Conflicts Counsel - Cleveland

Who We Are · At Benesch we pride ourselves on exceeding expectations and building trust not only with our clients but with our employees - Benesch's #1 asset. Committed to providing not only the highest level of legal service to our clients, Benesch also aspires to create a posit ...

Job description

Who We Are

At Benesch we pride ourselves on exceeding expectations and building trust not only with our clients but with our employees - Benesch's #1 asset. Committed to providing not only the highest level of legal service to our clients, Benesch also aspires to create a positive work environment for our employees. Our Firm continues to earn placement on Chicago and Cleveland's Top Workplaces list, along with Cleveland's NorthCoast 99 Top Workplaces rankings. We also continue to advance on the AmLaw 150 list, placing us among the top 150 law firms in the country.

Benesch is proud to be recognized for being a Firm that attracts and retains top talent - making Benesch a great place to work. We offer a hybrid schedule, career development and growth, transparent and visible leadership teams, and a place where diversity, equity and inclusion is celebrated. In addition, the Firm offers a full array of benefits which can be viewed at

Working with Us - Come and "Be Benesch"

We are one of the fastest growing firms in the nation, and have offices in Chicago, Columbus, San Francisco, New York City, and Wilmington. We continue to expand our geographic footprint and value the talent that comprises each of our locations. If you are someone who champions a First in Service approach and are ready to be part of an exciting and growing Firm, we would invite you to apply to join our team.

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Benesch is proud to announce the opening for a Conflicts Counsel in our Cleveland office This position is hybrid and has work from home flexibility.

Position Summary:

Are you looking for an opportunity to utilize your JD but no longer wish to practice law? Have you passed the bar and wondered "what next" because you're looking for a non-traditional path to utilize your law degree? Do you have prior conflicts analysis experience? Is your legal knowledge concentrated in corporate and transactional work? Are you looking combine those two worlds and continue to utilize your JD in a non-traditional role? Then you may be interested in our Conflicts Counsel position. This role is perfect for a licensed attorney who likes to problem-solve, conduct research and make recommendations for best practices in the corporate/transactional world of law.

The Conflicts Counsel plays a key role in our risk management department by assisting in providing clearance new business, attorney and staff hires, and acquisitions/mergers of other law firms. The Conflicts Counsel assists in conflicts of interest clearance for new business, attorney and staff hires, and acquisitions/mergers of other law firms. Coordinates workflow and personnel activities to assure optimal efficiency, accuracy, and timely output as well as works to continuously improve processes and implement automation regarding conflicts analysis.

Essential Functions

• Conducts conflict checks after obtaining all relevant available information on the parties, including affiliates and related parties and their relationship to the matter and each other.
• Manages the firm wide conflicts clearance process for new clients/matters and lateral attorneys.
• Consults regularly with General Counsel, Risk Management Officer, Conflicts and Intake Manager, and Conflicts Counsel as to conflict results and resolutions requiring a higher level of review, problems or issues that may arise, recommendations for improvement in running and clearing conflicts, or any needs for further resources.
• Provides waiver and engagement letter exemplars upon request, assists in drafting waivers and engagement letters, reviews waiver and engagement letters received from clients to ensure that required conditions have been met.
• Manages the Outside Counsel Guideline process and reviews for potential issues.
• Carries out research projects pertinent to ethical issues and provides best practice recommendations to the General Counsel and Conflicts and Risk Management Counsel.
• Assists with the creation, implementation, and updates to various policies and procedures regarding matter maintenance including closings, and lateral arrival/departure process.
• Trains secretarial and administrative staff on how to utilize conflicts/new business intake workflow application.
• Keeps current on trends within the topic of conflicts of interest management.
• Participates in other projects and tasks as assigned.

Additional Responsibilities:

1. Performs other duties as assigned.

Confidentiality:

Due to the nature of your employment, various documents and information, which are of a confidential nature, will come into your possession. Such documents and information must be kept confidential at all times.

Qualifications:

The Conflicts Counsel must possess a J.D. 2+ years of experience performing conflicts analysis in a large law firm environment is preferred. Experience with corporate/transactional matters is considered a plus. Must possess excellent computer skills as well as experience with applicable automated conflict check software. Intapp Open software experience preferred. Requires a comprehensive knowledge of applicable ethical, legal and risk management rules and requirements governing conflict of interest and the conflict resolution process as well as related compliance issues/guidelines applicable to international law firms. Must possess strong written and oral communication skills. Must be able to understand, analyze, interpret, and explain conflicts reports and to converse informatively with timekeepers regarding conflicts issues. Demonstrated ability to effectively and efficiently work with all levels of personnel with tact and diplomacy.

The salary range for this position is $99K to $131K.

Please note that quoted salary ranges are based on Benesch's good faith belief at the time of the job posting and are not a guarantee of what final salary offers may be. Base pay is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Base pay is only one part of the Total Rewards that Benesch provides to compensate and recognize our staff professionals for their work. Full-time positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benesch is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability (where applicant is qualified to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodations), medical condition, protected veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Applicants who are interested in applying for a position and require special assistance or an accommodation during the process due to a disability should contact the Benesch Human Resources Department by phone at or email