Associate Director of Legal Practice Technology Team and Knowledge Development

Kirkland & Ellis; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 203,000 - 279,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive healthcare

Paid time off

Retirement benefits

Tailored learning opportunities

Job summary

Kirkland & Ellis in San Francisco seeks an experienced eDiscovery professional to enhance discovery practices. You will design training programs, manage documentation, and contribute to team growth.

The ideal candidate has extensive hands-on experience in ediscovery and a strong commitment to mentoring others. This role requires collaboration with team leads and involves creating practical training content. The position offers comprehensive benefits and opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 to 10 years of hands-on experience in ediscovery or litigation support.
• Deep working knowledge of leading ediscovery platforms.
• Experienced in creating structured training programs.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver training programs for the LPT team.
• Serve as primary steward of operational documentation.
• Oversee communication of SOP and playbook updates.

Skills

Hands-on experience in ediscovery

Experience in litigation support

Training program delivery

Operational documentation management

Knowledge of generative AI tools

Education

Bachelor's degree

JD, LLM, or MBA (optional)

Tools

PowerPoint

Learning Management System (LMS)

Job description

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 24 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You’ll Do

You are a seasoned eDiscovery professional who takes pride in both the craft of discovery and the people who practice it. You have built deep hands-on experience over the course of your career and are excited by the idea of using that knowledge to elevate others. Teaching, mentoring, and translating complex discovery concepts into clear, practical guidance energizes you. You are passionate about building strong teams through thoughtful training programs, engaging onboarding experiences, and well-designed knowledge resources. You care deeply about quality of work, learning, and collaboration. You believe that investing in people and sharing knowledge is essential to raising the bar across an already high-performing team. If you thrive as a practitioner who loves discovery and is equally motivated by helping others master it, you will feel at home contributing to the growth and ongoing success of the Litigation & Practice Technology (LPT) team.

Impact. You will report to the Director of LPT and serve as the team’s primary education resource, designing, developing, and delivering training programs for a team of advisors, project managers, and data scientists dedicated to document and data analysis across complex legal matters. The role requires a practitioner’s understanding of discovery and litigation support workflows. You will also serve as the team’s primary steward of operational knowledge, owning playbooks, SOPs, and supporting documentation that keeps the team aligned and effective.

Training Program Design & Delivery. You will serve as the primary architect of LPT’s training program, designing comprehensive curriculum spanning technical skills, workflow proficiency, and professional development. You will partner with subject matter experts to develop training content across multiple delivery modalities, and establish systems to track training assignments, completion status, and comprehension outcomes. You will also collaborate with managers to design onboarding programs that set new team members up for success from day one.

Process Documentation Stewardship. You will serve as the team’s primary keeper of Playbooks, SOPs, and reference materials, working with team leads to document clear, practical, and easily accessible processes for all matter types. You will set up regular review schedules to ensure documentation stays current and oversee communication of SOP and playbook updates across the team. Tracking understanding and effectiveness of processes will also be critical to the role.

Department Initiatives. You will be joining a leadership team dedicated to modeling open, constructive communication and cross-team collaboration. In this capacity, you may lead efforts to raise awareness of team services across the firm and contribute to initiatives that strengthen the department’s visibility and impact.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree required; JD, LLM, or MBA is a plus but not necessary.
• Minimum of 7 to 10 years of hands-on experience in ediscovery, litigation support, or discovery project management at a law firm, legal service provider, or corporate legal department, with demonstrated proficiency across the full EDRM lifecycle including data collection, processing, review workflow design, and production.
• Deep working knowledge of leading ediscovery review and processing platforms. Familiarity with analytics tools, AI-assisted review workflows, and emerging technologies applied to document-intensive legal matters.
• Experienced in creating and delivering structured training programs for technical and complex roles. Skilled in PowerPoint and presentation design, with confidence in conducting in-person training.
• Proven experience creating, maintaining, and governing operational documentation including SOPs, workflow playbooks, and reference guides.
• Experience establishing systems to track training completion and comprehension, defining KPIs and evaluation frameworks.
• Ability to work effectively with subject matter experts, team managers, and senior leadership to align training initiatives with operational priorities.
• Exceptional organizational skills, good judgment, and the ability to independently define and make progress on action items, with a commitment to consensus building.
• Experience administering a learning management system (LMS) and developing training content in video format, including screen-capture walkthroughs and narrated instructional videos using tools such as Camtasia, Loom, or equivalent platforms is preferred.
• Working knowledge of generative AI tools is a plus, including their practical application in legal services and discovery, including familiarity with prompt engineering techniques and agentic workflow development.

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in New York, Bay Area and Chicago. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range

New York $203,000 - $279,000

Bay Area $203,000 - $291,000

Chicago $203,000 - $253,000

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Don’t meet every job requirement? That’s okay! If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.