- Where
- Chicago, IL · Ann Arbor, MI · Nashville, TN · Washington, DC · Los Angeles, CA · Irvine, CA · Dallas, TX · Charlottesville, VA · Boston, MA · Baltimore, MD · Atlanta, GA
- Level
- Mid
Ankura is a team of excellence founded on innovation and growth.
Practice Overview
The Client Intake & Conflict Management team helps protect the firm, its clients, and its reputation by evaluating and resolving legal and commercial conflicts of interest associated with new matters and business opportunities. The team performs high-level client risk, reputational, high-profile, and strategic assessments; supports the client and matter intake process; and assists with requests for proposals. The function operates at the intersection of risk management, client service, and business growth, requiring sound judgment, responsiveness, and close partnership with senior leaders across the firm.
Role Overview
Ankura is seeking an Executive Director to lead the firm’s Client Intake & Conflict Management function for the Americas. This leader will provide strategic and operational oversight of the end-to-end conflicts and intake process, ensuring that conflict checks are timely, accurate, well documented, and aligned with firm policies and business priorities. The Executive Director will lead, manage and develop the Client Intake & Conflict Management team, establish strong service and quality standards, and serve as the senior escalation point when potential conflicts require judgment, stakeholder alignment, or executive-level resolution.
The successful candidate will be a visible, credible, and pragmatic leader who can operate effectively in a high-volume, fast-paced environment. This individual must be able to balance risk management with commercial realities, communicate difficult decisions with confidence and diplomacy, and build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders. The role requires a strong people leader who can create stability, accountability, engagement, and consistent performance across the team.
Key Responsibilities
· Provide strategic leadership and executive oversight for the firm’s Conflict Management and client/matter intake function, including the operating model, priorities, service standards, controls, and continuous improvement agenda.
· Lead the day-to-day conflict check operation, including oversight and processing of the conflict queue, work in progress, prioritization, escalation management, timely processing, adherence to established procedures, and maintenance of data integrity.
· Serve as the senior escalation and decision-support leader when potential legal, commercial, client, reputational, or relationship conflicts are identified and stakeholder alignment is required.
· Partner with senior business and firm leaders to frame complex issues, facilitate candid discussion, evaluate competing considerations, and drive practical, well-reasoned resolutions consistent with firm policy and strategy.
· Communicate conflict determinations, risks, constraints, and required actions clearly and credibly, including in situations where a business opportunity may need to be delayed, modified, or declined.
· Manage a high-volume and time-sensitive environment in which requests frequently carry significant urgency; establish transparent prioritization and escalation protocols that balance responsiveness, risk, and business needs.
· Review, comment and advise on engagement letter and intake documentation from a conflicts and intake perspective.
· Build, lead, coach, and retain a high-performing team. Establish clear roles, expectations, decision rights, performance standards, development plans, succession coverage, and a culture of accountability, collaboration, and service.
· Strengthen team stability and effectiveness by assessing capacity, workflow, capabilities, training needs, and engagement; implement sustainable staffing and development approaches that support retention and consistent execution.
· Ensure high standards of internal client service, including a target 24-48 hour turnaround for initial conflict checks and appropriate coverage for urgent and after-hours matters.
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