The Ultimate Guide to a Law Firm Office Manager Job Description

What an Office Manager at a Law Firm Does

Leading the charge for your law firm’s administration is the office manager. Much like a head chef, the office manager runs the proverbial kitchen; organizing the workflow and charting the direction for all staff members. While overseeing the day-to-day operations that guide productivity, efficiency, and overall functionality, an office manager in a law firm is also in charge of other, more crucial concerns of the firm such as vendor relations, budget management, and legal research analysis. An office manager possesses a wealth of skills and experiences as they relate to the management of an entire law office. Among these talents are administrative skills, human resources, communications, financial or budgetary experience, facilities knowledge , a keen understanding of information systems, the ability to plan and manage, and of course legal research analysis. Such immense experiences and skills allow an office manager to coordinate daily functions, organize other employees, and perform essential administrative duties on a personal level. A law office manager is invaluable in the strategic planning of a law office as they help improve the overall quality of the practices, their efficiency, and how well they function in the things that promote the improvement and the success of the firm. The office manager is the person who creates, maintains, and optimizes all systems for such administrative practices. An office manager is able to use their wealth of experienced skills to play a decisive role in the success of a law firm.

Roles and Responsibilities

Duties of an office manager in a law firm involve overseeing the daily administrative and operational facets of a law office. Such duties include overseeing or coordinating administrative systems and policies, distributed among various auxiliary services such as information technology, legal support, mail, records, reprographics and receptionists. The office manager also handles projects independently or in conjunction with other departments and manages the office’s facilities, equipment and supplies. These responsibilities typically include negotiating and evaluating suppliers and vendors of goods and services, as well as maintenance and other support services. By acting as a liaison between the law firm’s lawyers and clients, co-managing personnel along with other management personnel, advising lawyers on business matters and identifying facilities and equipment requirements, an office manager helps to ensure the law firm’s operations run smoothly. In addition to overseeing all administrative functions, prioritizing litigation support, acting as a point of contact for litigation support requests and coordinating litigation support with oversees vendors, the office manager is responsible for maintaining an effective information system. This includes oversight of the law firm’s network, technology and electronic support services. Other duties can include coordination of bookkeeping and accounting tasks, including payroll and accounts payable.

Skills and Requirements

The skills required for any law office manager will vary from firm to firm, but the following key competencies should be considered essential for all:
Communication
With multiple stakeholders within the firm, including attorneys, clients, staff, vendors, and other professionals, the communications skills of an office manager should be at the highest level. Experience in management will help in this area. Also, as a manager of managers, an office manager must be able to communicate and connect with the lawyers responsible for firm operations.
Organization
A knack for organizing is imperative as the office manager will need to manage multiple priorities while being a contributor in all aspects of the firm’s operations. Prioritize and do them one at a time, as many multitasking experts will tell you. On any ongoing project, the law office manager should have the ability to keep their team, work, and ideas organized. Dedicate a folder (physical or electronic) for each project as you begin it and use it for every piece of information that will be needed for that project. This includes meeting notes, folders with documents or research articles (print or digital), writing, graphics, research, questionnaires, etc.
Multitasking
Life in a law firm can get chaotic, but a good office manager has to stay on task and prioritize. While our recommendation is to prioritize and not multi-task, being able to handle several projects at once while knowing how to tactfully say no is a critical function of the office manager. We hear too many stories of managers who are overwhelmed because they can’t say "No;" which leads to a lack of respect of lawyers in the firm. A strong office manager is one that can firmly express they cannot take on any more and will not be bullied by lawyers.
Legal Background Knowledge
While not a hard requirement, a law office manager should have an understanding of a law firm’s business. This includes understanding how the firm makes money and what roles various staff members play (responsively managing for those roles). An office manager should know what the various practice groups do, and the role of the law firm in all stages of a litigation, regulatory or transactional matter.

Navigating Technology and Office Management

Law firm office managers are expected to be a bridge between the administrative and the technical, a synthesizer of information and a facilitator of operational efficiency. To be a standout, a law firm office manager must be abreast of the latest technology and office management software because these are vital components of their role. They must facilitate communication and collaboration within the law firm.
An office manager hired for their extensive knowledge of technological solutions can help a law firm transcend its competitors by leveraging technology to enhance office logistics and improve the bottom line. Sophisticated law firm office managers will already be familiar with many of the legal software tools that are now common in today’s legal industry such as case management software, time and billing software, and practice management software. HR dedicated software that supports the onboarding of new hires and tracks employee information is vital. An office manager will need to perform regular audits on all software and technology while also understanding the IT infrastructure and who maintains it.
Many law firms are still highly dependent on email as a communication tool. In 2020 , email remains the most commonly used technology to send and receive all forms of communication. Lawyers still rely on their emails for communicating with clients, other lawyers, opposing counsel, staff, and more. An effective law firm office manager should have a deep understanding of how to use email communication effectively and develop standards for handling it. In addition, document collaboration is becoming increasingly common in the legal field. An office manager should be familiar with team collaboration tools and how they can be utilized in a law firm. As teams become more dynamic, with the number of people working remotely increasing, office managers will need to be experts at team collaboration. Law firm office managers are being asked to expand their knowledge so that they can manage the ever-changing technologies being introduced to market.
Office managers should document all of the following components of a law firm: Knowledge of technology goes well beyond simply understanding how to use common tools, it means keeping current on and sharing information on software tools available to make the firm more efficient. This information can be provided to all the staff members, partners, and associates through seminars and training.

Law Firm Office Manager Challenges

Law firm office managers face a number of challenges that can be unique to the legal industry itself. One of them is the management of client and office relations. Office managers don’t have the same luxury of handing off client interaction as other employees do. This seems like a straightforward thing, but this could include anything from handling clients’ phones, to dealing with clients’ walks in, to sitting down with clients to discuss updates on their case, or talking to various clients about other important legal matters. This could also involve other staff members related to those cases. While office managers and the administrative staff are certainly not the lawyers, they are the representation of the law firm to the client.
Staying organized is also one of the most important factors in their job. In the legal industry – regardless of what the firm’s focus is – things need to be done on a very strict timeline. Cases need to be filed by certain deadlines, or there are court dates that need to be kept or certain documents need to be reviewed by attorneys. This can be a hectic and fast-paced environment. When something goes wrong, it falls on the law firm as a whole, but more importantly, it falls on the office manager. The ability to de-escalate and organize is a critical element to their success. That means that when a situation does arise, office managers have to diffuse it, organize it, and communicate to appropriate people within the firm. This not only applies to clients’ needs, but to other staff members as well. Identifying issues and concerns before they arise is a crucial skill for law firm office managers.
They must also be able to maintain the utmost in confidentiality. They are the eyes and the ears of the staff and the law firm, so retaining the highest levels of confidentiality is of utmost importance. When it comes to private data and legal cases, this trust is one that law firm office managers absolutely cannot violate. This means that they need to practice discretion when it comes to how they manage files, how they manage communication, and how they manage paper documents. Seeing things that they probably shouldn’t when it comes to sensitive data is an unfortunate part of the job. But that doesn’t mean that law firm office managers are excused from the ethical and practical concerns they may create for themselves and their law firms by not taking the proper precautions.

Advancement and Development

For those ambitious office managers seeking to advance their careers, the legal industry offers a multitude of opportunities for career progression. With the right combination of skills and a robust portfolio of law firm management experience, progression for law firm office managers is readily available. While the job description for an office manager at large corporate entities or standalone mid-market and boutique law firms may involve managing logistics, administration, and operational tasks, office managers in the legal industry can make a real impact on the financial success and growth trajectory of operations from day one.
Law firm managers are responsible for coordinating and ensuring that everyone and everything is in its place. They monitor and report on performance to measure the effectiveness of firm operations. Most law firm office managers have the authority to implement process changes to mitigate risk, improve outcome, reduce spend, and enhance the client experience. The coordinated efforts of office managers go a long way in ensuring overall efficient functionality of a law firm. Law firm managers operate at the tactical level of a firm , which is a great vantage point for assessing the impact of firm operations on client satisfaction and ultimately profitability.
An office manager’s ability to drive operational efficiency on an ongoing basis can position them as candidates for further career opportunities. Mid-sized firms and larger entities often promote from within, as law firms appreciate individuals with intimate knowledge of institutional and operational familiarity. Accordingly, a successful office manager can expect to advance to positions such as operations manager, facility manager, and business development manager within the legal space. At larger firms, office managers may find career advancement opportunities across offices or to lead specialized teams. In addition, the demands of the job description for an office manager translate into better than average work-life balance and advancement as a career law office manager equivalents in non-legal industries. Legal organizations have uniform office manager job descriptions, so law office managers can market their skills across various law firms in different metropolitan areas.