Director of Professional Development and Diversity

Full-Time Portland, Seattle

Lane Powell PC is a law firm synonymous with excellence and innovation with ambitious goals in the future. We are seeking an experienced leader committed to delivering best in class service and building collaborative teams that will help take us into the next chapter of our story. We are seeking a Director of Professional Development and Diversity. This is an exempt, full time opportunity. This highly visible firmwide position provides leadership and strategic direction for the firm’s professional development and diversity programs. The Director will focus on the development of lawyer talent, emphasizing the design, implementation and monitoring of a wide variety of programs that seek to increase diversity, foster a culture of inclusion, grow and enhance the skills and abilities of attorneys, and improve attorney mentoring and retention.

This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer and works in close partnership with senior leadership.

Responsibilities:

• Manage current and implement new firmwide attorney professional development programs. Work with firm leadership to define competencies, learning objectives and desired outcomes. May include all-attorney internal CLE curriculum and coaching in preparation for partnership.
• Work with associates and junior partners to develop professional development plans to help them reach their potential.
• Collaborate with firm leadership to continue to build and support a dynamic and inclusive work environment including creation and implementation of firmwide diversity and inclusion programs.
• Ensure that all lawyer recruiting and professional development policies and programs are aligned with the firm’s commitment to prioritize diversity and inclusion.
• Provide strategic advice regarding the involvement and sponsorship of diversity-related events and organizations.
• Improve and maintain a multi-year associate professional development track to include training for all levels of associates. Serve as a liaison between partners and associates and actively participate on the associate committee.
• Establish and implement an improved lateral-attorney integration program.
• Work closely with practice team leadership to support substantive legal training for all attorneys. Assess training needs, define learning objectives, refine curriculum, develop program content and ensure program quality.
• Work with individual practice team leads on skill development for attorneys with specific needs. Serve as firmwide resource for all lawyer training and development issues.
• Provide strategic support throughout the firm’s annual evaluation process, identifying and taking action on attorneys who need individual coaching for advancement, outplacement services or extra support to help fill a gap in skills.
• Conduct exit interviews and identify policies and procedures to maximize attorney retention and job satisfaction.
• Manage attorney mentoring program and continue to modify in alignment with strategic goals.
• Monitor best practices in professional development and diversity through organizations including national consortiums and councils, and state bars.
• Prepare reports relating to training, professional development, and diversity and inclusion programs to keep firm leadership apprised of progress and areas for improvement.
• Support the planning of firm events, retreats and conferences to ensure that all events align with firm goals relating to professional development, diversity and inclusion.
• Monitor the quality and utility of all professional development and diversity programs.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience working in the legal or professional services industry
• 6+ years of professional development experience
• Experience managing or participating in diversity and inclusion programs
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)

Required Skills:

• Strong desire to work with less experienced lawyers to help them reach their potential
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong business acumen and data/analytical skills
• Ability to successfully partner with all levels of the organization
• Ability to use independent judgment
• Ability to operate at the highest level of professionalism, integrity and confidentiality
• Ability to perform a variety of tasks, often changing assignments on short notice
• Ability to manage a complex and varied workload in a timely manner and with courtesy and tact
• Ability to develop, direct and implement projects

Lane Powell PC is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages applications for employment from qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds. If you need reasonable accommodations to apply for any position, please let us know. All employment decisions, practices and procedures are carried out without regard to gender, race, color, religion, national origin, political ideology, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or any other applicable legally protected status. This policy applies to all personnel activities including employment, promotion, transfer, compensation and termination.

To receive consideration for this position, please submit cover letter and resume to careers@lanepowell.com.