Director of Legal Support Services

Summary

The Director of Legal Support Services is responsible for overseeing the delivery of exceptional client service through the effective management and strategic direction of the firm's Legal Administrative Assistants, Paralegals, and Work Product Support teams. This leader will ensure that operational efficiency, high-quality work product, and client satisfaction is consistently achieved and maintained. The role is integral to the firm's continued ability to meet evolving client needs, drive operational excellence, attract and retain top-tier legal support talent, and position support services as a contributor to firm revenue and growth.

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree required
• 10+ years of experience in legal support services or law firm operations, including 5+ years in a senior or large-team leadership role.
• Proven record of managing large, diverse teams in a professional services or law firm environment.
• Strong understanding of law firm operations, legal practice areas, and client service standards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, develop strategy, and implement process improvements that increase efficiency without compromising quality.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills.
• High proficiency in legal technology tools and platforms (e.g., document management and docketing systems, workflow tools, Microsoft Office Suite).

Preferred Education & Experience

• JD, MBA, or advanced degree in Legal Administration, Business, or related field preferred.
• Compulaw and BigHand experience preferred
• Professional services and/or law firm experience.
• Experience managing multiple departments.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Team Leadership & Operational Oversight (20%)

• Provide strategic leadership and day-to-day management of Legal Administrative Assistants, Paralegals, and Work Product Support teams.
• Establish and monitor performance standards to ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality service delivery.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in workflows, staffing models, and service delivery methods to drive efficiency and scalability.

Client Service Excellence (10%)

• Serve as a key point of contact for internal clients (attorneys and firm leadership) regarding support service delivery and performance.
• Foster a client-centric culture within all legal support functions, ensuring responsiveness, accountability, and high service quality.
• Proactively gather and analyze feedback to align service delivery with attorney and client needs.

Strategic Planning & Execution (20%)

• Develop and execute strategic goals for Legal Support Services aligned with the firm's broader objectives, including revenue generation, talent strategy, and operational efficiency.
• Participate in firm wide strategic initiatives, representing the voice of legal support and contributing to cross-functional planning.
• Lead and oversee large-scale projects to improve operational processes, implement new technologies, or enhance services, ensuring alignment with firm priorities.

Collaboration & Alignment Across Offices (20%)

• Partner with the Senior Director of Office Administration and the Senior Office Manager to ensure consistent implementation of Legal Administrative Assistant team structures, programs, and best practices across all offices.
• Align staffing, training, and performance management practices with firm wide standards while allowing for flexibility to meet local office needs.
• Contribute to the development and communication of policies, procedures, and resources that promote consistency, efficiency, and a unified approach to service delivery firm wide.

Talent Management & Development (20%)

• Lead efforts to recruit, retain, develop, and coach top talent across all support roles.
• Design and implement career progression frameworks, performance evaluation input, and incentive structures to drive engagement and retention.
• Oversee a comprehensive learning and development program, ensuring all team members have access to upskilling, training, and growth opportunities.

Technology & Innovation (5%)

• Collaborate with IT and Innovation teams to evaluate and implement technology solutions that enhance support services (e.g., workflow automation, document management tools, AI-assisted support).
• Champion change management initiatives to ensure successful adoption of new tools and processes.

Metrics, Reporting & Continuous Improvement (5%)

• Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure effectiveness, productivity, and quality across support teams.
• Use data-driven insights to inform decision-making, identify trends, and implement process improvements to optimize performance and operational efficiency.
• Regularly report on performance, progress toward strategic goals, and client service outcomes to firm leadership.

Competencies

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Self-motivated with excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Highly professional with a strong customer service orientation, commitment to meeting deadlines, and ability to multitask in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Strong professional, independent thinking skills with strength in problem solving and the ability to offer constructive opinions and creative solutions.
• A team player who motivates and educates other team members.
• Regular and predictable attendance is an essential function of the position.
• Ability to successfully manage direct report(s), including performance evaluation, goal-setting, employee development and problem-solving.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position includes supervisory responsibilities for leaders of the LSS team.

Travel

Travel required.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. While performing the responsibilities of the position, these work environment characteristics are representative of the environment the person in this position will encounter. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will work in a professional, fast paced office environment that may require additional hours to complete work.

These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the position. If an employee is unable to perform the essential functions of the position, Stinson LLP will evaluate whether a reasonable accommodation can be made to enable the employee to perform the described essential functions of the position. Generally, due to the nature of this office position, while performing the responsibilities of the position, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to sit and use their hands and fingers, to handle or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Vision abilities required by the job include close vision.

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