Friedman Williams
Practice Support Manager Philadelphia PA
Job ID: 20572
Summary: The Practice Support Manager leads the Firm’s Practice Support operations and services, drives adoption of legal technology, manages staff and vendors, establishes best practices, and aligns firm-wide initiatives to deliver efficient, high quality, and cost-effective solutions that improve legal outcomes and client service. The Practice Support Manager serves as a liaison between the IS department and attorneys, staff, administrative groups, ancillary businesses, clients, vendors, outside counsel, prior counsel, successor counsel, co-counsel, and opposing counsel for all legal technology issues.
Key Responsibilities and Duties:
- Own day-to-day operations of Practice Support across offices/matters; set priorities, allocate resources, and balance workloads across Project Managers and supporting staff.
- Serve as primary escalation point for Practice Support issues; coordinate cross-functionally with Information Services and Practice Groups.
- Oversee all phases of the EDRM, including defensible preservation, collection coordination, processing, analytics, review workflows, productions, and post-production support.
- Advise case teams on ESI strategy, cost optimization, analytics, early case assessment, and Generative AI review.
- Drive adoption of firm-approved tools; develop playbooks, templates, and automation to increase efficiency.
- Partner with Applications/Systems and Trial Support Technology leadership on platform roadmaps, upgrades, testing, and integrations.
- Identify and pilot new technologies and features that improve accuracy, speed, and client value.
- Manage relationships with approved vendors; oversee SOWs, pricing, SLAs, performance, and e-invoicing.
- Evaluate proposals; recommend vendor selection and budgets; track spend against matter and departmental budgets; ensure cost transparency.
- Design and deliver targeted training for attorneys, paralegals, and staff on platforms, workflows, and best practices.
- Promote continuous improvement through lessons learned, peer-led sessions, and internal certifications.
- Lead and mentor a team of Project Managers, including goal setting, performance management, and career development.
- Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture focused on quality, accountability, and client service.
- Collaborate via dotted-line relationships with Practice Support Applications/Systems and Trial Support Technology leaders to align people, processes, and technology.
Required Qualifications, Skills, and Experience Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (JD, MBA, MS in IS or related) preferred.
- Minimum 7–10 years of law firm or legal service provider experience in eDiscovery/Practice Support, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or management role.
- Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-matter portfolios and cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
Technical Knowledge
- Deep expertise across the EDRM and litigation lifecycle; defensibility and QC methodologies.
- Expert user of leading review platforms (e.g., Relativity, Nuix Discover, Reveal/Brainspace) and operational knowledge of at least one processing tool (e.g., Nuix Workstation, Relativity Processing, eCapture).
- Solid understanding of databases, data structures, analytics, indexing, custom queries, and reporting; familiarity with scripting and automation a plus.
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365, Windows, and firm systems such as iManage.
Certifications and Professional Credentials
- Relativity Certified Administrator (RCA) strongly preferred; willingness to obtain if not current.
- ACEDS (Certified eDiscovery Specialist) preferred.
- PMP, PMI-ACP, or comparable project management certification a plus.
- Other platform-specific certifications (e.g., Nuix, Reveal/Brainspace) are a plus.
Reporting Structure and Team Management
- Reports to the Practice Support & Innovation Director.
- Directly manages Practice Support Project Managers.
Please send your resume directly to doconnell@friedmanwilliams.com