Practice Support Manager
1 month ago
London
The Firm We are a dynamic, multifaceted law firm that provides a wide range of legal services to a creative and entrepreneurial client base. We partner with the big and the small, from cutting edge startups to global corporations, early-stage entrepreneurs to established industry leaders, and household names to private individuals and their family offices. We are renowned for our sector specialisms which we combine with expertise across all the traditional practice areas to provide our clients with tailored solutions that truly add value. We offer a collegiate, vibrant and supportive environment, a clear path for career progression and a strong platform from which to learn and grow. We look for high performing, committed and innovative people who aren't afraid to push themselves to be the best they can be. We take an active role in helping our people be at the top of their game. We believe our people make us stand out and we empower them to meet their ambitions. We invest time in developing their skills and knowledge and run a number of development and training programmes throughout the year, as well as encouraging and supporting personal involvement in other areas of expertise. The Role The Practice Support Manager will lead a team of EAs, PAs and Legal Administrators and play a crucial role in facilitating innovation and driving excellence in practice support across the firm. This role combines strong people management with a focus on process improvement, efficiencies and innovation. Working closely with the Innovation team and People & Culture this person will work to continuously improve, streamline and optimise processes that support lawyers to deliver an excellent service to the firm's clients. A key aspect of the role is identifying opportunities to leverage automation and AI to increase efficiency and productivity. The successful candidate will be integral to re-shaping how support is delivered, helping the firm respond to the changing business landscape and ensuring it continues to add value to a dynamic client base. Responsibilities Team Management and Development • Lead, support and develop the PA and Legal Administrator teams to deliver high-quality, consistent support across the firm., • Act as the first point of contact for any general/personal/workflow issues raised by the support teams., • Foster a collaborative and supportive culture, encourage knowledge sharing and skills development., • Monitor attendance, workloads and capacity, ensuring cover where required., • Work with Partners to manage performance where needed, conducting regular team and one-to-one meetings as well as performance reviews., • Provide training for new members of the PA and Legal Administrator teams on best practice guidelines and actively working with them during their probationary period, setting objectives and monitoring their progress., • Line manage the Document Services Supervisor to ensure work delivered by the DSOs is completed to a consistent high-standard, updating any workflow procedures as required., • Liaise with the L&D Manager in identifying training needs and ensuring appropriate training is undertaken by the team to maintain and develop skills., • Collaborate with the wider Business Services Heads of Department and their teams ensuring that processes and communication are effective and allow the firm to deliver work efficiently. Innovation, • Collaborate with the Innovation team to identify and implement process improvements, adding value to the delivery of project work where required, working on projects to support the Innovation team achieve their strategic objectives., • Explore opportunities for automation and AI integration in practice support workflows to increase efficiency, accuracy and consistency across practice groups., • Obtain regular feedback from the PA and Legal Administrator teams to identify operational challenges, address inefficiencies, and inform change initiatives., • Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the PA and Legal Administrator teams. Skills and Experience, • Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to motivate a team, • Able to build and maintain professional relationships with individuals at all levels, • Enthusiastic about innovation and continuous improvement, • Confident in assessing and questioning existing procedures and suggesting efficient alternatives, • Strong IT skills with a willingness to learn new technologies, • Sound judgement and comfortable making decisions, • Effective communication, organisational and problem-solving skills, • Ability to keep matters confidential and apply discretion, • Strong attention to detail, • Works well under pressure, • Adaptable and flexible, • Team player