AddressAbout 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
The Litigation & Practice Technology (“LPT”) Discovery Advisor reports to an LPT Director and will work at the direction of LPT Directors, eDiscovery Committee and other firm attorneys to assist with the execution of document review projects and related technology and workflow management.
Ideal candidates will have 7 years (preferred) experience of supporting discovery needs for diverse clients in large, complex litigation matters, with the ability to manage discovery from start to finish.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (This list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented and changed as necessary.)
As requested by an LPT Director and/or directed by firm attorneys, the Discovery Advisor will perform the following functions.
Consulting, Review Support & Project Management Responsibilities
- Investigate and develop a substantive understanding of assigned matters.
- Complete document review projects including quality checks, fact-development support, privilege review and logging.
- Summarize review progress and substantive findings in document sets including alerting merits counsel to key evidence, detecting deficiencies in collections and productions and highlighting relevant facts in support of investigations, preparation of witness kits and other projects as assigned and supervised by firm attorneys.
- Consult on the design of managed review projects and supporting workflows including best use of technology and process.
- Coordinate review team onboarding, training and management including drafting review protocols and other guidance. In coordination with firm attorneys, provide review teams substantive feedback on performance and provide re-training where needed.
- Define, assess, track and report key metrics, quality standards, decisions and changes in scope to ensure reviews are completed on time, with appropriate quality checks and within budget.
- Coordinate activities and communications related to review work-streams including: partnering with internal project managers, analysts, paralegals and attorneys; setting agendas and running project meetings; and determining project requirements, schedules and deliverables.
- Contribute to departmental publications, presentations and documentation creation. Train, QC and update case teams and department as required.
Technical Responsibilities
- Provide hands-on support in Relativity and other litigation technology toolsets for a variety of requests, including: advanced search design, implementation and validation; creation and support of document review batching and production workflows; privilege log design and management.
- Perform final quality control and assurance on deliverables to case teams, clients and third parties.
- Consult with case team members on the use of customized litigation support apps and tools.
- Support the execution of special projects.
- Apply firm standards in both technology and practices as identified by Firm leadership and guided by an Associate Director.
Qualifications & Requirements
A successful Discovery Advisor will have a strong combination of the following consulting, review support project management and technical experience, capabilities and knowledge.
Consulting, Review Support & Project Management Required
- Thorough knowledge of the litigation lifecycle and eDiscovery processes.
- A minimum of 7 years of experience supporting the design and management of complex document review projects including management of contract attorneys, use of analytics, review and reporting of key performance and progress metrics.
- Substantial experience with Relativity and proficient ability to review documents, maximize efficiencies in the tool, and perform defensible searches.
- Ability to effectively liaise with multiple case teams, clients, litigation support teams, document review services and vendors, to define the project’s scope, goals and objectives and develop efficient plans for achieving these tasks.
Consulting, Review Support & Project Management - Preferred
- Experience consulting case teams and clients on best practices related to data collection, privacy, information governance and security.
- Ability to manage complex litigation and diverse client data from preservation through review, production, creation of privilege logs, deposition and trial support.
- Experience training case teams on analytics use and other eDiscovery best practices.
- Significant experience using TAR protocols and other review tools.
- Significant experience with conducting legal research, supporting deposition preparation, motions practice and trial is a plus but not a requirement.
Technical - Required
- A minimum of 7 years of hands on experience with leading eDiscovery review platforms with an emphasis on complex search construction and results validation, design of optimized review workflows including document batching.
- A minimum of 3 years of experience supporting early case assessment steps to defensibly cull document volumes and identify potential gaps in data collections or incoming productions.
Technical - Preferred
- A minimum of 3 years of hands on experience with the use of TAR and other analytics (BrainSpace, NexLP) with an emphasis on the use of CAL/CMML and other techniques for deduplication, email threading, review prioritization, sampling, production quality control, privilege identification and other predictive models.
Other Qualifications & Requirements.
- Juris Doctorate required.
- Ability to adapt to unexpected changes in review protocols, deadlines and case teams. Be a team player that can navigate difficult deadlines and work well with many internal and external colleagues.
- Ability to express thoughts, ideas and information in a clear and compelling manner by highlighting critical points, adjusting messaging to suit the audience, addressing questions and points from others with appropriate responses.
- Ability to identify problems by detecting patterns or connections, researching and analyze problems, determining alternative solutions and creating action steps to solve the problem.
- Ability to think and act quickly, effectively, and appropriately in a variety of situations, solving problems while balancing time, quality, cost and risk.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a cross-office team, building relationships, delegating working and escalating risk appropriately.
- ‘Can Do’ attitude. Ability to proactively manage case team expectations, recognize needs and adapt plans accordingly.
- Willingness and ability to identify gaps, propose solutions and take ownership of projects.
- This position requires some weekend and after hours support and may require occasional travel.
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 Los Angeles, visit the following link for pay range information: https://staffjobsus.kirkland.com/pages/lajobid7796
For applicants who are based in New York City, visit the following link for pay range information: https://staffjobsus.kirkland.com/pages/jobid7796
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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