Practice Manager

Stephenson Harwood LLP; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in London is seeking a Practice Manager to support the Maritime, Trade and Offshore practice group. This role involves financial oversight, strategic planning, and people management, ensuring efficient operations while fostering collaboration across teams. The firm values diversity and offers a hybrid working model, emphasizing a supportive and inclusive culture.

Benefits

Life assurance

Private health and dental care

Flexible benefits including gym discounts

Tech and cycle schemes

Volunteering leave

Wellbeing strategy

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in a law firm or professional services environment.
• Experience as a practice manager is preferable.
• Strong commercial understanding and financial management skills.

Responsibilities

• Assist with annual budget process and monitor financial performance.
• Support business plans and manage business development budgets.
• Oversee recruitment and onboarding of new employees.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Organizational skills

Financial management

Communication skills

Proactive approach

Education

Experience in a law firm

Practice manager experience

Job description

What we will offer

We will offer you a place where you can be yourself and where there are no limits on what you can achieve. With us, you can take ownership of your career and have honest conversations throughout. You would join an ambitious firm with a clear strategy for profitable growth where you can get early responsibility and early involvement in growing the business. Here you can expect a competitive and fair reward as well as recognition based on all round performance. This forms part of our internal promise to you, The Deal, between the firm and its employees.

You can expect:

• A competitive salary and a host of family friendly policies
• Life assurance, private health and dental care for you and your family
• A range of flexible benefits including gym discount and retail vouchers
• Tech, cycle and electric car schemes
• The opportunity to support the firm's charity through volunteering leave
• A wellbeing strategy that focuses on preventative measures to maintain overall health, and tools and support for when our people experience physical or mental difficulties. The strategy focuses on four pillars: physical, emotional, financial and social aspects.
• Most of our roles are hybrid, meaning that colleagues benefit from working in our office and remotely. We are happy to discuss this and other flexible working arrangements with you as part of the application and interview process.
• We are an equal opportunity organisation, committed to having a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, culture, or any other protected characteristics. We aim to create a culture where everyone can be themselves and is valued for their strengths and unique perspectives.

Team Structure

Stephenson Harwood’s international Maritime, Trade and Offshore (MTO) practice group combines its ship finance, shipping, and trade and commodities expertise. The group, which is split into 3 practice areas, offers a breadth of services to clients active in the shipping, offshore, commodity and finance sectors that few other firms can match. Our practice is international in nature and serviced by specialist lawyers operating out of our London, Paris, Athens, Dubai, Greater China, Seoul, and Singapore offices. We act for financiers and shipowners in relation to all their maritime finance products and needs. We frequently act in high profile disputes involving complex legal and commercial problems. We often have to advise on cross-border and jurisdictional matters which has resulted in a considerable pool of experience relating to the majority of important maritime jurisdictions. Our clients include many of the world's largest financiers, ship owners, shipyards, insurers, P&I clubs, energy services companies and commodities traders. The size of the team both in London and globally and the depth of its experience means we are well positioned to advise on any shipping or trade-related matter, from the most complex marine incident or financing structure to the more straightforward cargo claim or sale and purchase transaction or dispute.

Main Responsibilities

This is a newly created role which aims to provide overall day to day support to ensure the efficient and effective running of the practice group. Working closely with the PGL, as well as the practice area leaders (PALs), across a range of practice management responsibilities, this role will become a trusted adviser, developing a deep understanding of the practice group and its practice areas. The practice manager will often act as the first point of contact for business services departments and will build strong relationships with these colleagues performing an important facilitative and supportive role. It will be a highly collaborative role and maintain a joined up approach with others across the firm. This role is based in London, but will involve working with our international offices, liaising with our office managing partners and office managers.

The key responsibilities will include:

Financial

• Assists with the annual budget process
• Monitors the ongoing financial performance of the group, providing regular updates, financial analysis and reports
• Takes an active role in the group's billing activities, providing ongoing data regarding WIP, outstanding bills and collections, alongside the accounts department
• Supports the pricing of bids, tenders and client proposals
• Works with the resource allocation manager to analyse chargeable work and utilisation figures
• Works with the associates to ensure good time recording and billing practices, including making sure time sheets are up to date and that time is recorded correctly

Strategy and business planning

• Supports the group's business plans, at practice group and practice area level, working with the PGL and the group's business development manager
• Works with the group's business development manager to help manage the business development budgets, develop pitches, coordinate directory submissions and plan press releases

People

• Prepares information to support business cases for lateral hires and fee earner promotions
• Assists with the recruitment and onboarding of all new employees into the department
• Works with the resource allocation manager to support resource planning, including holiday approvals
• Supports the partners where needed with people management and performance analysis, alongside the relevant HR contact
• Works with the group's knowledge development lawyer to co-ordinate and develop training programmes
• Oversees the management of the paralegal team, alongside the paralegal partner

Operations

• Collaborates with the PALs to gain an indepth understanding of the practice areas
• Organises and attends regular partner meetings, compiling the agenda and actioning to do items where possible, alongside the executive assistant team leader
• Oversees the planning and implementation of fee earner room moves in the practice group, with assistance from the workplace team
• Suggests and organises team events, working closely with the group's executive assistant team leader and social committee
• Collaborates with the technology and innovation teams to leverage tech tools and capabilities streamlining operational effectiveness
• Collaborates with business services heads and their teams across the firm, building strong internal networks, to drive forward efficiencies and acts as the first point of contact for any operational issues
• Trouble shoots any administrations or organisational issues for fee earners, providing extra assistance where necessary

Most of our roles are hybrid, meaning that colleagues benefit from working in our office and remotely. We are happy to discuss this and other flexible working arrangements with you as part of the application and interview process.

Attributes/Skills Required

Previous experience of working in a law firm or professional services environment

• Demonstrable experience of working as a practice manager would be preferable
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, influencing and communication skills
• Exceptional organisational, administrative and co-ordination skills
• Client and service focused in thinking and approach with an emphasis on achieving excellence
• Proactive approach with a highly effective ability to prioritise and manage a competing workload
• An successful collaborator, with a keenness to work with business services departments and the wider firm
• Strong commercial understanding, including financial management skills, such as reporting and analysis
• Ensures sensitivity and confidentiality where appropriate

This job description is indicative only and does not represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The firm reserves the right to alter or change the responsibilities at any time, in line with the firm's strategy and business needs.

About the Firm

With 8 offices worldwide and with our headquarters based in London, Stephenson Harwood is a law firm where our people are committed to achieving the goals of our clients - listed and private companies, institutions and individuals across the globe. Our mix of expertise and culture results in a combination of deep local insight and the capability to provide a seamless international service.

Our experience encompasses corporate, commercial litigation and arbitration, employment, pensions and private wealth, finance, marine and international trade, and real estate and projects.

We assemble teams of bright thinkers to match our clients' needs and give the right advice from the right person at the right time. Dedicating the highest calibre of legal talent to overcome the most complex issues, we deliver pragmatic, expert advice that is set squarely in the real world.

We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.

Our Values

Individuality - We encourage creativity and devlop talent.

Commitment - To be the best and deliver the highest standard.

Teamwork - We work together to build close, long-term relationships.

Straight talking - We say what we mean and do what we say.

Our Vision into 2026

To be a successful firm where talented people work together in an entrepreneurial environment, building long term client relationships.

This version is about who we want to be, as well as who we are. It is as much about our values as about our character - the attributes we want to see from all of our people. That's how we unlock our entrepreneurial spirit, advising our clients with top performing teams.

A key part of the 2026 strategy is to focus on five core sectors: energy transition; life sciences and healthcare; private capital and funds; technology; transportation and trade. These have been identified as crucial in the drive for accelerated profitable growth.