About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 23 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You’ll Do

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.

What You’ll Bring

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

Preferred

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

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in each of the below locations. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range:

• Chicago: $133,000 - $166,000
• Bay Area: $133,000 - $191,000
• Los Angeles: $133,000 - $183,000
• New York City: $133,000 - $183,000
• Washington DC: $133,000 - $183,000
• Boston: $133,000 - $183,000

How to Apply

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

Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.

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. #LI-Hybrid #LI-JN1