National Practice Group Head and jointly to, Director of Knowledge Management

Supervises:

Professional Support Officer (London)

The Senior PSL role at Simmons & Simmons is a recognition of excellence, experience, capability and trust. Senior PSLs at Simmons & Simmons:

• are expected individually to develop and maintain important client relationships;
• are known as someone to whom senior clients will turn directly rather than their normal partner contact;
• have a reputation in the market as an individual in their own right;
• support the partners by taking an active and driving role in the international development of the practice.

This is a senior role, focussed on delivering the highest quality knowhow service to support and add value to the firm’s client relationships. The successful candidate will oversee the delivery of knowhow and professional support services to the Commercial Litigation team in London (50%) and to the Dispute Resolution International Practice Group (50%).

Areas of law covered are all mainstream areas of commercial litigation and arbitration, recent cases and developments and matters of general interest to commercial clients.

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Proactively advising partners of legal / industry developments and trends that will affect the practice, thus enabling the partners to develop stronger client relationships and deliver better client service.
• Drafting thought leadership pieces that can be used for client distribution and discussion with the press.
• Participating in industry events, professional conferences; raising the visibility of the firm and its expertise.

• Identifies opportunities to support and add value to our client relationships through knowhow.
• Drafts thought leadership, legal updates and topical articles that can be used for client distribution and publishing on elexica.
• Identifies opportunities to deliver seminars, briefings and in-house training to build external client relationships and showcase the firm’s expertise. Works with colleagues to realise these opportunities.
• Supports the business development team as needed to draft pitches, proposals and experience statements.

• Develops the annual knowhow and training action plan, taking into account the wider International Practice Group and Knowledge Management business plans.
• Regularly reviews (with a view to improving) the working practices/ processes that support key professional support services delivered, taking initiative in developing best practice for professional support and trying new knowledge management tools and approaches.
• Contributes to and supports the management of relevant, high quality knowhow to the practice.
• Ensures that lawyers are able to access and find relevant knowhow.
• Drafts and maintains standard documents, practice notes and checklists, prioritised to support core products and services of the practice group.
• Liaises with information services staff to ensure procurement of appropriate online services, books, periodicals and journals.
• Encourages / fosters an effective knowledge sharing culture across the practice group.
• Manages the group’s professional support team.
• Participates in cross-practice and cross-sector working groups, liaising with the PSL team around the firm.
• Creates and delivers high quality technical (substantive) legal training.

• Monitors relevant legal and market developments, keeping the practice group informed of those developments affecting the practice and its clients.
• Leverages PLC as the base current awareness offering, adding analysis and commentary as needed to give context and depth to the firm and the practice.
• Provides high quality research services, co-ordinating the distribution of research to other members of the professional support team, trainees and junior lawyers.

• Participates at Commercial Litigation partnership meetings as requested.
• Assists in the preparation of practice group business plans.
• In an "of counsel" capacity, provides ad-hoc advice on a range of technical questions and assists in the resolution of more complex drafting and practice issues.

Day to day interaction with:

• the partners, associates and trainees within the practice group in London (currently around 45 lawyers) as well as partners and associates within the international offices.
• the professional support team and marketing representatives within the Dispute Resolution IPG and the London office generally.

Regular direct contact with key clients and target clients of the London Commercial Litigation team and the Dispute Resolution IPG.

Periodic contact with members of the Central Knowledge Management team, the Information Services and other Business Services staff.

The role is central to the successful organisation and development of the dispute resolution international practice.

The successful candidate would be expected to participate at partnership meetings and to assist in the preparation of practice group business plans.

This role is responsible for coordinating a team of one Professional Support Lawyer (Rotterdam) and two Professional Support Officers (one in London, one in Rotterdam) and the direct supervision of the London Professional Support Officer.

The role involves a combination of mid/long term projects and strategic initiatives relating to professional support and day-to-day operational tasks and directing day-to-day operational tasks carried out by the London-based professional support team.

The Senior PSL role at Simmons & Simmons is a mark of excellence, experience, capability and trust. Accordingly, the successful applicant must be capable intellectually, have a strong academic background and be passionate about the law.

The successful candidate will be a senior qualified lawyer with significant experience as a practitioner in a leading international law firm and with expertise in commercial dispute resolution.

The client facing dimension of this role is important, so we are looking for recent client experience and engagement whether this was in a fee-earning or professional support role.

Although the role is UK focussed, in order to service the international group, international experience and cultural sensitivity will be required.

The job holder must have the following skills and knowledge:

• Is committed and conscientious to deliver high quality service to clients; seeking to meet and exceed client expectations; plans, organises and manages work effectively in order to deliver to time and quality.
• Good vision of, and able to report on, strategic direction of the knowledge management discipline and how knowledge management is being used as a differentiator.
• Able to assess the latest professional support trends and technologies and how they might be used to develop the knowledge management function at the firm.

• Strong sense of responsibility for client relationships and the legal and knowledge services provided to them.
• Builds deep and trusted relationships with clients and internal colleagues alike.
• Develops and maintains a professional network outside the firm.
• Demonstrates cross-cultural awareness; can work with people from different backgrounds, nationalities and cultures.

• Is entrepreneurial; able to identify opportunities to support the growth and development of the brand.
• Understands the marketplace in which Simmons & Simmons and its clients operate.
• Capability to actively represent and ‘sell’ the firm.

• Able to coach, mentor and develop colleagues.
• Able to work with individuals to identify and exploit appropriate learning and development opportunities to enhance that individual’s technical / legal expertise.
• Takes time to explain own views and why he/she may agree or disagree.
• Confident to act as a sounding board for senior fee earners within the firm.

• Acts as a role model, inspires confidence, can mentor others.
• Has a strategic, longer term perspective; able to form a clear view on how to drive the business forward.

• Possess substantive legal knowledge combined with significant commercial dispute resolution experience.
• High levels of commercial insight.
• Commercially astute, pragmatic, cost conscious and aware.
• Recognises complex reputational and risk management issues.

The job holder must:

• Be intellectually astute, analytical yet pragmatic.
• Have excellent communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Demonstrate the highest levels of professionalism and integrity.
• Be able to inspire and to motivate.
• Possess commitment and enthusiasm.