As a Conflicts Attorney you are responsible for conflicts clearance review and analysis for firm-wide legal hires and new business, working directly with the Department Director and Managers, as well as with attorneys and the firm’s Ethics Advisory Committee, to identify and resolve potential ethics and business conflict issues.
Analyzes complex conflict reports.
Assist Director and Managers in training and overseeing the work of the Conflicts Specialists.
This position requires strong knowledge of the rules of professional responsibility and sound analysis of potential conflict issues.
The attorneys and Ethics Advisory Committee rely upon the Conflicts Attorney’s information in making decisions about whether or not to accept new legal hires, clients and matters.
What You Do:
- Create and analyze complex conflict reports and exercise independent judgment to identify potential conflict of interest issues with legal hires, new business and marketing initiatives.
Conduct research to gather information and/or clarification on potential issues.
Take the initiative to analyze and resolve conflicts independently.
- Prepare communications to attorneys, clearly identifying all potential issues found in conflict report.
Assist attorneys in resolving conflict issues.
Work directly with attorneys, the Department Director and Managers, and the Ethics Advisory Committee, as necessary, to assist and facilitate conflict resolution.
- Provide guidance to Conflicts staff relative to conflict research and analysis and corporate family tree research with the goal of ensuring accuracy and consistency in preparation and analysis of conflict reports.
- Assist attorneys and secretaries in understanding the firm’s conflicts and business intake policies and procedures.
- Assist attorneys to draft engagement and waiver letters.
- Research appropriate jurisdictional conflict and/or ethical rules and/or opinions to assist in determining specific conflict resolution strategies.
- Request and maintain all necessary supporting documentation to clear actual or potential conflict issues.
- Prepare and implement ethical walls.
- Assist in the customization and implementation of new software for conflicts, business intake and ethical walls.
- Maintain knowledge of trends, developments and new technologies impacting the conflicts group.
- Participate in providing coverage for conflict checking and analysis via on-call rotation on scheduled weekends.
Who You Are:
- JD degree required.
- 5+ years of experience with law firm conflicts and/or new business department preferred and/or 3–5 years of experience practicing as an attorney.
- Prior experience using automated conflicts and/or workflow system preferred.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; strong customer service skills and ability to interact effectively with a broad range of people in a professional manner.
- Strong research skills; strong analytical and problem solving skills, strong attention to detail.
- Ability to use initiative and judgment to accomplish results.
- Ability to organize and prioritize multiple assignments in a fast-paced environment; work under pressure and complete job assignments in an accurate and timely manner; respond appropriately to shifting demands.
- Knowledge of InTapp conflict checking, ethical wall and business intake software a plus.
- Work independently, but able to escalate and communicate issues in a timely and effective manner.
- Able to maintain professional composure in challenging or difficult situations.