Corporate Practice Manager

Fenwick & West; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 153,000 - 229,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Life Insurance

Health Savings Accounts

Flexible Spending Accounts

Wellbeing

Job summary

Fenwick & West is seeking a Corporate Practice Manager to support the Corporate group’s associates with workflow optimization and career development. This role emphasizes developing initiatives, retaining talent, and collaborating with Practice Support Lawyers and Legal Training to deliver programs.

The position requires 3 days in‑office per week across Fenwick offices (excluding DC) as a full‑time exempt role in the U.S.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of manager level experience at a law firm or professional services
• Bachelor's degree required; JD or MBA a plus
• Experience with staff management and practice group operations will be helpful

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted resource to associates and manage workflow and time management
• Manage junior associates and integrate them via Fenwick First program
• Oversee work allocation and staffing within the free market workflow system
• Evaluate practice group needs and assist with recruiting efforts
• Lead orientation/integration for new and lateral associates; manage off‑boarding
• Drive associate engagement and support morale and in‑office collaboration
• Plan and conduct formal training with Practice Support Lawyers and Training teams
• Collaborate on AI initiatives and training for responsible use of AI tools
• Support strategic decisions with practice management directors and partners

Skills

Data analytics

Communication skills

Emotional intelligence

MS Office

AI tools

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree

JD or MBA a plus

Tools

Workflow system

Workflow software

Job description

Job Description Summary

The Corporate Practice Manager is primarily responsible for providing support to our associates within the Corporate group, with workflow and their overall career development at Fenwick. The individual will play an active role in the development and implementation of the Corporate group’s initiatives and play an integral role in the retention and development of our associates. We are looking for someone who is collaborative, enjoys being part of a team and will excel working closely with our associates in helping them achieve their professional goals.

Job Description Summary

The Corporate Practice Manager is primarily responsible for providing support to our associates within the Corporate group, with workflow and their overall career development at Fenwick. The individual will play an active role in the development and implementation of the Corporate group’s initiatives and play an integral role in the retention and development of our associates. We are looking for someone who is collaborative, enjoys being part of a team and will excel working closely with our associates in helping them achieve their professional goals.

This role may be based in any of our U.S. offices except Washington, D.C., and will require 3 days of in‑office presence per week, with additional onsite days as needed to support business and client requirements. This is a full‑time exempt role.

Job Description

• Serve as a knowledgeable and trusted resource to the associates and understand the on‑ground practice activity levels and help associates manage their bandwidth, including serving as a first point of contact is on workflow and time management.
• Manage our junior associates following their initial integration into the Firm via our "Fenwick First program" to continue to integrate them into Fenwick and continue to help them learn how to navigate the free market workflow system.
• Manage work allocation and utilization within the free market workflow system. This includes supporting partners and associates navigating the free market workflow system and assist with staffing matters as needed.
• Evaluate practice group needs, including by gathering and analyzing group‑related data, on an ongoing basis, identify gaps in associate resources and support recruiting team efforts.
• Manage orientation and integration support for lateral associates and junior associates, as well as off‑boarding processes.
• Lead on associate engagement and provide support and guidance on morale and other events to foster in‑office collaboration.
• Work with partners, our Practice Support Lawyers and Legal Training teams to plan and conduct formal training programs for attorneys within the Corporate Practice Group, as well as to help gameplan both on Practice Group‑related and other Corporate meetings on firmwide initiatives like firmwide retreats, competencies and the like.
• Work with the Legal Personnel team to support the evaluation and associate development process.
• Work with the Knowledge Management team to support testing, rollout and maintenance of key tools and resources including AI tools.
• Collaborate with practice group directors, Practice Support Lawyers and other key stakeholders on AI initiatives for the Corporate Practice Group, including identifying opportunities for AI‑enabled efficiencies and developing trainings to support responsible and effective use of AI tools within the group.
• Work with corporate practice group practice management directors, practice leaders, partners and others in management to help make strategic decisions for the group.
• Assist with any other existing or future initiatives, projects, processes, tasks and the like that may be presented to the Practice Management team.

Desired Skills & Qualifications

• Sound judgment and extreme discretion with respect to confidential and sensitive information.
• Strong emotional intelligence, ability to influence and guide others, and able to provide quality and efficient client service (to both internal and external clients) in a fast‑paced industry.
• Awareness and understanding of business improvement processes and best practices.
• Strong interpersonal skills, service mentality and ability to build relationships.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong data analytics skills to assess a range of metrics and presents data in an effective manner.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize work in a dynamic and complex environment to meet deadlines and daily requirements.
• Proficiency in MS Office and the ability to quickly learn and utilize additional software.
• Ability to thoughtfully and effectively use AI tools to improve efficiency, support data analysis and workflow management, and help identify practical applications for the Corporate Practice Group while exercising sound judgment around confidentiality, accuracy and responsible use.

Reporting to the Corporate Practice Group Director, the qualified candidate will preferably have 3-5 years of manager level experience at a law firm or other professional services experience. Experience in practice management, including staffing support, is a plus. Bachelor's degree required; JD or MBA a plus.

Benefits And Compensation Details

At Fenwick, we believe that our partners and employees are our most important asset. Helping you and your families achieve and maintain good health - physical, emotional, and financial - is the reason we offer a comprehensive benefit program.

We provide benefits to eligible employees under plans such as Healthcare, Life Insurance, Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Wellbeing.

• Healthcare
• Life Insurance
• Health Savings Accounts
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Wellbeing

Except as otherwise required by law, temporary employees are generally not entitled to these benefits.

The Anticipated Range For This Position Is

$153,000 - $228,750

Depending on the role, the actual base salary offered may depend upon a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

A discretionary bonus for eligible employees may also be available based on performance. Additional information about employee eligibility for benefits and discretionary bonus will be made available upon request.