Practice Group Manager - Chicago - Sidley Austin

Description

Practice Group Manager - M&A/PE
Recruiting Location
US-IL-Chicago | US-NY-New York
Department
Practice Administration
Summary

The Practice Group Manager (PGM) for M&A and Private Equity Global Practice Group (GPG) will play a critical role in the development of attorneys in the GPG and the management of the attorney talent pool across offices. The PGM will be a foundational team member that leads and develops both the process for facilitating workflow and evaluating and managing capacity within the M&A and Private Equity GPG and the rubrics and frameworks to assist the GPG in developing its attorneys. The manager will work with the Director of Practice Support and additional team members to ensure effective workflow traction and facilitation to meet the GPG's goals and needs and with the learning and development team to further the GPG's professional development goals for its attorneys. This entails a hands-on and collaborative approach across a complex scope of associate and partner needs, balancing workloads, sourcing work across offices and maximizing available resources, while taking into consideration skills required and helping establish plans for building those skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

Build key relationships with the leaders, partners and associates in the GPG to become familiar with their business development goals, recruitment strategy, performance management expectations and the creation of formal training programs.
• Act as a liaison and advocate to facilitate workflow and evaluate associate capacity and skill development needs for staffing purposes. Responsible for assessing the GPG associates across offices to ensure associates are sharing equal workloads to maximize performance and eliminate disparate hours amongst lawyers and to ensure associates are building appropriate skills in accordance with rubrics and their career development goals.
• Supervise weekly workflow check-ins with associates and flag/address bandwidth or staffing issues that have developed from the week prior due to conflicting demands, deadlines, or absences and escalate matters to appropriate billing and handling partners or leaders.
• Lead the development of rubrics for skill development and different career steps, and assist with the oversight of progress toward such development by GPG associates.
• Function as a liaison for other administrative departments and existing resources, i.e. Learning & Development; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Knowledge Management; Marketing and Business Development; Accounting; Finance, etc., by providing information, data, and key metrics that will assist in identifying and then guiding firmwide and practice specific initiatives
• Identify for the GPG leaders and Staffing Partners the over and under-utilized associates, staff attorneys, and summer associates and the areas where skill development is needed.
• Collaborate with the Global Practice Leaders (GPL), Staffing Partners, and other members of the leadership team in overseeing attorney performance appraisals and annual compensation adjustment processes, including review of appraisal forms, guiding partner discussions of evaluation messages, submission of counsel promotions, soliciting partner input on recommended compensation adjustments and ensuring consistency across the group. Utilize knowledge derived as a result of the associate and counsel evaluation process to focus on and address performance concerns.
• Support GPL in review and development of presentation memorandum for internal partnership candidates.
• Manage proposals and client engagement projects in coordination with the business development team to develop and ensure alignment with the practice area strategic initiatives.
• Collaborate with Learning & Development to ensure effective onboarding of first-year and lateral associates.
• Provide needs assessments for lateral and first-year associate new hires for the GPG Leadership in coordination with Legal Recruiting annual hiring targets and be a key resource in the onboarding and integration process for the group.
• Help support the mentoring program for the GPG.
• Design objectives related to morale and retention in coordination with Learning & Development.
• Develop, support and encourage a culture of service excellence which includes responsiveness, process improvements and collegiality.

Salaries vary by location and are based on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, the relevant market, skills, experience, and education of the selected candidate. If an estimated salary range for this role is available, it will be provided in our Target Salary Range section. Our compensation package also includes bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program. Benefits information can be found at

Target Salary Range
$185,000 to $260,000 if located in Illinois or New York
Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the Duties and Responsibilities (Duties) above satisfactorily and meet the requirements below. The requirements listed below are representative of the minimum knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. If you need such an accommodation, please email (current employees should contact Human Resources).

Education and/or Experience:

Required:

• J.D. and at least four years practice experience, preferably practicing at a peer law firm. Prior experience in staffing, professional development or practice support a plus.
• Proficient in terminology and concepts, as well as transaction types in M&A and Private Equity.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Resource Management/Scheduling Tools, Excel and other related applications.
• Strong presence in the face of complexity and time-constrained challenges.
• Proficient at negotiating and managing conflict.
• Proven client service focus, with an ability to resolve issues quickly and a sense of urgency.
• Flexible in adapting to constantly changing priorities.

Other Skills and Abilities:

• The following will also be required of the successful candidate:
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Good judgment
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Superior relationship building skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
• Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities

Sidley Austin LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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