Strategic IP Practice Group Director

Dorsey & Whitney LLP; Missoula (MT); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Excellent benefits

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Dorsey & Whitney LLP seeks a Practice Group Director to drive success across Patent, Trademark, Regulatory Affairs, Labor & Employment, and Construction Litigation groups. Hybrid role, based in any U.S.

office, partnering with HR, Finance, Marketing, and KM to align practice priorities with firm initiatives. You will lead workflow design, staffing models, budgeting, and cross-department coordination, while guiding onboarding, succession planning, and performance management.

Qualifications

• Strategic advisor to firm and Practice Group leadership on operational, people-related, and administrative matters.
• Experience leading operational initiatives within IP practices, including workflow design, staffing models, and resource allocation.
• Collaborates with HR, Finance, IT, Knowledge Management, Marketing to drive firm initiatives at Practice Group level.
• Leads people-focused initiatives: onboarding/offboarding, succession planning, training, workload management, and performance to partnership.
• Monitors budgets, reporting, profitability, and matter management; tracks industry trends for improvements.

Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic advisor to firm and Practice Group leadership on operational, people-related, and administrative matters; identify needs and opportunities and lead designated initiatives to advance Practice Groups’ priorities.
• Lead operational and systems initiatives within Patent and Trademark practices, including workflow design, staffing models, quality controls, resource allocation, and cross-department coordination; maintain deep knowledge of U.S. and foreign prosecution workflows and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with administrative functions (HR, Finance, Information Services, Knowledge Management, Marketing, etc.) to advance Practice Groups’ priorities and facilitate effective implementation of firm initiatives and processes within Practice Groups.
• Lead people-focused initiatives, policies, and processes at the Practice Group level, including onboarding and offboarding, succession planning, training and career development, workload management, performance management, compensation, and associate advancement to partnership.
• Coordinate with Finance on budgets, reporting, staffing models, profitability, and matter management; monitor industry and internal trends to recommend operational enhancements.
• Facilitate client reporting and budget tracking; collaborate with Marketing on cross-practice initiatives, sponsorships, conferences, RFPs, and intranet content.
• Support Practice Groups’ strategic business plans, clarify priorities, track progress, and help remove roadblocks; promote consistent communication across Practice Groups and administrative teams; identify and address morale, retention, and performance challenges.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Budgeting & forecasting

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

AI tools familiarity

HR knowledge

Law firm operations

Education

Advanced degree

Job description

Dorsey & Whitney LLP seeks a Practice Group Director to drive success across Patent, Trademark, Regulatory Affairs, Labor & Employment, and Construction Litigation groups. Hybrid role, based in any U.S.

office, partnering with HR, Finance, Marketing, and KM to align practice priorities with firm initiatives. You will lead workflow design, staffing models, budgeting, and cross-department coordination, while guiding onboarding, succession planning, and performance management.