Assistant Managing Attorney

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we are united in our ambition and drive to move forward. We share core values that help us achieve excellence: collaboration, talent empowerment, service, inclusion, respect and gratitude. Our people are our greatest asset, and we invest in the brightest talent and encourage a diversity of perspectives and strengths to create dynamic teams that operate at the pinnacle of their field. Our talented professionals show up every day knowing they will engage in meaningful work, continuous learning and professional development.
 
As one of the world’s leading law firms, we serve a broad range of clients with market-leading practices in private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions; investment fund formation and alternative asset management; restructurings; high-stakes commercial and intellectual property litigation; and government, regulatory and internal investigations. We handle the most complicated and sophisticated legal matters because we don’t just meet industry standards, we create them. We bring innovation and entrepreneurialism to every engagement and, as a result, have long-standing client relationships with leading global corporations and financial sponsors. With 6,500 employees (including 3,500 lawyers) operating from 20 offices across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we are one of the largest law firms in the world and a top financial performer.

Essential Job Functions

As an Assistant Managing Attorney at Kirkland, you will be responsible for providing high level legal analysis with respect to complex procedural and strategic issues in state and federal court, and matters before regulatory agencies, reviewing filings as to form and procedural content, preparing procedural road maps for upcoming court filings, and advising members of the Litigation Department on all matters of court rules, civil procedure, filing protocol, and the calculation of deadlines. The Assistant Managing Attorney will assist in reviewing, approving, serving, and transmitting filings to courts and government agencies, oversee the calendaring of all applicable deadlines, performing legal research and analysis in a wide range of jurisdictions, and leveraging technology to streamline the monitoring and distribution of court filings. The Assistant Managing Attorney also will also assist with mentoring and training of junior team members while accomplishing these and other critical functions:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Oversee the junior members of the Managing Attorney’s Office, including:
• Court filings and service of process;
• Docketing/Calendaring of critical deadlines; and
• Supervision of MAO staff.
• Advise attorneys on a wide range of procedural issues and strategic concerns arising in all stages of the litigation process.
• Perform detailed analysis of federal, state, and local rules of procedure. Conduct legal research, as necessary.
• Assist with preparation and presentation of in-house CLE programs.
• Provide institutional knowledge to the firm’s litigators on best practices and customs.
• Oversee calendaring functions, which may include some or all of the following: maintaining a calendar of litigation deadlines for all contested matters utilizing a firm-approved calendaring program, and regularly communicating deadlines to firm-wide litigation teams using the best available means. Preparing additional calendar reports upon request. Adhering to firm wide best practices in calendaring.
• Coordinating and performing court services functions, which may include some or all of the following: researching and retrieving of court documents in paper and electronic databases; reviewing and filing of client and Firm court documents in paper and electronic form; and processing daily litigation mail. Coordinating the use of process servers for the office.
• Filing responsibilities may consist of maintaining an awareness through the case calendar and other means of upcoming filing deadlines, communicating the deadlines to the litigation team in advance, assisting the Managing Attorney in coordinating the staff and resources needed for timely filing, confirming confidential material has been redacted, reviewing the filing for both content and format compliance with court rules, recommending corrections to the responsible attorneys, submitting a correct filing to the court, and completing the process with the distribution of courtesy copies, communications to the litigation team and other procedures.
• Providing advice to litigation attorneys regarding forms of pleadings and interpretation of court rules in local and remote jurisdictions.
• Receiving service of subpoenas, researching proper recipients, and coordinating with Kirkland’s Subpoena Intake staff for proper handling and disposition of the subpoena.
• Coordinating the court and bar admissions for the office, communicating to attorneys and secretaries, directing the data collection and verification process, and establishing workflows for addressing incoming and departing attorneys' admissions. Maintaining electronic court filing (ECF) passwords.
• Reviewing daily court filing alerts for client and business development purposes; compiling a daily email notice of new filings.
• Using Westlaw, Lexis Nexis, Courtlink, and other research platforms to provide high level legal research with respect to procedural and strategic issues across many jurisdictions.
• Researching and communicating new developments concerning court rules and procedures.
• Drafting court forms and routine documents such as Notices of Appearance, Notices of Substitution and Applications for Admission pro hac vice.
• Obtaining rules and forms, both in print and online. Communicating with court clerk offices when necessary to confirm current rules and procedures.
• Working with the Managing Attorney to develop and present attorney and staff training programs. Participating in orientation of new local office attorneys and staff.
• Coordinating with other areas and departments of the firm where overlap exists to develop efficient procedures and communications, which streamline processes and satisfy various department needs.
• Completing special projects on various issues as needed.

Qualifications & Requirements

As an Assistant Managing Attorney, you will be expected to apply your organizational and communication skills while displaying a positive, high-energy attitude. The successful Assistant Managing Attorney must have advanced knowledge of applicable court rules and procedures, and be able to apply court rules in multiple jurisdictions quickly, efficiently, and in a manner which instills confidence and ensures risk management. The ideal candidate will have the ability to articulate complex court rules and calendaring issues in a comprehensible, accurate, confident, and concise manner, as well as the analytical skills needed to correctly comprehend and convey complex legal principles. The Assistant Managing Attorney must have well-developed and professional interpersonal skills, high-level customer service skills, strong project management and organizational skills, and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion. The successful candidate will have proficiency with CompuLaw and/or CourtAlert, with PC applications including MS Office, and with Bloomberg, Westlaw and Lexis, and other applicable legal research software, to research complex procedural issues. The Assistant Managing Attorney must have proven leadership skills.
A J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school is required, as well as current bar admission in the State of New York.  

Prior experience preferred.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP.  To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

For applicants who are based in New York City, visit the following link for pay range information: http://staffjobsus.kirkland.com/pages/JOBID7687

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Closing Statement

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