Senior IP Litigation Support Leader (Hybrid)

Merchant & Gould; Alexandria (VA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

AD&D insurance

Short-term disability

Long-term disability

401(k) match

10 firm holidays

Job summary

Merchant & Gould, a premier intellectual property law firm in the United States, seeks a Litigation Legal Support Manager in a hybrid role. The position guides legal assistants, paralegals, and attorneys, coordinating daily workflows and training initiatives within the Litigation Practice Group.

The role emphasizes staffing planning, quality standards, and collaboration with HR, with a focus on process improvements, client service, and effective use of firm resources.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of litigation support experience in a law firm or comparable legal environment.
• 5+ years of experience supporting intellectual property litigation.
• Progressive experience in legal support roles with leadership capability.
• Proven ability to lead teams, manage complex workflows, and drive operational excellence.
• Advanced knowledge of litigation procedures, discovery rules, trial preparation, and court filing systems.

Responsibilities

• Supervises legal assistants and paralegals to promote high performance and professional growth.
• Oversees staffing, workflows, and workload distribution for efficient client service.
• Forecasts staffing needs and develops staffing solutions for matters.
• Sets quality and client service standards and acts as escalation point for issues.
• Ensures compliance with litigation procedures and court deadlines; coordinates with attorneys.
• Leads onboarding, training, and cross-training for staff; identifies skill gaps and resources.
• Manages performance, conducts evaluations, and coordinates with HR on development plans.
• Partners with HR on recruitment, onboarding, retention, and succession planning.
• Monitors capacity, utilization, and billable hours; implements process improvements.
• Promotes use of technology and explores automation to improve processes.
• Manages relationships with outside vendors and contractors; oversees service quality.
• Handles administrative duties such as timecards, time off, and invoices.

Skills

Litigation support leadership

Project management

Communication

Staff coaching and development

Workflow optimization

Client service excellence

Team collaboration

Tools

MS Office

Case management systems

Document management systems

Job description

Merchant & Gould, a premier intellectual property law firm in the United States, seeks a Litigation Legal Support Manager in a hybrid role. The position guides legal assistants, paralegals, and attorneys, coordinating daily workflows and training initiatives within the Litigation Practice Group.

The role emphasizes staffing planning, quality standards, and collaboration with HR, with a focus on process improvements, client service, and effective use of firm resources.