Legal Project Manager

Baker McKenzie; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Baker McKenzie is seeking an experienced Legal Project Manager to lead client-facing and internal projects from scoping to delivery, collaborating with partners and legal teams to capture requirements and design practical approaches.

You will apply LegalTech and AI-enabled tools to improve delivery, advise on pricing and budgeting, and produce concise updates for lawyers and clients. A proactive, organised, and improvement-minded professional is ideal.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in law or business.
• Prince2 Practitioner or equivalent project management qualification desirable; Prince2 Agile, MoP or PMP also desirable.
• At least 4 years' project management experience, preferably in a large law firm or professional services environment.
• Strong working knowledge of project management methodologies, collaboration platforms, document management systems, Microsoft Office, financial systems, and data analysis or visualisation tools.
• Practical understanding of legal technology, automation, AI-enabled tools and technology-enabled service delivery.
• Commercially aware, with ability to interpret matter-level performance, profitability and key financial metrics.
• Clear written and verbal communicator, able to produce concise executive summaries, project updates and reports for lawyers, senior stakeholders and clients.
• Confident relationship-builder with strong influencing, coaching and stakeholder management skills.
• Organised, self-directed and hands-on, with the flexibility to balance strategic thinking, detailed delivery and changing priorities.
• Committed to continuous improvement, change management and high-quality delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple concurrent client-facing and internal projects from scoping through delivery, including plans, timelines, priorities, dependencies, risks, issues and change control.
• Collaborate with Principals, Lead Associates and legal teams to capture client requirements and design practical project approaches.
• Apply LegalTech, automation, AI tools, agents, portals and integrated workflows to improve project delivery and encourage adoption by legal teams.
• Advise lawyers on pricing and budgeting (in collaboration with Pricing Team where appropriate), while producing cost and fee reporting to drive project profitability.
• Prepare project plans, status reports and concise internal and client updates, escalating risks, issues and mitigation options as needed.
• Manage own workload and junior LPM resources, clarify roles and responsibilities, and deploy Alternative Legal Services or other resourcing models where appropriate.
• Coordinate clients, legal teams, legal operations, specialist departments, global offices and external stakeholders to maintain alignment and momentum.
• Host project reviews and contribute to improved LPM standards, methodologies, tools, templates and delivery solutions.
• Provide practical guidance, coaching and training on selected technologies, processes and LPM ways of working.
• Build networks across allocated practice areas and business services teams, and help position LPM on suitable new projects, client opportunities and non-LPM initiatives.

Skills

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Leadership

Communication

Risk & Change

Legal industry knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in law or business

Tools

Microsoft Office

Financial systems

Data analysis / visualization

Document management systems

Job description

Baker McKenzie's global team of Legal Project Managers works alongside our lawyers to deliver creative and practical solutions on many of the firm's most complex projects. They drive efficiencies through better scope definition and process design, efficient matter management, commercial collaboration on pricing and fee tracking, and the deployment of AI, automation and advanced technology platforms. This is an opportunity to join a market-leading legal project management team, recently recognised as Band 1-ranked by Chambers 2027, and play an integral role on the integrated delivery of legal services at scale within a preeminent global law firm.

The successful candidate will lead projects independently or work alongside Senior LPMs to: successfully secure, design and manage project delivery of client-facing projects; delegate and oversee work performed by Legal Project Coordinators; and apply both established and new tools, processes and solutions.

Main Responsiblities:

• Lead multiple concurrent client-facing and internal projects from scoping through delivery, including plans, timelines, priorities, dependencies, risks, issues and change control.
• Collaborate with Principals, Lead Associates and legal teams to capture client requirements and design practical project approaches.
• Apply LegalTech, automation, AI tools, agents, portals and integrated workflows to improve project delivery and encourage adoption by legal teams.
• Advise lawyers on pricing and budgeting (in collaboration with Pricing Team where appropriate), while producing cost and fee reporting to drive project profitability.
• Prepare project plans, status reports and concise internal and client updates, escalating risks, issues and mitigation options as needed.
• Manage own workload and junior LPM resources, clarify roles and responsibilities, and deploy Alternative Legal Services or other resourcing models where appropriate.
• Coordinate clients, legal teams, legal operations, specialist departments, global offices and external stakeholders to maintain alignment and momentum.
• Host project reviews and contribute to improved LPM standards, methodologies, tools, templates and delivery solutions.
• Provide practical guidance, coaching and training on selected technologies, processes and LPM ways of working.
• Build networks across allocated practice areas and business services teams, and help position LPM on suitable new projects, client opportunities and non-LPM initiatives.

Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in law or business.
• Prince2 Practitioner or equivalent project management qualification desirable; Prince2 Agile, MoP or PMP also desirable.
• At least 4 years' project management experience, preferably in a large law firm or professional services environment.
• Strong working knowledge of project management methodologies, collaboration platforms, document management systems, Microsoft Office, financial systems, and data analysis or visualisation tools.
• Practical understanding of legal technology, automation, AI-enabled tools and technology-enabled service delivery.
• Commercially aware, with the ability to interpret matter-level performance, profitability and key financial metrics.
• Clear written and verbal communicator, able to produce concise executive summaries, project updates and reports for lawyers, senior stakeholders and clients.
• Confident relationship-builder with strong influencing, coaching and stakeholder management skills.
• Organised, self-directed and hands-on, with the flexibility to balance strategic thinking, detailed delivery and changing priorities.
• Committed to continuous improvement, change management and high-quality delivery.