Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Below is job posting for a new type of job called a "legal solutions architect."

The job post just appeared on the website of Seyfarth Shaw, a large law firm based in Chicago. Seyfarth was one of the first to embrace the movement toward technology and process. See Six Sigma at Seyfarth Shaw, Legal Professions Blog, April 14, 2010.

Before getting to the text of the ad, a few of observations for what this posting is telling us about legal education and the emerging legal job market:

This is a pure JD advantaged job. "Juris Doctor or MBA with legal industry experience strongly preferred job" (emphasis in original). It is full-time, long-term job in downtown Chicago. it is not reviewing documents. This is a good professional job doing very sophisticated and challenging work.

The job is not partner-track. But it terms of economic potential and job security, does that matter? In the years to come, folks that understand the overlay between law, technology, and process are going to be great demand and have a lot of options.

Undergraduate education matters, but the majors are far from typical among traditional law students: finance, business administration, computer science, or "other technical discipline."

It is easier to get this job if an applicant has familiarity with "extranets, intranets, document assembly, enterprise search, relational databases and workflow." Also, it is "a plus" to have "familiarity with Agile and Scrum [two software development tools]." We don't teach any of this stuff in law school. Perhaps we should.

The required skills are an blend of technical skills and knowledge plus higher order professional abilities that, frankly, are not explicitly taught in law school. Law schools need to take notice, as this an order any decent professional school should be able to fill.

Now the actual job posting:

Requisition Number 13-0191 Post Date 10/10/2013 Title Legal Solutions Architect City Chicago State IL

Seyfarth Shaw is one of the most progressive, forward-thinking law firms in the world. Seyfarth’s commitment to delivering legal services in a new way through its SeyfarthLean program - with an emphasis on value and continuous improvement - has been praised by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) as being “five years ahead of every other AmLaw 200 firm.”

Legal Solutions Architects anticipate, identify, sell and drive innovative business solutions. Through an understanding of technology, knowledge management, business analysis, process improvement and project management, this role provides solutions that enhance the client experience. These multidisciplinary resources are aligned with Firm strategy and play an important role in driving the Firm’s innovative approach to the practice of law and the delivery of legal services.

This position will report to the Director of the Legal Technology Innovations Office. Seyfarth Shaw recently received awards for 2013 Innovative Law Firm of the Year and Innovative Project of the Year, and the efforts of the Legal Technology Innovations Office played a significant role in earning those recognitions.

Essential Functions

Partner with clients, Seyfarth legal teams and legal project managers to enhance the delivery and effectiveness of services provided within legal engagements

Translate stated and inferred needs of clients and attorneys into specific technologies and methods

Synthesize the needs of multiple engagements and create requirements for systematic solutions that underpin Seyfarth’s varied legal practices

Team with the Application Development Group to design and plan for custom solutions and oversee the construction and implementation of these systems

Manage multiple projects concurrently, juggling priorities, deadlines and essential duties for each project

Collaborate with other Firm departments, including Legal Project Management Office, Practice Management, Finance, Marketing and Professional Development to provide comprehensive solutions

Act as an effective change manager – keeping client and Firm culture, group behavior and individual habits in mind in order to best circumnavigate roadblocks and pitfalls for solution adoption

Provide presentations to individuals, small groups and large audiences of clients and Seyfarth attorneys in a persuasive and encouraging manner

Contribute to continuous improvement, promote the use of technology solutions and help improve the awareness of the impact of the solutions on the business

Perform vendor due diligence and serve as a point of contact for third-party technologies leveraged by the Firm

Conduct market, external and internal research and convey results to forward assigned projects and to aid projects lead by teammates, other groups and other departments

Proactively research and maintain knowledge of emerging technologies and service delivery models and possible applications to the business

Skills:

Highly motivated self-starter with an entrepreneurial bent

Uses intelligence, creativity and persistence to solve varied, non-routine problems

Possesses an understanding of knowledge management, process improvement and legal project management and an appreciation of the benefits to law firms employing these approaches

Passion for legal technology, including technical platforms, specific technical applications and their impact on the practice of law

Keen grasp of project management, flexible in project execution and able to meet aggressive deadlines

Strong business analysis approach

Visualizes how raw data can be converted into useful information for client and Firm decision-makers

Pays attention to detail but still maintains focus on the bigger picture

Comfortable working both independently and in diverse teams

Excellent written and verbal communicator that is able to distill complex concepts into simple messages

Familiar with the software development cycle

Capable of managing and motivating up, down and across the organization

Appreciation for user interface and user experience design

Embraces change and seeks to create order from chaos

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, preferably in finance, business administration, computer science or other technical discipline

Juris Doctor or MBA with legal industry experience strongly

Experience working within a large law firm preferred but not required

Familiarity with extranets, intranets, document assembly, enterprise search, relational databases and workflow preferred

Familiarity with Agile and Scrum a plus

Seyfarth Shaw is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please call (312) 460-6545 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. We offer an outstanding benefit package which includes: medical/dental, 401k with employer contribution; life insurance; transportation fringe benefit program; generous paid time off policy; and long-term and short-term disability policies. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

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