Homeoffice ISI - PLA/Director of Operations- Samah at How to Manage a Small Law Firm

We are conducting a search for one of our clients for a Professional Law Firm Administrator for their South Florida location. The role is remote however, the ideal candidate would be comfortable with traveling as needed to their location. 

Overview:

The Firm’s Legal Administrator (Administrator) (also called Director of Operations) position is an executive-level position with significant discretion and broad responsibility for the management of Firm's business operations and the supervision of employees. The position has a wide range of duties and obligations, with involvement in all seven parts of the Firm. The Administrator keeps the Firm’s needs in the forefront and works closely with the Owner and rest of the executive team on strategy, planning, leadership, culture, policy, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Reporting Relationship:

The Administrator reports to and works under the direction of the Owner.

Authority:

The Administrator does not have the authority to practice law, give legal advice, or set strategy on a per-case/per-client basis (unless the person filling this position is an attorney-in-good-standing).

The Administrator is responsible to lead, manage, supervise, coach and train the other managers as well as the non-attorney staff, ensuring they perform to expectations. The Administrator has the authority to hire, supervise, and fire non-attorney employees and recommendations regarding re: hiring, supervising, and firing attorneys are given great weight.

The Firm Administrator manages the operations and business functions of the Firm. The Administrator must also work closely with the Managing Attorney, CFO, Business Development Director and fractional/vendor advisors. In other words, this position has broad discretion and authority to manage processes throughout the business (except for the actual practice of law or direct supervision of the associates).


Responsibilities:

LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGIC PLANNING:
1. Works closely with the Owner to create the Business Plan, Budget, and Strategic Calendar. Based on goals and timeframes, primarily responsible for contributing specifically to the Staffing Plan, the Systems Plan, Facilities Plan and the Calendar (project management).
2. Leads, supervises, manages, and trains all non-attorney employees (including sales, marketing, finance, paralegals, assistants, and middle managers).
a. Executes the business communication system
i. Annual mission, vision, values and goals meeting
ii. Quarterly kickoff meetings
iii. Employee one-on-ones
iv. Employee feedback
v. Employee correction/discipline
vi. Performance evaluations for all non-legal staff
b. Works in conjunction with the Owner to administer for compensation plans, discipline, promotion, termination, etc. for all employees.
[If there is a Marketing Director, Managing Attorney, Controller, or other department heads, Administrator should act in conjunction with them.]

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT:
1. Supervises the Human Resources Manager. Until HR Manager position is filled, the Administrator is responsible for the HR functions.
2. Creates personnel and HR policies and procedures in accordance with industry best practices and state & federal rules and regulations. Implements and enforces the Firm's personnel rules and employment policies.
3. Hiring manager in charge of recruitment, hiring, initial orientation, and on-boarding. Oversees the administrative aspects of attorney hiring and works with the executive-level attorneys to interview, on-board, and train attorneys.
4. Ensures every position has a job description that clearly indicates duties, outputs, outcomes, and key performance indicators. Ensure every person in the firm has a relevant job description.
5. Maintains and updates the Organizational Chart.
6. Maintains personnel records for all employees, ensuring privacy & security of files and ensuring records are properly updated to document personnel changes, promotions, feedback/counseling, discipline, etc.
7. Supervises the payroll function and administers the Firm’s benefit plans (or works with the vendors).
8. Contact point for outside agencies and counsel with regard to unemployment compensation hearings and other actions regarding employment.

ADMINISTRATION OF KEY BUSINESS SYSTEMS:
1. Drive the creation, review, implementation, training, and continual testing and improvement of the law firm’s key systems in direct and close consultation with the Owner and other managers, including:
a. Marketing & lead development
b. Case intake
c. Sales
d. Substantive legal workflow
e. Case resolution
f. Time tracking
g. Billing
h. Payments and Collections
i. Finance, Accounting, and Internal Financial Controls
j. Human Resources
k. Recruitment, Hiring, Onboarding
l. Performance Management
m. Communication (internally and externally)
n. Risk Management (financial, data, personnel, legal and ethical, corporate)
o. Facilities and equipment
p. Growth and strategic planning.
2. Ensures that the Firm’s business systems & processes are fully documented in writing and available to employees as needed.
3. Performs audits & spot-checks and takes proactive steps to find whether policies and procedures are being followed and ensures that processes and systems are operating as intended.
4. If issues are discovered
a. Researches and figures out whether the problem is a flaw in the process, a problem that can be solved with technology/new process, or whether the problem is personnel-related (performance, not following processes, etc.).
b. Determines the appropriate course of action: revise the policy and procedure, fix technology or find new technology solution, train employee/team, counsel employee, remedial actions, etc.
c. Implements these solutions (or makes recommendations to the COO/Owners) in accordance with the scope of authority to act.

FACTORY/PRODUCTION:
1. Monitors the workflow pipeline to ensure matters and clients move progressively to established milestones and resolution in the prescribed amount of time; considers case/matter workflow management & benchmarking from the systemic level to ensure personnel and processes are performing according to exceptions.
2. Consults with the Managing Attorney and designs workflow processes and systems to build in professional and ethical representation and Firm profitability.
3. Review Firm SKUs and workflows for efficiency, profitability, and staff capacity (with management team)

FINANCE & ACCOUNTING
1. Supervises the Financial Manager, who works with Firm’s Fractional CFO, Controller, Bookkeeper, and Billing Specialist (or any vendors providing these services) to oversee and execute financial systems: time-tracking, billing, trust account management, collections, bookkeeping, expense management, accounts payables, payroll, audits, taxes. (Until Financial Manager position is filled, the Administrator is responsible for the Financial functions.)
2. Implements the Firm’s annual forward-looking budget.
3. Monitors financial statements and key financial reports, prepares budgets, and advises the Owner and other executive team members regarding problems and proposed solutions.
4. Reviews Budget Variance Reports and other key financial reports to ensure overall health of Firm as well as ensure financial controls for areas under direct authority.

PHYSICAL PLANT
1. Supervises the Office/Facilities Manager. Until Office Manager position is filled, the Administrator is responsible for these functions.
2. Oversees the Office Manager’s work as the liaison between the firm and the landlord, to ensure maintenance activities are performed; facility problems are solved; parking facilities are made available to employees; cleaning services are satisfactory;
3. Oversees the Firm’s emergency preparedness and disaster recovery protocols.
4. Manages the firm’s office furniture inventory: approving recommendations for purchase and installation; assuring that office's furniture inventory is maintained and repaired as needed.
5. Ensures that employees have the tools they need to perform their duties, including annual evaluations of the computer and telephone systems, including hardware, software, and vendor selection, to ensure optimum efficiency and cost savings.
6. Ensures critical entity documents are updated with State as needed.
7. Ensures all attorneys and other paraprofessionals are compliant with Bar regulations re continuing education, certifications, etc.

MARKETING AND SALES
1. Supervises the Marketing and Sales Teams (until Marketing/Sales Director position is filled).
2. Ensure back-end marketing campaigns are being executed (Post-engagement glidepath, Pre-engagement Glidepath, Professional Contact and Former Client GAS calls, Just a note cards)
3. Ensure Lead Tracking and Sales Conversion metrics are provided weekly with data/metrics per SKU, per channel. Ensure monthly and quarterly metrics assess ROI of marketing campaigns.
4. Ensure Sales Close the Loop and Win-Back systems are executed.
5. Meets with vendors and contractors to ensure deliverables are met, reports are provided, ROI is assessed, etc.