Director, Innovation

Job Description

We are a global law firm with a powerful strategic focus and real momentum. Our industry-focused strategy is seeing us take on pioneering work in places that others have yet to reach. Our shared values define our culture and our workplace. You will find us to be unusually collegial, team-oriented, and ready to innovate. We work seamlessly across practices, offices and around the world. This elimination of boundaries has allowed us to evolve into a law firm that works as hard for its culture as it does for its clients.

The Director of Innovation leads the execution of the firm's innovation and generative AI strategy by identifying and implementing solutions that enhance legal service delivery, improve practice efficiency, and drive increased client value. This work spans both internal and external innovation efforts. Internal innovation includes process and technology improvements to drive workflow efficiency and service value for clients. External innovation includes technology and process offerings with which clients directly interact.

The Director will lead a team of professionals responsible for development and delivery of innovation and legal technology offerings. The role requires strong leadership, project management, and substantive knowledge of legal workflows and the legal technology landscape.

This role reports to the Chief Client Value and Innovation Officer, US and will work collaboratively across legal teams, business departments and with clients. The role is hybrid and can be based in any state with a US office, though moderate travel may be required to support fee-earning teams at offices throughout US.

• Engage clients (internal and external) to better understand their needs, develop relationships and collaborate to create more effective legal service delivery.
• Work with practice groups, firm lawyers and information technology to identify opportunities for improved legal solutions and technologies.
• Prioritize and guide the innovation team to scout, assess and trial solutions.
• Lead the innovation team, continually evaluating and adding relevant expertise to deliver on mandate.
• Develop business cases to support innovation initiatives and KPIs to measure ROI and other soft benefits realized from investments.
• Innovate legal service delivery to firm clients through existing and new technologies, process improvements and unique problem-solving methods, including design thinking, legal workflows and process mapping and automation.
• Guide lawyer understanding and presentation of solutions through the lens of client needs.
• Maintain and promote an up-to-date inventory of all tools and services developed across our offices accessible by our lawyers and clients.
• Act as a thought leader on legal innovation and generative AI and represent the firm in industry forums, conferences, and client-facing innovation initiatives.

• Experience working with a variety of legal technology tools including document automation, low code solutions, generative AI tools, and others.
• Oversee a team to evaluate, pilot, and deploy generative AI and legal technology tools and solutions including off the shelf purchases and custom solutions.
• Collaborate with IT and Information Security to ensure responsible, compliant, and secure technology adoption.
• Partner with procurement to facilitate commercial arrangements with vendors and oversee vendor management lifecycles to ensure licenses are offered and utilized by most relevant stakeholders.
• Stay abreast of available and emerging technologies to support lawyers and clients with a range of legal solutions, including those related to legal project management, knowledge management, IT, pricing, and other business services groups.

• Serve as a bridge between technical teams and legal stakeholders, translating business needs into actionable tech solutions.
• Communicate complex innovation concepts clearly to executive leadership, attorneys and clients.
• Ensure there is a regular flow of communications from the Innovation team to the firm, with a focus on storytelling and case studies.
• Collaborate with Marketing to build consistent messaging around innovation and legal technology, including developing and maintaining collateral describing firm and client innovation solutions.
• Liaise with IT colleagues to manage risk, security and ongoing support of any technology tools post implementation.
• Work closely with global innovation colleagues to maximize information sharing and global software license value.

• 5+ years' experience in legal innovation or operations within a law firm or legal department.
• Bachelor's degree required; Juris Doctor preferred.
• Significant track record evaluating and implementing legal technology, including generative AI, in a law firm setting.
• Experience leading a team supporting lawyers and clients.
• Diplomatic and comfortable working across different law firm verticals including IT, Knowledge Management, and Legal Project Management.
• Able to champion innovation to a wide range of audiences and comfortable teaching, coaching, and mentoring junior personnel.
• Exposure to law firm ALSPs a plus.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Skilled at generating buy-in across a diverse stakeholder base.
• Broad technology understanding, able to engage and liaise with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Enjoys and proactively keeps up-to-date with market trends.
• Long-term vision, with ability to plan and execute short-term solutions.
• Ability to strategically prioritize innovation projects and consistently deliver.
• Proactive, curious, personable and tenacious.

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP is committed to providing employees with a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that supports you, your health, and your family. Benefit packages include access to three medical plans, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance. Employees can also access pre-tax benefits such as health savings and flexible spending accounts. Norton Rose Fulbright helps provide financial security by allowing employees to participate in a 401(k) savings plan and profit-sharing plans if eligible. Full- time employees are eligible to access fertility benefits designed to support fertility and family-forming journeys.

In addition to the Firm's health and welfare benefits above, we offer a competitive paid time off plan, which provides a minimum of 20 days off based on your role and tenure with the firm. The firm offers a generous paid parental leave benefit allowing parents to take a minimum of 14 weeks of paid leave to bond with your newborn, or adopted child(ren). Employees are also entitled to 11 Firm holidays.

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal laws and their implementing regulations that require the collection and recording of certain data and information. The information we receive will not be used to make any decision regarding employment and will be kept separate from your application. Similarly, self-identification information is kept confidential and used only in accordance with applicable federal laws and regulations. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.Norton Rose Fulbright is committed to providing reasonable accommodation as an Equal Opportunity Employer to applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance or accommodation to complete your application, please contact us.hr@nortonrosefulbright.com. Please provide your contact information and a description of your accessibility issue. We will make a determination on your request for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

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Equal Employment Opportunity