Ropes & Gray is a preeminent, global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top-three on The American Lawyer's prestigious "A-List" for seven years and is ranked #1 on Law.com International's "A-List" in the U.K. - rankings that honor the "Best of the Best" firms.

The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.

The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.

Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

The Practice Development Specialist (PDS) will serve as a trusted advisor to the Senior Practice Development & Strategy Implementation Manager (Senior PDM), Chief of Practice Development and other practice development team members in support various firm-related and practice group-related business processes.

The PDS, in coordination with the Senior PDM, will act as an advisor and liaison on behalf of Practice Development with attorneys and other business support departments at the firm.

The PDS will work directly with the Senior PDM to support partner processes, practice group operations and the implementation of strategic initiatives across the firm.  In this role, the PDS will report to the Senior PDM and work closely with other departments (e.g., Marketing & Business Development, Strategy, Attorney Talent, Finance, Knowledge Management, etc.) to support the mission of Practice Development, which is focused on practice group strategy, knowledge marketing/innovation, talent development, practice performance, and practice group management and operations.

The ideal candidate will have experience working in a large law firm or other professional services environment; exceptional project management abilities; strong organizational and communication (both verbal and written) skills and attention to detail; innate bias to take initiative; can-do attitude; demonstrated ability to use technology, database, presentation, spreadsheet, document management and other software applications.

• Work with Senior PDM to drive business processes &/or firm initiatives; Manage select work streams and initiatives in support of various processes, including:
  • Practice group business plans
  • Individual partner plans (IPPs)
  • Promotion planning
  • New Partners & Sponsors program
  • Lateral Partners & Stewards program
  • Succession planning
    
    
• In coordination with the Senior PDM, work on the implementation of strategic initiatives; Manage select work streams.
  
  
• Support the individual partner plan (IPP) process, including drafting related communications, manage timeline for the overall process, track critical deadlines, and conduct data analysis.
  
• Work alongside the Senior PDM to operationalize of the new partner program, including overseeing key components of the program (timeline for business planning, updating related materials, drafting communications, and coordinating training/orientation resources).
  
• Support operations and workflow related to practice group or firm business processes and initiatives, including the preparation and design of (and in certain cases, managing) substantive meetings related to a given process.
• Identify opportunities for improvement, innovation, and efficiency in business processes. Work with Senior PDM to develop solutions and plans for corresponding actions.
  
• Work with Senior PDM and Chief(s) to convene stakeholders (PGLs/SGLs, committee leads, Practice Development, Business Development Marketing, Attorney Talent leads) to pressure test changes or improvements to processes.
  
• In coordination with Senior PDM, collaborate with Finance colleagues to analyze performance metrics and identify actionable themes that support practice group or firm business processes.
  
  

• An undergraduate degree with a minimum of three years of relevant experience in a law firm, professional services firm or other corporate environment
• Goal-oriented with a positive, can-do attitude and a collaborative working style.
• Excellent oral communication and business writing skills, and attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to establish credibility with Ropes & Gray partners and bring to bear the right mix of confidence, tact and persistence in working with the firm’s lawyers and professional staff in a multi-office environment.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills, including ability to develop project plans and set deadlines to meet business objectives, manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to anticipate, identify and solve problems, work independently, take initiative and make decisions using sound judgment.
• Ability to compile, review, analyze and determine logical conclusions or recommendations based on data and information that is varied in context, content and format.
• Ability to contribute to the training and supervision of entry level team members.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively use technology, database, presentation, spreadsheet, document management and other software applications

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is $69,000 - $103,000 in Boston and DC, and $72,500 - $108,000 in New York, which represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity.

This position requires hybrid on-site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on-site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management.