Director of Research and Knowledge Services

Thompson Coburn LLP; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

Life Insurance & ADD policies

Short & Long Term Disability Insurance

Paid Parental Leave

401(k) Profit Sharing plans

Parking/Transportation Stipend

Section 125 Plan

Paid Holidays/PTO

Annual Discretionary Bonus

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Employee Wellness Program

Tuition Reimbursement

College Savings Plan Deductions (529)

Long Term Care

Job summary

Thompson Coburn LLP seeks a Director of Research and Knowledge Services to lead a multi-state firm’s library and knowledge functions from its St. Louis office.

The role demands deep expertise in legal research, knowledge management, and AI-enabled workflows, with a track record of changing service models and delivering ROI in a large professional services firm. Strong leadership and stakeholder engagement are essential.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Library Science, Information Science, Knowledge Management, Legal Technology, Data/Information Management, or equivalent required.
• JD, MBA, advanced degree, or equivalent professional experience in a law firm or research environment may be considered.
• Minimum of 8 years in legal research, law library leadership, knowledge management, or information services with 5 years in leadership at Am Law 200 or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Defines and executes a multi-year strategic vision for transforming the Firm’s library function into a modern research & knowledge services team.
• Partners with practice group leaders to identify research, knowledge, data, current awareness, precedent, experience, and workflow needs.
• Leads, develops, and manages a diverse team of research, knowledge, and information professionals.
• Oversees selection, deployment, and optimization of research resources informed by usage analytics and demand.
• Leads evaluation, pilot, governance and scaling of AI-enabled research tools including Harvey, Westlaw, LexisNexis, Bloomberg Law, and Vital Law.
• Develops responsible AI research protocols with firm leaders to improve research quality and client service.
• Develops firmwide approaches to capturing value of research, cost recovery, and billable service models where appropriate.
• Manages budget planning, cost control, and ROI analytics for practice-aligned investments.
• Monitors developments in legal AI and knowledge management to inform adoption and governance.

Skills

Legal research

Knowledge management

AI in law

Change management

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Master’s in Library Science

JD or MBA preferred

Legal technology or information management experience

Tools

Westlaw

LexisNexis

Bloomberg Law

Vital Law

Job description

Thompson Coburn, a large full-service law firm with offices in eight (8) cities across the U.S., is in search of a full-time exempt Director of Research and Knowledge Services to join its s office.With over 450 attorneys and experience in 50 areas of law, Thompson Coburn is regularly recognized for providing clients with outstanding value and service. Driven by our core values of integrity, innovation and diversity, we collaborate and work in a welcoming, fast-paced, and inclusive environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Defines and executes a multi-year strategic vision for transforming the Firm’s library function into a modern research & knowledge services team that delivers high-value, billable, research, intelligence, knowledge management, and workflow to the Firm’s practice groups.
• Partners with practice group leaders to identify research, knowledge, data, current awareness, precedent, experience, and workflow needs specific to each practice.
• Leads, develops, and manages a diverse team of research, knowledge, and information professionals.
• Oversees the selection, deployment, and optimization of all research resources informed by usage analytics, practice-group demand, and emerging product capabilities.
• Leads the evaluation, pilot, governance, adoption, and scaling of AI-enabled research and workflow tools, including Harvey and AI capabilities within platforms such as Westlaw, LexisNexis, Bloomberg Law, and Wolters Kluwer Vital Law.
• Develops responsible AI research protocols partnering with Information Services, Risk Management & Compliance, and practice leaders to identify AI-enabled use cases that improve research quality, reduce friction, support lawyer workflows, and enhance client service.
• Develops a firmwide approach to capturing the value of research and knowledge services, including cost recovery, matter-based research support, billable service models where appropriate, and alignment with client billing guidelines.
• Manages budget planning, cost control, and financial performance using ROI analytics and practice-aligned investment priorities.
• Monitors developments in legal AI, legal research, knowledge management, and information services, and recommends appropriate adoption, governance, & investment strategies.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities Required

• Deep understanding of legal research, business research, competitive intelligence, current awareness, legal analytics, docket/legislative/regulatory tracking, and practice-specific knowledge needs.
• Strong knowledge of major legal and business research platforms, including Westlaw, LexisNexis, Bloomberg Law, Wolters Kluwer Vital Law, including their AI-enhanced features and API/integration capabilities.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change including cultural transformation, team restructuring, and adoption of new service models with strong change-management and communication skills.
• Practical understanding of AI-assisted legal research, generative AI, prompt design, retrieval-augmented research, source validation, hallucination risk, confidentiality, and human-in-the-loop review.
• Understanding of knowledge management methods, including taxonomy, metadata, experience capture, precedent management, practice portals, enterprise search, and knowledge curation.
• Ability to lead projects, develop strategic plans, establish priorities, and achieve measurable outcomes.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-engagement skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and effectively.
• Must have the ability to read, write and communicate in fluent English; ability to compose documents in the appropriate business style using correct grammar and spelling; ability to communicate clearly using proper grammar and diction including online video meetings and audio communications including telephone calls, in person discussions, and online audio calls.
• Must possess a high level of professionalism and interpersonal skills so as to be able to work well with employees at all levels within the organization and maintain all information in the strictest confidence. Required to use tact and diplomacy when dealing with others.

Experience And Education Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Library Science, Information Science, Knowledge Management, Legal Technology, Data/Information Management, or equivalent required.
• JD, MBA, advanced degree, or equivalent professional experience in a law firm, in-house legal department, professional services, or research-intensive environment may be considered.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in legal research, law library leadership, knowledge management, information services, or legal technology with at least 5 years in a leadership role at an Am Law 200 firm or equivalent professional services environment required.
• Proven success repositioning or building a research/knowledge function, including service redesign, increasing stakeholder engagement and service utilization, while demonstrating ROI to firm leadership preferred.
• Hands‑on experience evaluating, deploying, and governing AI-powered legal research and workflow tools in a production environment preferred.
• Track record of designing innovative, technology-enabled workflows that measurably improved efficiency, client service, or revenue contribution preferred.
• Experience developing metrics, dashboards, service benchmarks, cost recovery models, or billable service approaches preferred.
• Familiarity with law firm economics, billing practices, and partnership structures preferred.

Thompson Coburn LLP is a large, full service, multi-state firm with offices in Birmingham, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Southern Illinois, and Washington D.C. At Thompson Coburn, our behavior and the expectations we have of ourselves are guided by the values that we hold in the highest regard: integrity, a passion for excellence, a focus on serving the client, a value of diversity, innovation, creativity, trust, and loyalty. Within the Firm, we value each other as people and colleagues. In addition to the exceptional working environment and a competitive salary, Thompson Coburn provides the following benefit options to qualifying employees:

• Medical Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Life Insurance & ADD policies
• Short & Long Term Disability Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401(k) Profit Sharing plans
• Parking/Transportation Stipend
• Section 125 Plan (Pre-tax premiums and medical reimbursement)
• Paid HolidaysPaid Time Off (PTO)
• Annual Discretionary Bonus
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee Wellness Program
• Tuition Reimbursement
• College Savings Plan Deductions (529 Plans)
• Long Term Care

Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V