Legal Education & Development Specialist

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we are united in our ambition and drive to move forward. We share core values that help us achieve excellence: collaboration, talent empowerment, service, inclusion, respect and gratitude. Our people are our greatest asset, and we invest in the brightest talent and encourage a diversity of perspectives and strengths to create dynamic teams that operate at the pinnacle of their field. Our talented professionals show up every day knowing they will engage in meaningful work, continuous learning and professional development.
 
As one of the world’s leading law firms, we serve a broad range of clients with market-leading practices in private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions; investment fund formation and management; restructurings; high-stakes litigation and trials; and government, regulatory and internal investigations. We handle the most complicated and sophisticated legal matters because we don’t just meet industry standards, we create them. We bring innovation and entrepreneurialism to every engagement and, as a result, have long-standing client relationships with leading global corporations and financial sponsors. With 6,500 employees (including 3,500+ lawyers) operating from 19 offices across the United States, Europe and Asia, we are one of the largest law firms in the world and a top financial performer.

Essential Job Functions

The Legal Education and Development Specialist is an integral member of our Firmwide Legal Recruiting and Development (LRD) department developing the attorneys of our Miami office. Reporting to the FW Director of Legal Education & Development, this Specialist will support global educational processes including improving attorney performance and effectiveness, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of Kirkland and Ellis’s attorney CLE compliance, and delivering impactful learning events. In addition, this Specialist will manage the Open Assignment system, building relationships at all levels to ensure efficient and best use of resources and availability across all client matters.

Essential Functions

• Drive the coordination and support of locally driven attorney training programs and Firmwide programs such as Kirkland University, Summer Associate programming, New Associate Onboarding, and other programming as assigned
  • Align with attorney and LRD stakeholders
  • Communicate and collaborate on scheduling, handouts, logistical and technical details
  • Support Miami summer associate training programming through collaboration with local and Firmwide Recruiting and Legal Education and Development teams
  • Attend local training programs in person to monitor and ensure top-notch delivery
  • Assist with other administrative duties such as creating surveys, survey reports, organizing, and supporting local development, pro bono and diversity projects as needed
• Organize and manage the annual Florida MCLE compliance deadlines for Florida-licensed attorneys
  • Submit daily and weekly Florida course submissions through Florida’s MCLE Sponsors Portal
  • Audit the daily and monthly attendance and program accreditation for Florida CLE credit
  • Run monthly reports to check compliance deadlines for attorneys licensed in Florida and support CLE audits of Florida-licensed attorneys
  • Assist with new hire/lateral hire onboarding and departing Florida-licensed attorneys as it relates to CLE accreditation and compliance  
• Manage the support for local learning coordination for Firmwide and local programs, including event logistics and onsite support in collaboration with the Attorney Engagement team
• Process and maintain certificates of attendance
• Facilitate Associate feedback and mentoring meetings.
• Monitor associate work activity levels and anticipates capacity constraints and availability.
  • Promote and monitor the sharing of resources efficiently across client matters by building key relationships within the department to address and proactively manages scheduling conflicts
  • Artfully balances the needs of the Open Assignment System with thoughtful recommendations for both Partners and Associates regarding availability for matters
• Collaborate with and support the team and build and foster working relationships with business partners across the Firm
• Demonstrate servant leadership and be a good Kirkland Firm steward
• Work with, identify, develop, lead, and manage key external vendor relationships
• Respond to department communications with accurate information in a timely manner and address time-sensitive issues
• Ability to work overtime and perform duties outside of scheduled work hours, as needed, to meet the business needs of the Firm
• Lead special projects as assigned, as activities designated to the Legal Education and Development Specialist will continue to evolve and shift as needed based on the needs of LRD strategy or in support of LRD leadership 
• The Firm may adjust or assign responsibilities within the context of this role to support the Firm as required

Qualifications & Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree is required along with six-plus years of experience in learning and development, project management or coordination.
• The Legal Education and Development Specialist is expected to comply with the Firm’s in-office attendance policy. Currently, employees are expected to be present in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. There is an option for employees to come in on Mondays and Fridays unless special events require in-office presence
• A desire to work in a flexible environment with an ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities is a must
• An ability to learn and work independently, but actively listen to and understand and follow directives to get desired results
• This position requires a high level of collaboration; therefore, the ideal candidate must interact well with people at all levels with a high degree of accuracy, professionalism, and accountability
• Escalate risks and issues appropriately
• A successful candidate will demonstrate effective interpersonal and communication skills, both verbally and in writing
• The candidate must be self-starting, proactive, organized, and have the ability to exercise independent judgement and utilize critical thinking.  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office is required
• Working knowledge of CE Manager preferred

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP.  To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Closing Statement

The www.kirkland.com job postings and recruiting mailbox are for candidates only. If you are a recruiter, search firm or employment agency, and do not have a signed contract with Kirkland & Ellis LLP ("K&E") and have not been asked specifically to submit candidates, you will not be compensated in any way for your referral of a candidate even if K&E hires the candidate. Direct contact with K&E employees in an attempt to present candidates is inappropriate and will be a factor in determining any future professional relationship with the Firm. #LI-Hybrid #LI-DR1