Office Locations: Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Naples, Phoenix, St. Louis, San Diego, Tampa, Tucson, Washington D.C.

The Director, Paralegal Services will lead the strategic direction, management and development of the firm’s paralegal, legal project assistant, and legal specialist resources. This key role is responsible for building a high-performing team that delivers innovative, efficient, and high-quality legal support across all practice areas. The Director reports to the firm’s Chief People & Diversity Officer and will work closely with Practice Group leadership. Although the position is open to all cities where we have offices, there is a strong preference for candidates based in Chicago, Milwaukee, or Phoenix.

Grow Your Career at Quarles

At Quarles, your goals matter. We foster a collaborative, inclusive culture where your voice is heard and your growth is supported. Join a team that values creativity, flexibility, and shared success.

What We Offer:

Supportive, adaptable work environment
Career development through mentoring and training – Professional growth opportunities
Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits

Be part of a firm where great people achieve great things—together.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Strategy

Create and execute a strategic vision for the paralegal, legal project assistant, and legal specialists.
Drive innovation in legal service delivery through process improvement, technology adoption, and talent development.
Collaborate with practice group leaders and managers to align team capabilities with client and practice needs.

Team Management

Lead paralegal, legal project assistant, and legal specialist populations, and serve as their direct supervisor.
Manage workflow and workload distribution.
Evaluate paralegals, legal project assistants, and legal specialists in conjunction with practice groups.
Lead performance evaluation process as well as compensation and bonus programs for paralegal, legal project assistant, and legal specialist populations.
Oversee hiring, onboarding, and integration in partnership with the recruiting team.

Professional Development

Provide regular feedback and support professional growth through training, mentoring, and coaching.
Identify and addresses training and development needs, opportunities, and goals.
Develop and deliver training programs that promote skill advancement at both the individual and team levels.
Work with the paralegal teams and practice group leaders to professionally develop paralegals based on their individual needs.
Understand the drivers of paralegal success in each practice group and help manage the paralegals towards those common goals.

Operations

Establish and maintain best practices for workflow, utilization, and resource allocation.
Partner with Legal Operations & Innovation to implement tools and systems that enhance productivity.
Monitor billable and nonbillable time metrics to assess team performance and identify areas for improvement.
Work closely with Human Resources, Recruiting & Integration, Learning & Development, Information Technology, Finance, and other administrative departments.
Travel approximately 25% of the time is anticipated.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

”Who Are You?”

Bachelor’s Degree required.
Minimum of five years’ experience supervising and managing in a law firm or legal services environment required.
Minimum of five years’ experience as a paralegal.
Excellent organizational, interpersonal relations and written and oral communication skills required.
Proven leadership experience managing large, diverse teams.
Ability to lead change and drive innovation.
Strong customer service attitude required.
Demonstrated strategic qualities and ability to earn the confidence of firm leaders, attorneys, and colleagues.
Ability to coordinate multiple issues and projects simultaneously; work well under pressure and solve problems.
Collaborative and resourceful, with the ability to mentor and train others.
Ability to use sound judgment and discretion in dealing with highly confidential information.
Commitment to fostering an inclusive and collaborative work environment.

Quarles is an equal opportunity employer.

Quarles & Brady offers competitive salaries, bonus and great benefits to employees including paid time off, health, vision, dental, 401k, life, disability and much more. Benefit eligibility is dependent on hours. Compensation is determined upon the market in which the position is located, the responsibilities of the position, the experience, education and skills of the applicant, and other job-related factors. The salary range for this position is $160,000 to $225,000 annually.

We are not accepting any additional external recruiting partnerships at this time for this position. We kindly request that search firms and placement agencies refrain from submitting inquiries at this time unless already in partnership and contact regarding this position.

If you have any questions or require additional information regarding this position, please contact:

Jennifer McKinney, Manager, Legal Recruiting, jennifer.mckinney@quarles.com

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