Senior Paralegal & Practice Operations Manager

Sidley Austin; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago is seeking a Paralegal Senior Manager to lead the paralegal and project assistant department supporting about 500 lawyers. You will oversee performance, productivity, and staffing with firm-wide alignment.

This role collaborates with other offices, directs recruiting, onboarding, and compensation processes, and drives high-value operations while maintaining confidentiality and professional standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 10 years experience in professional services or related field
• 5 years experience managing at least 15 direct/indirect reports
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Ability to quickly connect with various levels of stakeholders
• Ability to build trust and gain buy-in from firm leadership

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and management of the Chicago paralegal and project assistant department
• Partner with paralegal and project assistant managers in other offices to promote consistent policies
• Research, develop, and adapt departmental plans and priorities
• Build relationships with firm lawyers, paralegals, project assistants, and staff
• Promote and maintain a unified, collaborative team across practice groups
• Partner with department leadership and HR to develop staffing strategies
• Participate in recruiting, interviewing, and selection of staff
• Manage onboarding and the overall employee experience
• Manage onboarding and training of new Project Assistant classes
• Assess training needs and support firm-wide initiatives
• Manage performance management and compensation process
• Counsel staff on employee relations issues and coach high performers
• Monitor morale and engagement to drive high performance
• Manage technology programs and utilization reports
• Track progress toward billable-hour targets and workloads
• Oversee timekeeping and wage-and-hour compliance
• Perform other related duties as required

Skills

Leadership

Excellent communication

Stakeholder management

Organization

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago is seeking a Paralegal Senior Manager to lead the paralegal and project assistant department supporting about 500 lawyers. You will oversee performance, productivity, and staffing with firm-wide alignment.

This role collaborates with other offices, directs recruiting, onboarding, and compensation processes, and drives high-value operations while maintaining confidentiality and professional standards.