Description
Role purpose
To manage and execute legal content projects, training and knowledge initiatives for the Group within the context of the Firm&aposs knowledge strategy.
Main Responsibilities
To make first-class knowledge easily available to lawyers, increasing the quality, consistency and/or cost-effectiveness of the advice that the Firm gives its clients, including:
Knowledge and Expertise
- Precedents. Review, draft, develop and automate the Group&aposs precedents and other legal content
- Current awareness and commercial/industry know-how. Deeply understand clients&apos industries and businesses and use that knowledge to optimize opportunities for knowhow creation, current awareness updates including client alerts and connecting business and industry knowledge relating to the Group to broader Firm initiatives. Monitor and spot forward-looking Group issues and trends and translate their legal impact to clients and lawyers in a commercial way. Possess a fundamental understanding of the work performed by the Firm&aposs other practice and industry groups in order to connect their work to the Group and vice versa. Enhance internal awareness of Group-specific issues and equip lawyers to talk about them irrespective of their practice group
- Lawyer requests. Be a sounding board and trusted advisor to lawyers on complex legal issues and devise systems for capturing and analyzing lawyer enquiries in order to produce knowhow to address gaps
- Know-how development. Devise and implement a strategy to ensure that know-how is comprehensive and up to date across the Group.
- Ensure that know-how best practices are being followed throughout the Group and contribute to developing them
- Training. Devise and deliver a training plan linked to the Group&aposs business strategy and identify opportunities for using different media and collaborate with the Learning and Development team. Link the Group&aposs training program to broader Firm training initiatives
- Client-facing knowledge. Set the agenda for thought leadership campaigns after discussion with key stakeholders and alignment with the Group&aposs strategy, advocating industry-focused analysis, not just news.' Create processes to ensure timely and relevant horizon scanning products are created across the Group. Identify ways to structure work and work output to produce tangible products, including training, for clients
- Policy initiatives and capacity-building. Work with the Group on policy initiatives and lobbying, including offering training and knowledge sharing sessions, responding to consultations and generally maintaining good channels for dialogue with political and governmental individuals and bodies
Service Orientation
- Relationships. Promote an integrated, 'one global team' mind-set among the team and implement and influence the knowledge culture throughout the Group. Establish and nurture long-term relationships with key decision-makers across the Firm to help achieve results and coach and facilitate the building and establishment of long-term relationships by members of their team. Ensure that Knowledge work for the Group is recognized and rewarded. Connect the Group work with the work of Knowledge Lawyers in other practice and industry groups for wider benefit
Work Management
- Operations and innovation. Redefine the Group&aposs Knowledge services and best practices and promote them among lawyers in the Group. Promote an innovative and quality-focused mind-set and challenge the team to consider how to deliver services more effectively and efficiently. Work with the lawyers and our technology teams to identify, develop and promote use of legaltech, including AI. Promote greater use of offshore Service Centers, integrated use of project managers and other technology tools to manage costs and improve efficiency in the Group
- Systems. Act as an internal champion for Knowledge systems, ensuring the engagement of all lawyers in the Group. Identify and implement Knowledge system changes (technological and behavioural) needed in order better to deliver legal content
- Strategy, alignment and integration. Build and implement a comprehensive Knowledge Plan for the Group. Align the Group&aposs Knowledge Plan with its business plan, the Firm&aposs strategic framework, the Knowledge strategy and the Industry Groups&apos strategy. Create a single joint community among fee-earning lawyers, Knowledge Lawyers and other Knowledge and business professionals within the Group and across countries and regions. Emphasize and illustrate the cross-practice group nature and impact of Group knowhow
Travel Requirements
Some travel will be required, largely within the AP region
About The Team
Function
The Knowledge Function Is a Firm-wide Team Of Nearly 300 Professionals, Including Knowledge Lawyers, Information & Research Professionals, And a Variety Of Other Functional Specialists. The Knowledge Function Helps The Firm Deliver Better Legal Solutions By Producing And Providing Easy Access To High Quality, Relevant Legal Information For Both Lawyers And Clients. The Focus Is On The Following Areas
- Content - creating, collecting and providing access to market-leading precedents, sample documents, practice notes, training materials and other knowhow for our lawyers and clients, reviewing and updating regularly, to ensure that the content is current and market-leading.
- Systems - working with the Technology function to design, develop and build user-friendly and flexible platforms to store knowhow and deliver it intuitively to lawyers and clients, adopting common systems across all offices and practice/industry groups.
- Culture - striving to establish Knowledge as a core part of every lawyer&aposs role, engaging actively with all lawyers in the firm and encouraging them to share their own knowhow and expertise with colleagues as openly as possible; embracing a 'one team' culture within the Firm&aposs Knowledge community ensuring that all team members create and develop high quality local content while being aligned with our global strategy and approach.
You will report to the Director of Knowledge (Practices).
Key relationships
Your clients are the Group&aposs key partners and lawyers. You will receive dayto-day project assignments and overall direction from the Group&aposs chair and steering committee, as well as the Groups Lead Knowledge Lawyer and the Director of Knowledge for Practices. You should ensure that you are highly visible, and have strong relationships with key stakeholders, in the market in which you are based as well as within the Group more broadly.
You must liaise closely with other members of the Professional and Business Services team especially within the Knowledge function to ensure that Knowledge projects and initiatives are carried out consistently with the Firms overall business objectives and its Knowledge strategy.
About The Candidate
Technical skills, qualifications and experience
- Law degree
- Current license to practice law (or eligibility for one)
- Extensive post-qualification experience as a practicing lawyer with direct involvement in one or more of the groups areas of practice in Intellectual Property, Technology and desirable for Data Privacy & Cyber Security experience.
- Excellent English language skills (verbal and written) and the confidence to communicate in a multi-cultural, multi-level environment
- Experience working directly with senior counterparts on strategy and execution
- Excellent time management and organizing skills; ability to prioritise and manage time to meet deadlines
- Strong word processing and spreadsheet skills
- Experience in or willingness to learn document automation, AI and other legal technology
About Baker McKenzie
Complex business challenges require an integrated response across different markets, sectors, and areas of law. Baker McKenzie&aposs client solutions provide seamless advice, underpinned by deep practice and sector expertise, as well as first-rate local market knowledge. Across more than 70 offices globally, Baker McKenzie works alongside our clients to deliver solutions for a connected world.
We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion for all. Our unique international culture is reflected in the drawing together of a worldwide family of individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds in all of our offices. We encourage the best people -- regardless of race, religion, or belief if any, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, or age -- to fulfill their professional aspirations with us.
