Description

Under the direction of the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, the Director of Legal Operations, assumes a wide range of responsibilities, all of which require critical thinking, innovation, and integrity. The Director, Legal Operations manages key processes that are critical to the Legal and Enterprise Compliance departments including the e-Billing system; billing procedures and practices; department measurement and benchmarking; and supporting the management of law firms and other legal and compliance service providers. This position is also responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of administrative responsibilities within the department, as well as the direct daily supervision of the administrative team members.The Director, Legal Operations is a strategic leader who identifies, designs, implements, and reinforces the processes and systems using Lean for Law techniques that allow the Legal and Enterprise Compliance departments to run smoothly and provide stellar service to internal and external customers. This position is responsible for technology solutions, vendor relationships, monitoring counsel spend and rate tracking, special projects, and helps build the Legal and Enterprise Compliance departments’ strategy, structure, and culture. This role helps manage costs, while fostering a culture that values excellence, teamwork, respect, and recognition. This position works across practice areas within the Legal and Enterprise Compliance departments and other support functions to enable the efficient and effective delivery of legal and compliance services to our government and enterprise partners.This role develops strong relationships with internal constituents including Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology and Procurement. This role also requires a high-energy, business-oriented and self-motivated individual with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and experience in in-house Legal and Enterprise Compliance departments operations. The Director, Legal Operations works efficiently and independently in a fast-paced environment, communicates clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing, manages high volumes of tasks and projects with little guidance. The Director reacts with appropriate urgency to situations and events that require a quick response or turnaround, takes effective action without knowing the whole picture, thinks creatively and strategically, exercising strong judgment, and is proactive and innovative in solving problems.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

1. Responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and administrative services functions for the assigned Legal and Enterprise Compliance departments, monitoring administrative support to attorneys and managing the department's budget.  Responsible for the development and implementation of office policies, protocols and procedures. Utilizes leadership skills and knowledge of law firm operations, to manage department operations.

2. Utilizes Lean for Law and Legal Project Management (LPM) techniques for critical projects in collaboration and partnership with stakeholders from Finance, Information Technology, Procurement, and other departments as necessary to support legal systems, process management, and performance reporting.  Plans, leads and coordinates deliverables through written communications (plans, schedules and budgets), team meetings and regular communications with the attorneys and relevant stakeholders.

3. Oversees the preparation of department operating expense budget and monitors legal spend, billing rates and budget status.  Coordinates with the Finance department to submit office expenditures and invoices in a timely manner.  Works with the attorneys to manage the Legal and Enterprise Compliance department's finances, vendors, and outside counsel spend.

4. Uses innovation and strategic thinking to design processes improvements for increased efficiencies to ensure effective operation of the ebilling function.

5. Manages day-to-day legal and compliance operations requirements, including matter management, document management, invoicing management, and reporting.

6. Collaborates with attorneys, and others (as required) to define matter scope, identify work tasks, estimate time/duration, assign resources, prioritize tasks, define dependencies and risks, and manage performance against goals.  Ensures the smooth operation of the department, as well as the direct daily supervision of the administrative team members.  Schedules and attends regular check-in project team meetings; prepares notes and follows up on action items.  Proactively manages changes in matter, scope, work plans, and budgets, as needed.

7. Assists in the preparation of, monitors, and tracks the Legal and Enterprise Compliance department objectives. Creates metrics and trends on key data points aligned to Chief Legal and Compliance Officer’s key objectives and strategic plan. 

8. Supports the Legal and Enterprise Compliance departments in long-term capacity plan regarding resource needs and allocation by improving operational performance, efficiencies and managing outside counsel spend.

9. Participates in industry government and corporate legal operations roundtables, industry benchmarking studies, and create and maintain a network to provide best practices recommendations to Chief Legal and Compliance Officer. 

10. Identifies and implements legal department tools, such as e-billing, intellectual property management, contract management, information governance, and legal research tools to streamline new or existing office practices, and provide support to legal team members.  Uses Artificial Intelligence-powered contract review services in their day-to-day operations.

11. Performs other duties as assigned to support the efficient operation of the Legal and Enterprise Compliance departments.

12. Assumes other responsibilities, duties, tasks and assignments that contribute to the mitigation or response to any public health emergency.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws.   Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring and training employees; planning, assigning reviewing and directing work; evaluating and appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.  Makes hiring decisions and designs individual development plans with succession planning in mind for all key roles.

Requirements

Education/Experience/Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Law Office Administration, Management, Paralegal Studies, or related field is required.
• Master's degree in Law Firm Management or related field is preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience hiring, leading and managing team members, including conflict resolution, coaching, development, and motivation is required.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience with an existing legal operations function, building or running legal operations capabilities from conception to completion with documented success including experience with technology trends.
• Equivalent combination of education and progressive, relevant and direct experience may be considered in lieu of minimum educational/experience requirements indicated above.
• Ability to blend technology with effective Legal Project Management (LPM).
• Extensive in-house experience in legal operations, sales operations or contract management or administration is required.
• Recent law firm experience as an office administrator, office manager including supervision of administrative staff in a professional services environment is preferred.
• Equivalent experience as a business/operations manager within other functions such as Compliance, Finance, Procurement, and/or Commercial will also be considered.
• Prior experience with developing and implementing work systems and processes related to business operations.
• Ability to proactively identify and analyze issues and problems, recommend and implement solutions.
• Advanced proficiency in all Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Outlook (including an ability to manage multiple calendars) plus Document Management Systems.
• Experience with Serengeti/Legal Tracker or similar enterprise legal e-billing software.
• Experience with regulatory compliance technologies is preferred.
• Familiarity with Tableau or similar data visualization tools in order to create dashboards for tracking and reporting.
• Experience creating and working with Gantt and LACI charts.
• Must have exceptional financial acumen including the ability to forecast and monitor the accrual of legal spend.
• Ability to recommend an administrative structure up to and including additional team members such as paralegals.
• Must have impeccable attention to detail, high energy, strong project management skills, experience in change management and an overall positive attitude.
• Must have excellent communication and organizational skills, along with good independent judgment and outstanding analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience in a dynamic high-performing environment requiring a high level of responsiveness
• Flexible amid an ever-changing and growing environment.
• Must be a clear, concise communicator and have a passion for excellence and innovation.
• Must be able to operate autonomously while being a team player who brings a positive “can do” attitude to the workplace and works collaboratively with other members of the Legal and Enterprise Compliance teams.

Certificates/Licenses/Registrations

• At the discretion of the San Manuel Tribal Gaming Commission, you may be required to obtain and maintain a gaming license.
• A qualified candidate/employee must have a valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record as determined by the company’s insurance carrier.
• As a condition of employment with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Legal Department, incumbents are required to undergo and successfully pass pre-employment and annual post-employment background investigation including, but not limited to, Live-Scan fingerprinting, drug screening and criminal history background check.
• Legal Project Management or Project Management certification is preferred.

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and San Manuel Casino will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with applicable law.

As one of the largest private employers in the Inland Empire, San Manuel deeply cares about the future, growth and well-being of its employees. Join our team today!

Additional Information

All applicants must be able to demonstrate their US work authorization during the employment verification process.