Conflicts Attorney

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent, global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top-three on The American Lawyer's prestigious "A-List" for seven years and is ranked #1 on Law.com International's "A-List" in the U.K.—rankings that honor the "Best of the Best" firms.

The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.

The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.

Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

Overview

The Conflicts Attorney supports the firm's critical risk management function by performing all duties associated with preparing the firm’s partner Intake Committee to review new business intake, working with partners, and in some cases, prospective clients toward that end including: drafting engagement terms, negotiating engagement and waiver terms, and reviewing and summarizing outside counsel guidelines; reviewing, interpreting, and summarizing conflict report results; demonstrating sound analysis of conflicts issues; and resolving conflicts independently, as appropriate, by consulting with all relevant stakeholders. This includes the following essential functions:

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Coordinates and consults with designated members of the Office of General Counsel, firm attorneys, the firm’s Intake Committee, and Practice Group leadership to bring in new business to the firm. Drafts engagement terms, including scopes of engagement, specific waivers, and alternative fee arrangements. Reviews, summarizes and recommends modifications to outside counsel guidelines and coordinates approval of such guidelines and engagement terms with all stakeholders. Collaborates with attorneys to settle on appropriate terms of engagement, and where requested, negotiates certain engagement, outside counsel guidelines, and waiver terms directly with firm clients. Communicates to the Intake Committee all relevant, valuable information needed for the new client review process. Reviews, interprets, and summarizes conflict report results and demonstrates sound analysis of conflicts issues. Resolves conflicts independently, as appropriate, by consulting with all relevant stakeholders. Develops expertise on conflicts rules and approaches in specific practice areas and helps to formulate templates, algorithms, and frameworks of analysis for conflicts issues in such area. Advises lawyers regarding applicable professional conduct rules and applying them to specific situations. Performs searches of external and internal databases for pertinent information on prospective clients and related parties, and subsequently enters new information iManage’s Business Intake Manager and Conflicts Manager applications and Thomson Reuters’s 3E application. Triages lateral hire requests, communicates with lateral candidates, and works with Conflicts Counsel on the resolution of conflicts where necessary. Participates in providing 24-hour coverage for conflict reporting via on-call system on scheduled weekends and holidays. Leads department-wide project management in specialized areas, including secondments and bankruptcies. Works on special projects, as assigned. Conducts training of internal staff and lateral hires. Drafts and presents memoranda on recent developments in conflict law.

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES

Must demonstrate the ability to maintain strict confidentiality of the firm's internal and personnel affairs. Preference will be shown to candidates willing to maintain a flexible schedule. Able to interact effectively with colleagues at firm including attorneys and support staff. Able to be a proactive self-starter, who understands the details within a much larger context. Must be flexible in order to respond quickly and positively to shifting demands and opportunities; able to work under tight deadlines and handle multiple, detailed tasks. Must be team-oriented and able to share information, goals, opportunities, successes and failures with the appropriate parties. Strong ability to escalate issues as appropriate and present them along with logical solutions to departmental management or partners. Able to plan, organize and carry out multiple projects simultaneously. Able to work in a multi-office environment.

Education, Experience And Skills Required

J.D. required. 2 to 5 years of law firm practice, preferably in a mid-sized to large law firm, or experience in conflicts and client intake issues required. Database/software experience (such as iManage Conflicts Manager and Thomson Reuters 3E software) may be advantageous. Excellent service orientation and interpersonal skills Excellent evaluative and problem-solving skills

Application Instructions

Legal writing sample required with application.

Comprehensive and Total Rewards Package

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is Boston/DC: $117,000 - $175,000, NY:$122,500 - $184,000 which represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity.

Working Conditions

This position requires hybrid on-site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on-site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management.