Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise. The firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources across the three key markets of the Americas, Asia and Europe and focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax; pensions and employment; litigation and dispute resolution.
Alongside world-class legal careers, Clifford Chance offers excellent opportunities in the professional functions that underpin its business operations. By joining us in business professionals, you will help us to innovate in the way we deliver our services and enable us to run a successful multinational business that never stands still. Business professionals are integral to the running of the firm and are critical to its success.
The Practice Management Advisor role sits within a specific practice area and works closely with the Partners and the associates with regard to the allocation of work and the day-to-day coordination of the practice.
The primary objectives of the role are:
Regional Resource Management:
Allocate work for fee-earners within the practice area. Act as a trusted advisor to the Practice Area Management Team, comprising of the Regional Practice Area Leader (RPAL), Regional Business Manager (RBM), and other partners providing strategic advice about manpower planning and resource management.
Day to day responsibilities will include optimising the allocation of work and the deployment of lawyers to maximise profitability and support personal development.
Practice Management:
Work closely with partners, functional team leaders, RBMs and General Manager, Singapore, to provide operational support to the practice and facilitate communication and processes.
Key Responsibilities:
Resource Management:
- Optimise the allocation of work and the deployment of staff to maximise profitability
- Provide information and advice in respect of manpower planning and resourcing
- To identify appropriate assignments for senior associates and below incorporating the individuals’ references and development goals where possible
- Take ownership for and manage the work allocation tool, and ensure the integrity of the data included in the tool including annual leave and non-chargeable activities
- Where required, review leave requests to ensure adequate staffing
- Review and analyse forecast and actual utilisation and availability reports, highlighting trends and patterns for potential resourcing issues to the RBM with the aim of fully utilising existing staff within the regional offices and globally before resorting to external hires.
- Draft headcount approval business cases, secondment costings and documentation
- Ensure any feedback obtained during the work allocation process on associates' performance is passed on to the RBM and office HRMs
Practice Management:
- Support the RBM/GM in carrying out the business priorities for the practice and office.
- Organise team meetings as required. Preparing agendas, materials and minutes and progressing agreed action lists.
- Work with the Clifford Chance business professionals team to facilitate service delivery to the practice areas
- Provide assistance and support with ad hoc projects as directed by the RBM and GM.
- Establish and share best practice; as well as ensuring consistency of service levels.
- Ensure, in conjunction with the HR Manager/Senior HR Business Partner, that lawyers in the practice areas receive a documented annual appraisal and that career development plans are implemented and reviewed
- Ability to act as a sounding board for the associates in the practice group on work related issues.
- Facilitate and/or deliver training sessions to fee-earners and business professionals to share best practices.
Key Requirements:
Experience and qualifications required:
- Previous resource allocation experience preferably gained in a large commercial environment, ideally Professional Services; or
- A recruitment background with the desire to move in to the resource allocation and practice management field, with the right transferable skills and personable attributes to move in to this profession; or
- Previous practice/business co-ordination experience in a professional services firm.
- Tertiary qualifications in business or human resources.
Expected Skills and Personal Attributes:
- Ability to communicate with staff at all levels
- Customer service focus
- Strong attention to detail and excellent organisational skills.
- Proactive and self-directed, able to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
- Strong influencing and problem solving skills.
- Proven ability to build and maintain strong internal and external working relationships.
Working at Clifford Chance & About the Firm
From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and develop your skills and knowledge.
From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.
Whatever your area of expertise, you will find a range of career opportunities at Clifford Chance. And wherever you're heading, Clifford Chance is where you can be true to your ambitions.
Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures and languages. In a world where commercial success increasingly relies on globalisation, we offer clients a truly international perspective, and we offer our people a rewarding and stimulating career.
We're proud of our approachable, friendly and team-based way of working. Highly professional and self-assured, with an entrepreneurial streak, our people are more than happy to share their expertise and knowledge.
Equal Opportunities
At Clifford Chance we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.
We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.
Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm.
Our Recruitment Process
Our recruitment process is straightforward. It is aimed to be a two-way conversation that will allow you to learn more about the role and the firm, and will be a chance for us to chat to you about your experience and assess your capabilities for the role.
All vacancies in Singapore are advertised in one place, on our careers portal. To apply online you will need an up-to-date CV. If you meet the criteria for the role, the partners or hiring manager will review your CV before a decision is taken about the next steps. If you are unsuccessful at this stage, you will receive an email from one of our team.
If you are invited for a face-to-face interview these take place at our offices or via video conference. Typically, you will meet with two people in the first stage, and another two people in the second stage. Your interviewers are usually the hiring manager or hiring partner, senior team members and a member of the HR team. You will meet people who you will be working with should you be successful.
For some roles we may ask you to complete a case study or prepare a presentation related to the role you are interviewing for.
If you get an offer from the firm, you'll be called by your HR contact who will lay out the offer terms, and an offer pack will be sent to you.
If you have any questions during the recruitment process, please contact the team directly.
