Outside Counsel Guidelines Attorney at DLA Piper LLP (US) — Palo Alto, CA

Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, New Business Intake and Procurement, the Outside Counsel Guidelines Attorney, working in collaboration with and in support of the firm’s strategic initiatives, supports the firm’s critical risk management function by managing the full scope of substantive, operational, and administrative responsibilities associated with engagement terms and Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs). This attorney works closely with the firm’s Office of General Counsel and serves as the coordinating expert on risk issues associated with engagement terms. In this role, the attorney performs initial reviews of terms, comparisons against existing engagement agreements and accepted firm positions on various terms and liaises as needed with internal stakeholders in order to negotiate resolutions and finalize OCGs and related engagement materials.

Key responsibilities include serving as a subject matter expert on OCG processes and tools, completing initial identification of potentially problematic terms and proposing solutions, identifying and coordinating feedback from stakeholders, maintaining an OCG playbook and tracking systems, and proactively identifying areas of risk arising out of engagement terms. The role requires a meticulous, detail-oriented and forward-looking approach to protect the firm’s legal and business interests while building and maintaining strong client relationships.

Location

This position can sit in any of our U.S. offices and offers a hybrid work schedule.

Responsibilities

• Performs initial review of OCGs and engagement terms, and partners with Office of General Counsel and New Business Intake attorneys to gather information and complete thorough OCG analysis, including consistency with existing engagement terms and among client groups.
• Identifies terms that require negotiation and proposes appropriate modifications.
• Identifies areas where additional stakeholder input is needed and works with Finance, Information Governance, Information and Cyber Security, Data Privacy and Protection, Human Resources and other teams to gather feedback on terms and execute timely follow-ups.
• Proactively identifies emerging areas of risk in engagement documents and suggests solutions.
• Identifies areas of inconsistency in engagement terms and proposes solutions.
• Maintains database for tracking the progress of engagement terms negotiations to ensure timely resolutions. and otherwise assists in driving OCGs to completion.
• Coordinates with Conflicts and New Business Intake to ensure internal processes reflect agreed terms.
• Maintains procedures/manual for the review and negotiation of engagement terms, including creating efficiencies and repositories for responses to frequently negotiated terms.
• Serves as an Intapp subject matter expert, focusing on accurate tagging of legal and ethical terms.
• Manages compliance with and improvements to engagement letter policy, including navigating issues involving clients without formal engagement terms.
• Supports disengagement efforts.
• Supports additional projects and special requests, as needed.

Desired Skills

Experience with Intapp Terms preferred. Active law license in good standing in state where practicing.

Minimum Education

• JD.

Minimum Years of Experience

• 2 years’ experience in a law firm or in-house legal department. Experience as an Intake Attorney, contract attorney, or comparable role preferred.

Essential Job Expectations

• Effectively communicate, verbally and in writing, with clients, lawyers, business professionals, and third parties.
• Produce deliverables, answer phone calls, and reply to correspondence in an efficient and responsive manner.
• Provide timely, accurate, and quality work product.
• Successfully meet deadlines, expectations, and perform work duties as required.
• Foster positive work relationships.
• Comply with all firm policies and practices.
• Engage in both physical and sedentary activity, such as (a) working at a computer for extended periods of time, including on-screen reading and typing; (b) participating in digital/virtual conference calls; (c) participating in meetings as needed.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Perform all other duties, tasks or projects as assigned.

Physical Demands

Work Environment

Disclaimer

Application Process

Accommodation

The firm’s expected hiring range for this position is $129,808 - $206,399 per year depending on the candidate’s geographic market location.

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