Kirkland & Ellis

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

The Litigation & Practice Technology (“LPT”) Discovery Manager will report to the Associate Director of Litigation & Practice Technology and work at the direction of LPT leadership and firm attorneys. The Discovery Manager will be joining a team of discovery and data science specialists dedicated to defining and executing workflows focused on thoughtful analysis and production of client documents and data. Matters in scope include litigations, internal investigations, regulatory responses, due diligence reviews, and other complex legal matters.

Ideal candidates will have spent 10+ years of their career delivering discovery consulting and project management services in one or more of a variety of roles (e.g., at a law firm, advisory firm, or with an inhouse legal team). 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Coordination of Discovery Workstreams

Working in partnership with Kirkland attorneys, paralegals, and other members from LPT, the Discovery Manager will support the coordination and execution of key discovery workstreams including;

• Regular communications with clients, case teams, and vendors to define and manage matter goals, action items, and timelines;
• Identification, collection, and tracking of documents, data, and other key information from client systems through production; 
• Supporting and documenting discussions and action items with client inhouse legal teams, IT teams and employees;
• Supporting ediscovery and document review vendor assessment, engagement, and onboarding;
• Coordinating development and tracking of matter fees estimates and budgets.

Facilitate Cross-Team Collaboration

The Discovery Manager will also play a key role in keeping members across multiple workstreams coordinated and aware of relevant developments. These efforts may include;

• Scheduling and leading matter planning, kick-off, and status calls;
• Managing a centralize tracker of action items and support documentation;
• Onboarding new joiners to project teams.

Department Initiatives

The Discovery Manager may also support team initiatives and special projects focused on process improvements.

LPT leadership may adjust or assign responsibilities within the context of this role to support the Firm and our clients as required. The Principal role includes client-billable and non-billable tasks.

Qualifications & Requirements

Required

• Candidates will have spent 10+ years of their career delivering litigation and discovery-focused project management services in one or more of a variety of roles (e.g., at a law firm, advisory firm, service provider, inhouse legal team).
• This experience should include significant client interactions and strong familiarity with core discovery workflows including data preservation, collection, and production standards; ediscovery platforms (Relativity); and common ediscovery rules that impact project planning (ESI Orders, Federal Rules of Civil Procedures, data privacy/cross-border requirements). 
• This position requires a high level of collaboration with clients, attorneys, and other case team members; therefore, the ideal candidate must possess strong communication skills and enjoy interacting with people at all levels with a high degree of accuracy, professionalism, and accountability. 
• Candidates must possess exceptional organizational skills, coupled with good judgement and the ability to independently define and make progress on action items. Concurrently, they must demonstrate a commitment to consensus building and demonstrate an ability to stay aligned with and meet directives set forth by leadership and case teams.
• Bachelor’s Degree

Preferred

• Project management credentials; completion of project management or process improvement courses 
• JD/LLM and/or MBA is a plus, but not necessary.

How to Apply

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

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

The www.kirkland.com job postings and recruiting mailbox are for candidates only. If you are a recruiter, search firm or employment agency, and do not have a signed contract with Kirkland & Ellis LLP ("K&E") and have not been asked specifically to submit candidates, you will not be compensated in any way for your referral of a candidate even if K&E hires the candidate. Direct contact with K&E employees in an attempt to present candidates is inappropriate and will be a factor in determining any future professional relationship with the Firm. #LI-Hybrid #LI-NM1