Practice Manager, Investment Funds

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm, advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies that are meticulously tailored to every matter, however complex or high-stakes. The firm’s work is distinguished by a unique combination of precision and vision.

The Investment Funds practice is hiring a Practice Manager (“PM”) in any US office to support the day-to-day operations of the practice and the execution of its priorities and initiatives, in collaboration with practice group and firm leadership. Acting effectively as a chief operating officer for the practice, the PM drives the group to operate efficiently and cohesively across offices and borders, and turns the direction of practice leadership into coordinated action and follow-through.

The Practice Manager is a key element of the firm’s business services function and will join a growing practice management team collectively responsible for supporting practice leaders in the management of their groups, including through: (1) serving as information conduits to support cross-department and cross-office initiatives and projects; (2) strategic planning, reporting, and meeting management; (3) talent management; (4) supporting the firm’s free market system, pipeline development, and productivity goals; (5) developing practice-specific education and trainings; and (6) supporting initiatives and projects in collaboration with a number of firm departments, including Professional Development, Marketing & Client Development, Knowledge Management, Communications, Recruiting, Diversity, Career and Alumni Services, Technology, Human Resources, and Office Administration.

Communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence are important skills needed in this role, along with an understanding of the life cycle of a matter and how attorneys practice in a law firm setting. This role reports to the Firm’s Deputy Chief Legal Operations Officer under the Chief Legal Operations Officer, will take daily direction from the Practice Leads, and will work closely with the Firm’s other Practice Managers.

Responsibilities include:

I. Support for the Funds Practice

Strategic Execution

Strategic Priorities: Execute on the strategic priorities set by practice group leadership, translating their direction into coordinated action and driving it forward to completion.

Initiative Delivery: Drive the practice’s priority initiatives from planning through execution, coordinating the people and resources needed to keep them moving.

Cross-Office Projects: Coordinate cross-office and cross-practice projects from planning through execution, keeping work moving and stakeholders aligned.

Service Delivery: Identify and execute initiatives that optimize legal service delivery, staffing, and operational processes.

Talent and Group Stewardship

Integration: Drive integration across the Investment Funds practice, connecting attorneys and teams across offices and borders so the group operates as a cohesive whole.

Partner and Lateral Onboarding: Partner on onboarding and integration for new partners and lateral attorneys, helping them connect quickly into the practice and across the firm.

Talent Planning: Support talent planning by acting as a liaison with Human Resources, Professional Development, and Recruiting, including regular assessment of recruiting and senior talent pipelines and identification of gaps to guide hiring needs.

Utilization and Free Market: Drive healthy utilization, free market balance, and attorney engagement, monitoring capacity to identify and address over- and underutilization, and helping lawyers identify appropriate staffing and opportunities for new work.

Performance Management: Support the attorney review cycle and performance tracking in coordination with Human Resources.

Holistic Stewardship: Look after the group holistically, supporting the associate journey through mentorship, review support, and career guidance.

Education and Training: Coordinate education and training programming for associates and partners in collaboration with Professional Development.

Business Operations and Data

Operational Backbone: Serve as the operational backbone of the practice, providing insight into business performance, market trends, and internal efficiencies.

Data and Analytics: Provide data support and analytics to inform practice group performance and support decision-making.

Information Conduit: Serve as an information conduit for the practice, keeping the group and its leadership connected and informed.

Data Tracking: Manage tracking of practice-specific data, including deal collection and reporting, targets, and client outreach.

II. Cross-Group Coverage

Cross-Group Support: Serve as a practice management point of contact across US Transactions practices and industry groups, providing coverage and support as the department’s needs and priorities evolve.

Associate Support: Partner with and support associates across US Transactions groups, contributing to their engagement, development, and experience.

Flexible Coverage: Provide flexible, responsive practice management support across a range of US Transactions groups, adapting focus as priorities shift.

III. Cross-Functional Partnership and Process Improvement

Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner closely with Knowledge Management attorneys, AI attorneys, and Business Development, along with Professional Development, Marketing & Client Development, Communications, Recruiting, Technology, Human Resources, and Office Administration, to advance the practice’s priorities.

Knowledge, Technology, and Business Development: Collaborate with Knowledge Management, Legal Operations, and Technology to improve workflows and implement scalable, innovative solutions, and support Business Development with operational insight aligned to practice group priorities.

Process Improvement: Identify opportunities for process improvement, drive follow-through on execution, and keep the practice’s efforts plugged into the firm.

Qualifications:

Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion.

Exceptional verbal and written communication and people skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders. Collaboration and facilitation skills to work with various departments and facilitate their ability to work with each other.

Ability to work independently and with a team, and to delegate and manage resources effectively. Strong leadership skills to help lead and develop a large and geographically dispersed team.

Exhibit high degree of initiative and critical-thinking skills in exercising independent judgment and making decisions in managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, detail-oriented work environment.

Creative thinker who is open to considering multiple approaches to issues and collaborating with other leaders to develop and execute plans.

Strong time management skills and the ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment; ability to coordinate multiple tasks concurrently.

Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to work concurrently on a variety of projects with changing priorities. Meticulous attention to detail.

Flexible and able to multi-task, balancing priorities and tight deadlines.

Ability to build and maintain relationships with department personnel, firm management, other attorneys, and staff.

Highly motivated, strategic focus: ability to understand and support firm goals, services, culture, and strategy in order to present self and the firm in a positive, professional manner.

Understands and stays up to date on current legal market trends, news, and innovations.

Strong knowledge of the legal industry, the relevant laws and regulations, and best practices and standards.

Ability to work independ