating, selecting, piloting, implementing, and scaling up innovative technology and tools to enhance legal operations and client service delivery.  This includes contributing to a strategic vision for the Firm’s innovation efforts and interfacing with teams across multiple groups to execute that strategy.

 

This role reports to the Director of Practice Innovation and works in close collaboration with the broader innovation and knowledge teams, Practice Group Leaders, Practice Development Lawyers, Risk, Information Security, Procurement, Enterprise Applications, Legal Project Management, Strategic Pricing, and partners and other lawyers involved in the effort to innovate legal service delivery.  The role will also work in concert with other areas of the Firm focused on innovation, including the leaders of ClearyX and Discovery/Litigation Technology.

 

The ideal candidate will be a former practicing attorney with experience in evaluating and implementing technology for direct use by lawyers in the practice, and a strategic thinker with the ability to program manage pilots, demonstrate operational excellence, practice agility and be able to ‘fail fast’ and pivot quickly, be an individual contributor, and structure and initiate change making programs within a traditional setting. We’re looking for a systems-thinker and a forward-thinking individual possessing a unique blend of legal expertise, technological fluency, program management, and a general enthusiasm for this quickly evolving space. The candidate must have a passion for technology and a vision for how technology can transform legal practice on an operational level, as well as the skills to successfully bridge the traditional world of legal practice with the evolving legal technology landscape. 

Responsibilities:
Support definition of the tech-focused innovation strategic agenda, roadmap, and portfolio, and coordinate the execution of that strategy

Design and lead technology pilots (including defining objectives, scope, timeline, budget, metrics, and success criteria), and provide support to pilot teams, working to promote iterative processes geared for continuous improvement

Source new legal technologies and work directly with vendors, by developing and maintaining external vendor relationships

Conduct periodic reviews of innovation implementations and usage, ensuring continued return on investment and recommending adjustments where applicable; maintain close contact with practice group stakeholders to monitor success of initiatives and address stakeholder concerns

Enable successful change management in adoption of new technologies, by working closely with teams to ensure adoption

Collaborate with legal teams to identify pain points, and to assess current workflows and the impact and ROI of prospective AI tools and technologies

Work with practice group leaders, practice development lawyers, and others to identify and prioritize innovation opportunities, shepherding projects from ideation through pilot, implementation, and adoption to foster digital transformation of legal service delivery

Work closely with broader innovation team to set up data and knowledge management / knowledge engineering efforts for use by prospective AI tools and technologies – establish ‘innovation readiness’

Collaborate with practice groups to ensure that innovative solutions are appropriately and effectively integrated into their workflows

Contribute to defining success for implementation of new technologies, and measuring ROI, to ensure we are achieving meaningful value from new technology investments

Coordinate with IT colleagues on security reviews and prioritize review of new technologies from a privacy, cybersecurity, and data risk perspective

Contribute to establishing internal governance for GenAI implementation (e.g. GenAI use policy and related guidance and processes)

Work closely with ClearyX and DLT to leverage advancements across all relevant parts of the firm

Stay closely aware of the latest technology developments, technology news, and the ‘latest and greatest’ in legal technology developments

Promote a culture of innovation and continuous learning within the firm (through developing best practices in change management, sharing lessons learned, internal thought leadership, and iterative process improvement)

Qualifications:
JD or equivalent advanced degree strongly preferred

Experience as a practicing lawyer serving clients and/or a minimum of 5 years of experience in legal technology, legal operations, practice management, or a related field, with a proven track record in driving innovation

Strong familiarity with legal technologies, tools, and software

Excellent aptitude to evaluate new technologies and to assess operational value

Superior written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences at all seniority levels

Excellent leadership and project management skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across functional teams

Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment

Strong client service orientation

Ability to work with a high degree of independence

Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships across all levels of the organization and work effectively with others in a collaborative manner

Excellent critical thinking skills; proven ability to devise creative solutions to problems

Additional Personal Characteristics:

A person with strong presence, a sense of urgency, and the ability to build effective working relationships with key members of the Firm

An excellent, confident communicator who is effective at all levels and who listens carefully, articulates positions clearly, and is unflappable in challenging, complex situations

An individual who leads with a ‘can do’ mindset anchored in human-centered design thinking, focusing on what users need and what can drive organizational success and enhance client service

A demonstrated ability to lead in a collaborative, consensus-driven environment

An individual who is well-organized, establishes priorities, plans realistically, and motivates others to their best performance

A demonstrated ability to work comfortably within ‘white space’ with room to design, structure and initiate new programs and processes, and progress innovative perspectives for targeted outcomes

 

At Cleary Gottlieb, all members of our community deserve respect as individuals and appreciation for the contributions they make to our community.  We champion diversity, equity, and inclusion, and creating equal opportunities to develop and succeed.

 

The base salary for this position is $220k-$280k. Actual pay is determined based on a number of job-related factors, including skills, education, training, credentials, experience, scope and complexity of role responsibilities, geographic location and performance.

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