Legal Project Manager in Chicago, IL

This position provides leadership for select, legal engagements and will be a key player in driving the growth of Reed Smith's Legal Project Management program. This role will be expected to utilize project management methodologies and tools to facilitate and execute project management, process improvement initiatives and process mapping efforts across all practices in the firm. The successful candidate will have a keen understanding of the level of project management rigor to apply to a given legal matter to ensure best results. The candidate must be able to demonstrate significant intuitive flexibility in the choice and application of various project and process managements disciplines and tools depending on the type of engagement, and the real and acknowledged needs and appetite for matter management of the legal team. They must be able to take a long term view with regard to the successful adoption and acceptance of project management within a legal context and the firm as a whole. The candidate must be comfortable working with and leading teams of partners, associates and other legal personnel. Furthermore, the candidate must also be adept at navigating complex, high-pressure environments. The candidate will also interact directly with clients, maintaining and fostering positive relations while working on legal matters. Essential FunctionsAssist legal teams in defining project scope, goals and deliverables that support business needs of both the Firm and our clientsContinually compare matter progress to budget utilization and convey status to stakeholdersDevelop full-scale project plans and configure our state-of-the-art matter management system, ouRSite, to underpin the execution of the plansEstimate the resources and participants needed to achieve project goals and provide input in the budget-creation processConsult on the use of alternative staffing approaches and automation where neededDefine project success criteria and disseminate them to involved parties throughout project life cycleEffectively communicate project expectations and status to team members, clients and other stakeholders in a timely and clear fashionDelegate tasks and responsibilities to appropriate personnelCoach, mentor, motivate and supervise project team members and contractors, and influence them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned workProactively manage changes in project scope, identify potential risks and devise contingency plans as appropriateStep into legal engagements already in motion and diagnose ways to get matters on track and aligned with client goalsManage multiple projects concurrently, juggling priorities, deadlines and essential project management duties for each respective projectCreate and complete after action reports" to facilitate the continuous improvement of the execution of our legal project management program and legal work at largeBuild, develop and grow any business relationships vital to the success of the projectTravel to client locations and other Reed Smith officesPartner with the Firm's Knowledge Management, Pricing, Process Improvement and Training groups to execute strategy and achieve program successDevelop and conduct training on project management, process improvement and project management-related technologiesStay current with the varied project management approaches (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Prince2) and tools within the legal market and other verticals RequirementsEducation