Head of Legal Operations

Discipline: Internal
Contact name: Charlotte Jarman

Contact email: [email protected]
Contact phone: 01223 222272
Vacancy reference: 020850
Closing date: 08 June 2023

The role

The pace of change at Mills & Reeve over recent years is testament to the importance we place on innovation and growth.  Whether it be growth in the size of our team, investing in newly created roles and service offerings, opening new offices, investing in technology and/or changes to our working practices and working environment, we are passionate about continuous improvement and achieving the goals set out in our 2025 strategy; to be a leader in client experience, people experience, innovation and be a leader in our chosen sectors and markets.

As a Firm of over 1,200 staff and partners and with a fees planned to be over £145m in FY23, this is an exciting opportunity for a leader passionate about shaping what the law firm of the future looks likes and needs. This role is to head up the newly created Legal Operations function at Mills & Reeve by building on and growing the resources we have to refine legal process performance and drive continuous and innovative operational improvements across client facing aspects of the business, enhancing the client experience.

The focus will be delivering both new and improved legal services and solutions to our clients. This will include new work or ways of working as well as horizon scanning opportunities. As part of this you will lead the design and implementation of legal operating models and performance improvement to support delivery to our clients. You will bring together Mills & Reeve teams and client capabilities to solve complex problems and deliver ambitious outcomes.

The current teams/functions you would be responsible for are: Legal Services Team, Disclosure Unit (to be created as part of this role), flexible “call off” resource (support), Legal Process Design and Legal Project Management. Key indicators of success will be coordinating these teams/functions to create one Legal Operations Team that is flexible and adaptable to business and client demands.

Reporting to the CFO and with two direct reports initially (those line managers to manage the sub-teams), the successful candidate will act as a conduit between different parts of the business and bring them together to help deliver solutions to meet our clients’ needs.

 

The person

This role requires someone who is passionate about client service, driving continuous improvement, implementing and embedding change and has a proven track record of delivering results and being able to influence and gain respect from a cross section of clients and colleagues. It is likely that your background and experience will include the following areas of expertise:

  • Strong track record of successfully delivering projects and other business change within a legal or professional services firm.
  • Current (or previous) experience of legal practice will be advantageous.
  • Strong background and examples of successful, innovative delivery of client service, client projects and other legal solutions.
  • An interest and understanding of project and process management and consulting.
  • Energy, drive and a proven track record of engaging clients and influencing stakeholders from across the business.
  • Expert in process mapping, change management approaches and project management tools.  Professional qualification in project and/or change management (PRINCE2, PROSCI, APM, CMP, or equivalent) desirable.
  • Understanding our external and internal clients’ needs and being flexible in putting in place the most appropriate change strategies.
  • Excellent EQ, communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills.

The role additionally requires someone who:

  •  is proactive, adaptable and has a ‘can-do’ attitude:
  • has a client service mindset;
  • has a passion for continuous improvement; and
  • is known for getting things done.

The activities

The Firm has a well-established Legal Services Team and a Digital & Data that includes Legal Technology.  This role is very much about connecting and supplementing those resources in response to our client needs. The Head of Legal Operations will work with these teams and other key stakeholders as well as develop new teams to form one cohesive Legal Operations function to:

 

  • Work closely with lawyers across the business to identify options and solutions to address complex client issues and challenges.
  • Perform a client delivery focused role which typically involves the leadership of complex and large-scale legal transformation.
  • Develop and sustain client relationships by demonstrating insight and understanding of the challenges facing clients, at a personal, organisational and system level.
  • Lead and develop insightful proposals and propositions which demonstrate and contribute to Mills & Reeve’s market position.
  • Win and lead client delivery engagements which are commercially viable.
  • Design, plan, facilitate and lead events, workshops and interactive sessions to support our clients.
  • Proactively maintain project oversight, including financial and project risk management and adherence to the firm’s Digital & Data Guiding Principles.
  • Develop networks across Mills & Reeve to bring additional expertise and value to our clients.
  • Work alongside other Service Heads (Finance, HR, Marketing, Knowledge Learning and Development, Risk, Facilities, IT, Data and Digital) in implementing client solutions and other business change in support of our strategy.
  • Working with the client care team to ensure we understand feedback from our external clients.
  • Keep abreast of trends in trends in legal service delivery and provide these insights to the relevant parts of the firm, taking the lead on making decisions around what we want to deliver/develop as a Firm