CMS is recruiting for an experienced Legal Services Unit Manager.

CMS is recruiting CMS is a Future Facing firm. With 75 offices in 43 countries and 4,800+ lawyers worldwide, we combine deep sector understanding with a global overview, giving us the ability not only to see what's coming, but to shape it.

About the role

To ensure effective delivery of work undertaken by the LSU in Glasgow and Edinburgh and to support the LSU Director with the day to day management of the LSU.

The focus of this role is managing delivery of the work and will include:

• Liaising with the instructing fee earners to scope tasks and agree the budget and timing for completion;
• Allocating the work to the appropriate paralegal/s;
• Monitoring progress and overseeing all aspects of the work to ensure the work is delivered on time and is of the highest quality; and
• Driving and developing service quality and implementing service levels.

Responsibilities include:

• Team leadership and management - including assisting the LSU Director with all HR matters such as recruitment, career structure, reward, L&D and performance management for the team;
• Ultimate responsibility for the overall quality and delivery of work to the LSU's customers - and dealing with any issues or concerns;
• Assisting with the development and implementation of the LSU strategy in line with the firm's objectives and agreed business plan;
• Overview of capacity and supply of LSU resource in Glasgow/Edinburgh to manage and balance workload, including specifying and agreeing work with partners and lawyers;
• Ensuring utilisation of the team achieves or exceeds agreed targets;
• Promoting the services that the LSU can provide across the business and to clients, including, where required, taking an active part in pitches and tenders and development of bespoke workstreams using LSU resource to provide solutions to clients;
• Assisting the LSU director with budgeting, resource planning and forecasting and management of utilisation and finances generally;
• Assisting the LSU Director with building, updating and delivering the LSU business plan as part of the firm's annual budgeting and planning cycle.

About you

• Well respected qualified solicitor (PQ3+) (would be an advantage to be dual qualified (Scotland and England & Wales) but not essential) or a highly experienced manager with well -developed management skills gained within a professional services environment and qualified to a degree level or equivalent;
• Experience of (i) managing and developing a team and (ii) implementing and improving processes including service levels would be beneficial;
• Excellent attention to detail, a customer service mindset and should be a completer-finisher;
• Good understanding of all practice areas and core activities and has credibility with staff at all levels;
• Ability to work highly effectively under pressure and experience of managing challenging and demanding situations;
• Ability to produce flexible solutions to meet the needs of clients and lawyers within the firm;
• Ability to communicate and promote the services of the LSU clearly and enthusiastically;
• Ability to enthuse and encourage the use of the LSU to clients, partners and staff;
• Ability to work with practice area leaders, partners and others (i.e. in Finance) to identify appropriate potential work for the LSU;
• Provide support and guidance to the team supervisors and team members more widely.

Equal opportunities

At CMS, a next-generation mindset is woven into all we do. We're diverse, supportive and inclusive, embracing our corporate social responsibility and creating a culture of sustainability in which every one of our people, whatever their background, can maximise their potential and thrive.

For further information about CMS' diversity initiatives and programmes, please click here to view the diversity pages on our website.

Please apply online or contact a member of the Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. For information regarding our competitive range of benefits please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

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