Director of Legal Services

St. Louis regional law firm seeks a Director of Legal Support Services. This position is responsible for ensuring the delivery of exceptional client service by providing strategic direction and effective leadership to the leaders who oversee the firm’s Legal Administrative Assistants, Paralegals, Office Leaders, and Work Product Support teams. This leader will ensure that operational efficiency, high-quality work product, and client satisfaction is consistently achieved and maintained by guiding and supporting the leaders of these legal support services.

The role is integral to the firm’s continued ability to meet evolving client needs, drive operational excellence, attract and retain top-tier legal support talent, and position support services as a meaningful contributor to firm revenue and growth. This position could be based in St. Louis, Kansas City or Minneapolis.

Required Education & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in legal support services or law firm operations, including 5+ years in a senior or large-team leadership role.
• Proven record of managing large, diverse teams in a professional services or law firm environment.
• Strong understanding of law firm operations, legal practice areas, and client service standards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, develop strategy, and implement process improvements that increase efficiency without compromising quality.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills.
• High proficiency in legal technology tools and platforms (e.g., document management and docketing systems, workflow tools, Microsoft Office Suite).

Preferred Education & Experience

• JD, MBA, or advanced degree in Legal Administration, Business, or related field preferred.
• Compu Law and Big Hand experience preferred

Team Leadership & Operational Oversight (20%)

• Provide strategic leadership and day-to-day guidance to the legal support leaders who oversee Legal Administrative Assistants, Paralegals, Office Managers and Work Product Support teams.
• Establish and monitor performance standards through leadership to ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality service delivery.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in workflows, staffing models, and service delivery methods to drive efficiency and scalability, partnering closely with leaders on execution.

Client Service Excellence (10%)

• Serve as a key point of contact for internal clients (attorneys and firm leadership) regarding support service delivery and performance, in partnership with leaders.
• Foster a client-centric culture within all legal support functions by coaching leaders to reinforce responsiveness, accountability, and high service quality.
• Proactively partner with leaders to gather, analyze, and implement improvements from feedback to align service delivery with attorney and client needs.

Strategic Planning & Execution (20%)

• Develop and work with leaders to execute strategic goals for Legal Support Services aligned with the firm’s broader objectives, including revenue generation, talent strategy, and operational efficiency.
• Participate in firm wide strategic initiatives, representing the voice of legal support and contributing to cross-functional planning.
• Lead and oversee large-scale projects to improve operational processes, implement new technologies, or enhance services, ensuring alignment with firm priorities and effective change adoption across legal support services.

Leadership & Alignment Across Offices (20%)

• Provide strategic direction to the Senior Legal Support Services Manager to ensure consistent implementation of Legal Administrative Assistant team structures, programs, and best practices across all offices.
• Ensure staffing, training, and performance management practices are aligned with firm wide standards, while allowing for flexibility to meet local office needs.
• Contribute to the development and communication of policies, procedures, and resources that promote consistency, efficiency, and a unified approach to service delivery firm wide.

Talent Management & Development (20%)

• Lead efforts to recruit, retain, develop, and coach legal support leaders, ensuring they are equipped to manage and develop their teams…