Director of Client & Matter Intake

Jackson Lewis P.C.; Berkeley Heights (NJ); On-site; USD 190,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, life and DI

401(k) Retirement Plan

Flexible Spending & Health Savings

Holidays, vacation, and sick time

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Jackson Lewis P.C. is seeking a Director of New Business Intake to lead client and matter onboarding, conflicts review, and data governance. You will oversee end-to-end intake lifecycle, governance, and technology enablement with a focus on efficiency, risk management, and service excellence.

The role requires extensive experience in intake operations, leadership, and proficiency with Intapp Open. Collaboration with Finance, Pricing, and Case Management is essential for timely matter opening.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree, law degree, MBA, or relevant professional certification preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in new business intake, conflicts, risk management, legal operations, finance operations, or a comparable professional-services environment.
• 5+ years of people-leadership experience, including responsibility for managers or a multi-level operational team.
• Strong knowledge of law firm client and matter intake, conflicts processes, engagement requirements, client/matter master data, and the downstream impact of intake decisions on billing, collections, reporting, and client service.
• Advanced working knowledge of Intapp Open or a comparable NBI platform, including workflow configuration, testing, upgrades, reporting, and vendor coordination.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook and Excel, including the ability to organize, validate, analyze, and communicate detailed operational data accurately.
• Demonstrated success leading firmwide process improvement, technology implementation, workflow automation, or operating-model change.
• Experience developing service levels, controls, dashboards, and executive reporting in a high-volume, deadline-sensitive environment.
• Exceptional discretion and judgment in handling confidential, privileged, sensitive, or reputationally significant information.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the firm's strategy and operating model for client and matter intake, including staffing, service levels, and technology enablement.
• Establish governance, controls, approval processes, and escalation protocols across intake, conflicts, risk review, and matter opening.
• Lead initiatives to enhance data integrity, service delivery, and the client and attorney intake experience.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex or high-priority intake matters.
• Maintain intake policies, procedures, standards, and training materials.
• Direct the end-to-end client and matter intake lifecycle, including onboarding, maintenance, approvals, engagement documentation, transfers, and matter closure.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of client, matter, billing, and related business data.
• Establish and optimize intake workflows for standard and specialized engagement scenarios.
• Partner with Finance, Billing, Pricing, Case Management, and other stakeholders to support efficient matter setup and downstream operational readiness.
• Oversee intake queues, workloads, and service levels, proactively addressing delays, bottlenecks, and escalations to ensure timely matter opening.
• Partner with Conflicts Counsel, the Office of General Counsel, and firm leadership to support conflicts clearance, risk management, and compliance processes.
• Oversee operational aspects of client due diligence, engagement documentation, outside counsel guidelines, and related risk-control requirements.
• Ensure required approvals, waivers, engagement terms, and supporting documentation are properly obtained, maintained, and integrated into intake workflows.
• Support audits, regulatory reviews, and internal control activities through effective documentation, reporting, and process oversight.
• Maintain appropriate separation between operational ownership and legal decision-making, ensuring substantive risk determinations remain with authorized attorneys and committees.
• Establish and maintain data governance, quality standards, and controls for client and matter information.
• Serve as the business owner for Intapp Open and related intake technologies, overseeing system strategy, enhancements, integrations, and vendor relationships.
• Lead process optimization, workflow automation, and change management initiatives that improve efficiency, accuracy, transparency, and user experience.
• Partner with Technology, Information Security, Pricing, and other business stakeholders to enhance data quality, system performance, and operational effectiveness.
• Drive continuous improvement through analytics and root-cause analysis to reduce risk, strengthen controls, and prevent downstream operational issues.
• Provide strategic leadership and development for the New Business Intake team, including talent management, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, service excellence, sound judgment, and continuous improvement.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with firm leadership, attorneys, business professionals, and key stakeholders across the organization.
• Champion training, communication, and change management initiatives that promote adoption of intake processes, policies, and systems.
• Oversee relationships with external vendors and service providers, ensuring performance, quality, and alignment with firm objectives.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators, service levels, operational trends, and capacity metrics to drive performance and continuous improvement.
• Oversee the delivery of accurate, timely, and confidential reporting for firm leadership, clients, and other stakeholders.
• Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to support strategic decision-making, resource planning, and business growth.
• Develop forecasting, quality assurance, and control programs to ensure operational effectiveness, compliance, and accountability.

Skills

Leadership

Process Improvement

Data Governance

Excel/Outlook

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree or MBA

Tools

Intapp Open

Job description

Jackson Lewis P.C. is seeking a Director of New Business Intake to lead client and matter onboarding, conflicts review, and data governance. You will oversee end-to-end intake lifecycle, governance, and technology enablement with a focus on efficiency, risk management, and service excellence.

The role requires extensive experience in intake operations, leadership, and proficiency with Intapp Open. Collaboration with Finance, Pricing, and Case Management is essential for timely matter opening.