Senior Manager, Legal Operations

White & Case is an elite global law firm serving leading companies, financial institutions and governments worldwide. Our long history as an international law firm means we are perfectly placed to help our clients resolve their most complex legal challenges wherever they may be.

With lawyers operating from more than 40 locations, working in virtually every country of the world, we have invested heavily in building a high-quality full-service practice competing at the top of the market. We are distinguished by our on-the-ground presence in the world's key financial markets and our strengths in handling complex cross-border work.

It's not just about our global network of offices; it's the global interconnectedness of the Firm that our people, and our clients value most. We work well together across geographic and practice boundaries. It's one of the reasons we attract and retain cross-border work, and why we attract the best people.

Our people are globally minded, enterprising, collaborative and committed to excellence. Our people represent 110 nationalities and speak 87 languages.

This Senior Manager role is a unique opportunity to drive significant change within the Firm's dynamic Tech Disputes practice by enhancing client service, operational efficiency, and process innovation. The position is integral to supporting one of the Firm's key client portfolios, combining leadership in legal operations, complex financial analysis, and collaboration with the client's in-house legal operations team and the Firm's legal teams.

As a key member of the Firm's global Legal Operations team, the Senior Manager will oversee legal operations across disputes and compliance matters for technology-focused clients. The role involves managing end-to-end delivery of critical matters, with an emphasis on portfolio management, operational excellence, and local counsel oversight across jurisdictions. This includes streamlining processes, improving reporting accuracy, ensuring regional compliance, and driving client-facing innovation with AI and business intelligence tools.

The Senior Manager will contribute to client portfolios by addressing tailored operational needs, guiding global local counsel teams through complex invoicing and reporting requirements, and leading strategic financial analysis on fees, budgets, and profitability. They will work across functions such as Pricing, LPM, Finance, Innovation and Practice Solutions, Technology, and Business Development to ensure seamless alignment with client expectations.

This role requires a professional with demonstrable expertise in legal operations and project management, particularly in managing high-value, multi-jurisdictional portfolios within professional services or legal environments. Success will depend on the ability to manage a high volume of bespoke analysis, identify trends across client relationships, and implement effective solutions to optimize legal operations workflows.

The Senior Manager will also have direct team management responsibilities , contribute to the Firm's Legal Operations growth strategies, and actively participate in innovation initiatives to implement practical tools, processes, and best practices. Strategic relationship-building with legal teams, local counsel, and clients is critical, as is the ability to confidently present operational insights during leadership and client meetings.

The success of this role will be measured by its impact on strategic client management, the enhancement of local counsel operations, and contributions to the Firm's Tech Disputes practice. The Senior Manager's ability to optimize processes, deliver high-quality insights, and implement change will transform the legal operations capabilities of the team while promoting service and operational excellence across the Firm's most critical client relationships.

In collaboration with the Director of Legal Operations, develop and strengthen the Firm's legal operations capabilities and pipeline of work, influencing Partners and lawyers to utilize Legal Ops support on their matters and portfolios.

Operational excellence and process optimization:

• Designing and implementing standardized workflows and operational procedures to enhance efficiency across client matters and portfolios, including tailored frameworks that address specific client requirements and service delivery models
• Conducting process mapping and analysis to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for automation or streamlining as part of continuous improvement efforts
• Leading initiatives to standardize processes across jurisdictions and practice areas
• Facilitating workshops and stakeholder sessions to drive adoption of new processes and technologies
• Measuring the impact of process improvements and communicating results to stakeholders

Financial management, data analytics, resource optimization:

• Managing concurrent matters across a portfolio to provide financial and operational oversight, including collaboration with legal teams to draft and submit budget proposals, tracking actual costs against budget, and proactively addressing variances
• Conducting complex financial modeling and profitability analysis across client portfolios to inform strategic decision-making
• Working with Pricing to analyze fee structures, alternative fee arrangements, and pricing strategies to optimize value delivery
• Developing and maintaining operational dashboards and reporting mechanisms to provide real-time visibility into matter status, resource allocation, and performance metrics
• Managing local counsel across jurisdictions to ensure alignment on invoicing, reporting, and compliance with client-specific requirements
• Performing trend analysis across client portfolios to identify patterns, risks, and opportunities for service enhancement
• Leveraging data to inform operational decisions and demonstrate value to clients

Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management by:

• Building relationships and fostering a collaborative approach between the Firm's legal teams, local counsel, and clients on matter workstreams
• Serving as the operational liaison between legal teams, clients, and service providers to ensure effective communication and coordination
• Working across functions such as Pricing, LPM, Finance, Innovation and Practice Solutions, Technology, and Business Development to ensure seamless alignment with client expectations
• Being comfortable with presenting on relevant topics at Senior Leadership meetings and client meetings

Team leadership and strategic initiatives:

• Line management of junior team members, as required, including mentoring and developing team members to build legal operations expertise across the organization
• Fostering a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and operational excellence within the team
• Identifying opportunities to expand legal operations services across the global business
• Staying current on legal operations trends, technologies, and best practices to inform strategic planning
• Participating in innovation initiatives to implement practical tools, processes, and methodologies

• Experience in Legal Operations required, with demonstrated ability to drive operational excellence and process improvement initiatives
• Significant experience managing complex, multi-jurisdictional matters in an operational capacity, including experience working with global legal teams and outside counsel
• Proven ability to lead and develop teams, including experience mentoring junior staff and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with demonstrated ability to work effectively across departments (e.g., Finance, Pricing, Innovation, Technology, Business Development) to achieve shared objectives
• Experience leading change management initiatives and driving adoption of new processes, technologies, and ways of working
• Knowledge and proficiency in legal technology platforms including extranets, eBilling software, online data rooms, collaboration tools, and SharePoint; proficiency in Legal AI tools such as Legora and VincentAI, as well as Microsoft Office products including Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Project and Power BI
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to analyze financial reports and performance metrics of varying complexity, providing financial analysis focused on delivering value to clients
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with ability to manage multiple priorities, work cross-functionally, and meet tight deadlines in a fast-moving, detail-oriented environment
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to interact effectively at all levels including with senior business stakeholders and clients, with ability to present, negotiate, and persuade to achieve successful outcomes
• Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with willingness to challenge and question assumptions
• Flexible and resilient with ability to adapt to changing priorities and work effectively under pressure
• Sensitivity to cultural differences across global teams

• A strong academic record, preferably of graduate level (Law Degree or other relevant Post Graduate Degree an advantage).
• Formal project management qualification essential, for example APMQ or PMP
• 5+ years relevant work experience including client facing roles

• This is a permanent position based in Los Angeles or New York
• This role reports to the Director of Legal Operations

Our Internal Recruitment team are responsible for all end-to-end lateral recruitment process. All agencies must sign White & Case terms of business which are often specific. Candidates submitted by an agency without terms of business agreed with the appropriate office, and/or outside of our online application tracking system, will not be considered a formal introduction. Any applications and CVs sent directly to White & Case Partners and employees will not be accepted as formal introductions. If you have any questions, please contact the Americas Lateral Recruitment team.

White & Case is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and is committed to creating a fair workplace. It is our Firm's policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.

Applicants who are interested in applying for a position and require an accommodation during the process should contact talent.acquisition@whitecase.com.

White & Case LLP offers a comprehensive suite of benefit programs to all eligible employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, 401(k) retirement savings, vacation time, and leave programs (including parental leave). Exempt roles are also performance bonus eligible.

The firm may modify and amend this job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or modifies the at-will nature of employment