Associate Director of Practice Innovation

Cooley is seeking an Associate Director of Practice Innovation to join the Practice Innovation team.

Position summary: As the leading technology law firm in the world, Cooley is determined to become a leader in the digital practice of law. The Associate Director of Practice Innovation will be responsible for the execution of Cooley's digital practice strategy and is responsible for engaging with lawyers across the firm to identify, incubate, evaluate, implement, measure, and further iterate on innovative solutions to the legal service problems and opportunities faced by our attorneys and clients. Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Position responsibilities:

Innovation strategy and tactical planning:

• Support the development of a comprehensive vision and roadmap for the firm's innovation strategy in collaboration with senior leadership with execution-first mindset
• Devise and implement effective tactics to drive successful outcomes required for the execution of the firm's overall innovation strategy
• Lead the go-to-market for internal as well as client-facing technology deployments

Execution:

• Design and implement programs to encourage and facilitate the adoption of new technologies and workflows among attorneys with practice specific and customized strategies depending on strategic objectives of each practice and initiative
• Market and convert practitioners to the use of technology using modern, proven GTM techniques in conjunction with the integration of feedback and guidance for the product development roadmap
• Conduct targeted training, coaching and change management initiatives to overcome resistance to new tools and processes, ensuring effective behavior change that is measurable and sustainable
• Oversee project management for specific initiatives to ensure coherence and timely execution across complex organizational dynamics

Legal operations:

• Partner with practice, other business professionals as well as legal operations client teams to optimize workflows, increase efficiency, and reduce costs through process improvement and technology
• Standardize best practices across practice groups to improve consistency in service delivery and enhance operational performance
• Design and lead pilot programs that explore alternative fee arrangements, data-driven decision-making, and other innovation models to drive true change in business models
• Facilitate the transition of legal practices to new and innovative delivery models in conjunction with other leaders in the firm

Evangelism:

• Act as an internal leader in developing and implementing a firm ecosystem of innovation professionals, innovative practitioners, engaged clients and senior stakeholders to create a culture of innovation that is both known and felt
• Curate a pipeline of incubated projects to engaging with firm stakeholders and shepherd projects from ideation to conclusion, creating allies and champions for innovation in the firm
• Communicate complex concepts and insights to non-technical stakeholders in a clear and actionable manner
• Promote understanding and organization learning but being a leading expert not only the foundational technologies such as AI and data science, but also in the dynamics of legal practice itself. Exemplify the values of Cooley as a leader both in legal practice and innovation and create an organic following with firm constituencies and exert influence and leadership to enable the firm to achieve its strategic objectives

Team building and mentorship:

• Help build a team of innovation attorneys and change management professionals with a focus on fostering a high-performance, collaborative, innovative, and results-driven team culture
• Establish and maintain a well-structured team with clear roles, responsibilities, and workflows to optimize productivity. Provide clear direction, mentorship, and career development opportunities for all team members
• Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requests
• Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities
• In collaboration with immediate supervisor and HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events
• All other duties as assigned or required

Skills and experience:

Required:

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
• Ability to travel, as required
• 8+ of experience in legal service delivery, law firm or legal operations and/or innovation, with at least 4 years management experience (some at the senior level preferred) with experience leading others
• Bachelor's degree
• Experience in standing up an innovation capability organically with proven track-record of results

Preferred:

• Juris Doctorate degree
• Domain Knowledge
• Strong understanding of the legal industry, particularly legal practice itself
• Experience in managing cross-functional projects involving engineering, business model changes and influence-based behavior change

Competencies:

• Strong leadership experience in building, managing, and mentoring teams of lawyers and operations professionals in a new area
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts to legal professionals and senior executives and execute on them
• Ability to influence and collaborate with multiple stakeholders across various departments (legal, IS, etc.)

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices. EOE.

The expected annual pay range for this position with a full-time schedule is $220,000 - $250,000.

Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate.

We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 25 days of Paid Time Off ("PTO") and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.