About the job
Merchant & Gould , one of the nation's premier intellectual property law firms, is seeking a Litigation Legal Support Manager. The salary range for this position is $90,000 - 110,000.
Summary of Position (hybrid):
To provide daily workflow coordination to legal assistants, paralegals and attorneys, as well as guide the firm's training program for litigation support staff.
Responsibilities:
Supervises legal assistants and paralegals supporting the Litigation Practice Group, providing day-to-day leadership, direction, coaching, and support to promote high performance, accountability, engagement, and professional growth.
Oversees litigation support operations and coordinates staffing, attorney assignments, workflows, and workload distribution to ensure appropriate coverage, efficient use of resources, and consistent delivery of high-quality client service.
Partners with the Practice Group Leader s and Human Resources to assess and forecast staffing needs for new and active matters, address capacity concerns, and develop appropriate staffing and support solutions.
Establishes and monitors standards for quality, accuracy, timeliness, responsiveness, and client service, and serves as an escalation point for complex workflow, staffing, and litigation support issues.
Oversees support-team compliance with litigation procedures, court rules, filing requirements, docketing processes, and case deadlines, coordinating with attorneys and other firm resources as appropriate.
Collaborates with Training and Technology Adoption Manager and leads onboarding, training, professional development, and cross-training initiatives for legal assistants and paralegals; identifies skill gaps and develops programs and resources to strengthen team capabilities and ensure consistency in practices and procedures.
Manages employee performance and development, including setting expectations and goals, providing ongoing feedback and coaching, completing performance evaluations, developing improvement and development plans, and addressing performance concerns in partnership with Human Resources.
Partners with Human Resources on recruitment, selection, onboarding, retention, career development, succession planning, employee relations, and other people-management matters affecting legal assistants and paralegals.
Monitors team capacity, productivity, utilization, and billable and non-billable hours; analyzes trends and implements workflow, staffing, technology, and process improvements to enhance efficiency, service delivery, and operational effectiveness.
Promotes effective use of firm-approved technology, systems, and resources and identifies opportunities to improve litigation support processes through technology, automation, standardization, and other operational improvements.
Manages relationships with outside vendors and service providers, including court reporters, trial consultants, and contractors, and oversees the quality and delivery of contracted services.
Performs administrative management responsibilities, including reviewing and approving timecards, time off requests, vendor invoices, and related items in accordance with firm policies and procedures.
Maintains a strong understanding of the firm's litigation practice, business and strategic objectives, client service expectations, and operational priorities and aligns legal assistant and paralegal support accordingly.
Demonstrates sound judgment, discretion, professionalism, collaboration, and respect in interactions with attorneys, staff, clients, vendors, and other stakeholders, and maintains confidentiality of sensitive personnel and client information.
Performs other duties and projects as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required: 10+ years of litigation support experience in a law firm or comparable legal environment, with substantial experience supporting attorneys through all phases of litigation.
5+ years of experience supporting intellectual property litigation, with…