Global Legal Research Services Lead

Goodwin; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 104,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

Retirement & Savings Plan

Emergency backup care

Paid vacation and holidays

Professional development

Employee recognition programs

Wellness programs

Employee discounts

Job summary

Goodwin is seeking a Research Services Manager to lead the firm’s research function, ensuring attorneys and business professionals receive timely, accurate, and actionable information for client matters and firm initiatives.

You will supervise a team of Research Analysts, coordinate workload, set service standards, and collaborate with Knowledge Management, Practice Management, and IT to optimize tools and content. A MLIS/MLS is preferred and 7+ years of legal research experience is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MLIS/MLS or equivalent advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of progressively responsible legal research experience, including in a large law firm, corporate legal department, or professional services environment.
• 2+ years of people management experience or demonstrated ability to lead teams, projects, and service delivery.
• Demonstrated expertise with key legal and business research platforms (e.g., Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, PACER, SEC/EDGAR, D&B/Capital IQ, Factiva/News platforms).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate complex findings into clear guidance.
• Excellent analytical skills, attention to detail, and sound judgment regarding source reliability and completeness.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment while maintaining high-quality output.
• High degree of discretion and professionalism; ability to handle confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily research services delivery (legal, business, industry, news, docket/case, regulatory, litigation analytics, and public records) in support of attorneys and business professionals.
• Supervise the Research Analyst team, including workload coordination, prioritization, coaching, and quality review.
• Establish service standards, intake/triage workflows, and escalation protocols to ensure responsiveness and consistency.
• Consult with attorneys to clarify research objectives, scope, and deadlines; synthesize findings into concise deliverables.
• Partner with Knowledge Management, Practice Management, Business Development/Marketing, and IT to align tools with practice needs.
• Coordinate subscription needs assessments, trials, licensing, contract negotiation support, renewals, cost optimization, and usage tracking.
• Develop and maintain research guides, templates, and internal documentation; promote self-service while preserving white-glove support.
• Monitor trends in legal and competitive intelligence and recommend new tools and data sources.
• Create and report metrics and insights to inform resourcing and strategy.
• Support incident response and continuity planning for research services.

Skills

Legal research

Written communication

Verbal communication

Analytical thinking

Project management

Multitasking

Discretion

Client service mindset

Research strategy

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MLIS/MLS or equivalent advanced degree

Tools

Westlaw

Lexis

Bloomberg Law

PACER

SEC/EDGAR

D&B/Capital IQ

Factiva/News platforms

Job description

Goodwin is seeking a Research Services Manager to lead the firm’s research function, ensuring attorneys and business professionals receive timely, accurate, and actionable information for client matters and firm initiatives.

You will supervise a team of Research Analysts, coordinate workload, set service standards, and collaborate with Knowledge Management, Practice Management, and IT to optimize tools and content. A MLIS/MLS is preferred and 7+ years of legal research experience is required.