Knowledge & Innovation Manager

Bristows LLP; United States; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Bristows LLP is seeking a Knowledge & Innovation Manager (Litigation) to partner with our contentious practices. The role focuses on procedural know-how, workflow improvement and technology, with hands-on delivery and responsibility for a knowledge and innovation plan for aligned groups.

You will act as the main knowledge and innovation contact for contentious teams, develop practical guides, templates and playbooks, pilot legal technologies, train staff and drive adoption of improved disputes

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of contentious litigation workflows and lifecycle.
• Experience in knowledge management, innovation or legal technology within a law firm.
• Hands-on experience piloting or implementing legal technology with disputes teams.
• Excellent stakeholder skills with credibility to influence partners.
• Line management experience desirable.

Responsibilities

• Act as main Knowledge & Innovation contact for the aligned contentious practice groups.
• Maintain a practical knowledge and innovation plan for each group.
• Respond directly to practice needs and bring together the right knowledge, process and technology support.
• Lead adoption activity within the aligned practice groups through practical training, guidance, champion activity and hands-on support.
• Identify opportunities to improve disputes workflows and embed practical solutions.

Skills

Knowledge management

Innovation

Legal tech

Stakeholder skills

Line management

Process improvement

Job description

The Knowledge & Innovation Manager (Litigation) is the dedicated knowledge and innovation businesspartner to the firm's contentious practices.The role focuses on procedural know-how, workflow improvement and technology rather than legaldrafting. It is a hands-on role: the postholder delivers work personally and is responsible for a knowledgeand innovation plan for each aligned group.Practice groups bring their knowledge, process and technology needs to this role, which developspractical solutions that help lawyers work more effectively., Practice partnership

• Act as the main Knowledge & Innovation contact for the aligned contentious practice groups, building a detailed understanding of their work, pressures and priorities.
• Maintain a practical knowledge and innovation plan for each group, agreed with its leadership and reviewed regularly.
• Respond directly to practice needs and bring together the right knowledge, process and technology support where a broader solution is required.
• Process and procedural knowledge
• Develop and maintain practical contentious know-how, including procedural guides, checklists, workflow maps, playbooks, templates and pleadings or submissions banks.
• Capture matter experience and lessons learned, turning useful information into structured, reusable intelligence.
• Define and maintain appropriate terminology, structures and standards for contentious know-how, ensuring material is captured and maintained consistently.
• AI and legal technology
• Identify high-value AI and legal technology opportunities in contentious work and support structured pilots with the aligned groups.
• Produce practical guidance and prompt libraries for approved tools, informed by the needs and working practices of each group.
• Adoption and ways of working
• Lead adoption activity within the aligned practice groups through practical training, guidance, champion activity and hands‑on support.
• Identify opportunities to improve disputes workflows and work with lawyers to design and embed practical solutions., We are based in modern offices at Blackfriars and very much value face to face collaboration and the socialelement of working relationships. We have introduced a Remote Working Policy which enables staff to workin an agile way - we do not monitor attendance but ask that everyone spends more time in the office thanout of it, typically three days a week for full time staff.Our firm values, which we very much "live", are Ambition, Bravery, Curiosity and Friendliness. Theseunderpin all that we do across both our client work and our internal strategic decision making. None of ourlawyers have billing targets which means we can focus on doing the best for our clients while also havingthe time and capacity to assist each other in a genuinely collaborative working culture.

Training & career progressionWe aim to have a coaching culture with regular informal feedback to supplement the formal appraisalprocess. Mentoring schemes are available for fee earners while members of the HR team can providepersonal coaching and guidance in non-legal and personal management skills.Personal and professional development is much valued at all levels so we have a generous budget whichenables us to meet most ad hoc requests for additional training., Our salary and bonus structure reflects our absence of billing targets and collaborative culture and anybonus is paid as a simple percentage bonus across the whole firm. We have a flexible benefits packagethat is kept under regular review and is designed with the wellbeing of our staff and their families.

Diversity & inclusionAt Bristows we are committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion for all, and we are a proudsignatory of the Law Society's Diversity and Inclusion Charter. As a firm, and as individuals, we do all wecan to treat people fairly and with mutual respect. This commitment enriches our work and our workinglives and has played a key part in our success over the years.We have an active, partner-led Diversity & Inclusion group which runs awareness raising and educationalinitiatives in addition to ensuring that our policies and procedures remain inclusive.

• Deep understanding of how contentious legal work runs in practice, including the litigation lifecycle, court procedure, disclosure and evidence workflows. Relevant backgrounds may include knowledge, paralegal, litigation support or practice management roles.
• Experience in knowledge management, innovation or legal technology within a law firm, with evidence of proactive, hands-on delivery.
• Hands-on experience piloting or implementing legal technology with disputes teams.
• Excellent stakeholder skills and the credibility to challenge and influence partners.
• Line management experience desirable.
• A track record of spotting opportunities to improve the way work is done and acting on them without waiting for direction. Raises risks early and proposes a practical way forward.

Our values & cultureWith around 300 staff and partners in total and one UK location, we are able to maintain a friendlyatmosphere where everyone is able to get to know each other and many policies and practices canoperate on a trust basis.

Bristows is a market leading law firm with a global client base across the life sciences and technology sectors. The firm has maintained its high standing in the market with the strength of our legal expertise and our unique firm culture driven by our core values.