Director of New Business intake

Jackson Lewis P.C.

$190K — $220K *
Legal & Accounting
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or relevant certification preferred.
  • 10+ years in new business intake, conflicts, risk management, or legal operations.
  • 5+ years of experience managing teams or multi-level operational groups.
  • Strong expertise in law firm client and matter intake processes.
  • Advanced working knowledge of Intapp Open or similar NBI platforms.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Outlook and Excel, with strong analytical skills.
  • Proven track record in leading process improvements and technology implementations.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute strategies for client and matter intake.
  • Establish controls and governance for the intake process.
  • Lead initiatives to enhance service delivery and data integrity.
  • Direct the client and matter intake lifecycle from onboarding to closure.
  • Ensure accuracy and completeness of client and matter data.
  • Optimize workflows for various engagement scenarios.
  • Partner with stakeholders to support efficient operational readiness.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan with contributions.
  • Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts.
  • Firm-paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.
  • Employee assistance program and additional benefits.
Full Job Description

Position Summary

The Director of New Business Intake leads the firm's client and matter intake function, overseeing the people, processes, technology, and controls that support client and matter onboarding, maintenance, and closure. This role ensures an efficient, client-focused intake experience whilemaintainingdata quality, risk management, compliance, and operational excellence.

Working closely with attorneys and key business teams, the Director serves as the business owner forIntappOpen,establishesservice standards, and drives process improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce downstream operational issues.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy, Governance, and Service Delivery
-Develop and execute the firm's strategy and operating model for client and matter intake, including staffing, service levels, and technology enablement.
-Establish governance, controls, approval processes, and escalation protocols across intake, conflicts, risk review, and matter opening.
-Lead initiatives to enhance data integrity, service delivery, and the client and attorney intake experience.
-Serve as the senior escalation point for complex or high-priority intake matters.
-Maintain intake policies, procedures, standards, and training materials.

Intake and Matter-Opening Operations
-Direct the end-to-end client and matter intake lifecycle, including onboarding, maintenance, approvals, engagement documentation, transfers, and matter closure.
-Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity ofclient,matter, billing, and related business data.
-Establish andoptimizeintake workflows for standard and specialized engagement scenarios.
-Partner with Finance, Billing, Pricing, Case Management, and other stakeholders to support efficient matter setup and downstream operational readiness.
-Oversee intake queues, workloads, and service levels, proactively addressing delays, bottlenecks, and escalations to ensuretimelymatter opening.

Conflicts, Risk, and Compliance Partnership
-Partner with Conflicts Counsel, the Office of General Counsel, and firm leadership to supportconflictsclearance, risk management, and compliance processes.
-Oversee operational aspects of client due diligence, engagement documentation, outside counsel guidelines, and related risk-control requirements.
-Ensure required approvals, waivers, engagement terms, and supporting documentation are properly obtained,maintained, and integrated into intake workflows.
-Support audits, regulatory reviews, and internal control activities through effective documentation, reporting, and process oversight.
-Maintainappropriate separationbetween operational ownership and legal decision-making, ensuring substantive risk determinationsremainwith authorized attorneys and committees.

#LI-LM1

Data, Technology, and Process Improvement
-Establish andmaintaindata governance, quality standards, and controls for client and matter information.
-Serveas the business owner forIntappOpen and related intake technologies, overseeing system strategy, enhancements, integrations, and vendor relationships.
-Lead process optimization, workflow automation, and change management initiatives that improve efficiency, accuracy, transparency, and user experience.
-Partner with Technology, Information Security, Pricing, and other business stakeholders to enhance data quality, system performance, and operational effectiveness.
-Drive continuous improvement through analytics and root-cause analysis to reduce risk, strengthen controls, and prevent downstream operational issues.

Team Leadership and StakeholderManagement
-Provide strategic leadership and development for the New Business Intake team, including talent management, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness.
-Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, service excellence, sound judgment, and continuous improvement.
-Build andmaintainstrong partnerships with firm leadership, attorneys, business professionals, and key stakeholders across the organization.
-Champion training, communication, and change management initiatives that promote adoption of intake processes, policies, and systems.
-Oversee relationships with external vendors and service providers, ensuring performance, quality, and alignment with firmobjectives.

PerformanceManagement and Reporting
-Establish andmonitorkey performance indicators, service levels, operational trends, and capacity metrics to drive performance and continuous improvement.
-Oversee the delivery ofaccurate,timely, and confidential reporting for firm leadership, clients, and other stakeholders.
-Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to support strategic decision-making, resource planning, and business growth.
-Develop forecasting, quality assurance, and control programs to ensure operational effectiveness, compliance, and accountability.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degreerequired; advanced degree, law degree, MBA, or relevant professional certification preferred.
  • 10+ years of experiencein new business intake, conflicts, risk management, legal operations, finance operations, or a comparable professional-servicesenvironment.
  • 5+ years of people-leadership experience, including responsibility for managers or a multi-level operational team.
  • Strong knowledge of law firm client and matter intake, conflicts processes, engagement requirements, client/matter master data, and the downstream impact of intake decisions on billing, collections, reporting, and client service.
  • Advanced working knowledge ofIntappOpen or a comparable NBI platform, including workflow configuration, testing, upgrades, reporting, and vendor coordination.
  • Proficiencywith Microsoft Outlook and Excel, including the ability to organize,validate, analyze, and communicate detailed operational data accurately.
  • Demonstrated success leading firmwide process improvement, technology implementation, workflow automation, oroperating-model change.
  • Experience developing service levels, controls, dashboards, and executive reporting in a high-volume, deadline-sensitive environment.
  • Exceptional discretion and judgment in handling confidential, privileged, sensitive, or reputationally significant information.

For New York city metro area and New Jersey, the expected salary range for this position is between $190,000 and$220,000. This position is also eligible for annual bonuses. The actual compensation will be determined based on experience and other factors permitted by law.

Jackson Lewis offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

  • medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Flexible Spending & Health Savings Account
  • firm-paid holidays, vacation, and sick time
  • Employee assistance program and other benefits

For Massachusetts, Washington DC, and White Plain's, NY area, the expected salary range for this position is between $180,000 and$210,000. This position is also eligible for annual bonuses. The actual compensation will be determined based on experience and other factors permitted by law.

Jackson Lewis offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

  • medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Flexible Spending & Health Savings Account
  • firm-paid holidays, vacation, and sick time
  • Employee assistance program and other benefits

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