Client Experience Relationship Manager

Company: Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Location: Seattle
Posted on: February 1, 2025

Job Description:

This is an exciting opportunity to work for one of the top law firms in the U.S.! Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is looking for a Client Relationship Manager to join our team in our Seattle office.We offer a hybrid work engagement with two days of remote work and three days in-office.The Client Relationship Manager will work directly with the relationship partners and Client Experience team for one or more of the firm's largest clients to help the firm provide differentiated service. This role will collaborate with partners, project teams, staff departments, and client leadership to deliver operational excellence, manage day-to-day client interactions, and increase client satisfaction.At Davis Wright Tremaine, you will find challenging assignments, opportunities for professional growth and community involvement, and a culture of inclusion. DWT fosters inclusiveness and authenticity. Regardless of position, everyone here has a voice and the support is unparalleled.On a typical day you will:Client Team Leadership: The Client Experience Team helps both individual attorneys and the firm ensure a uniformly positive experience for clients. The Client Relationship Manager must have an eye for advancing strategic opportunities, building support and adoption of those opportunities internally, and continually assessing client needs (both stated and unstated). The Relationship Manager will:

• Manage the content creation for monthly, quarterly, and annual client team meetings, highlighting milestones and successes, improved efficiencies, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) projects and progress, pro bono projects, and other strategic goals.
• Lead the creation of annual client team strategic plans focused on aligning client needs with firm capabilities.
• Analyze industry trends to proactively identify potential client needs and wants.
• Partner with firm leadership (attorney and staff) to strategically evaluate and identify needs, resources, and areas of opportunities for institutional clients.
• Collaborate with DEI leaders internally and externally to advance firm and client objectives, achieve goals, and support diverse timekeepers in engaging with clients.
• Assist relationship partners and client leadership with other strategic opportunities and ad hoc projects that strengthen the client relationship.
• Build deep, direct relationships with the client's legal business and operations teams.
• Ensure compliance with outside counsel guidelines related to time keeping, rate-setting, billing, conflicts, etc.Financial Management and Growth: The Client Experience Team's focus on providing quality, cost-effective legal services will influence the firm's financial performance. The Relationship Manager must understand the effect that non-traditional service delivery has on the firm's bottom line. The Relationship Manager will:
  • Review and analyze financial data relating to the client and its work streams.
  • Oversee internal processes related to alternative fee arrangement negotiation, including gathering and analyzing matter and project data.
  • Work with client leadership and firm financial operations team to maximize efficiency and profitability on alternative fee arrangements.
  • Work with client leadership to customize the data presented to the client team and to provide context, explanation, and action items to meet strategic goals for client service levels and financial targets.
  • Lead strategic business development planning, consultation, and execution for the client.
  • Support lawyers in identifying and responding to opportunities for new work, particularly those that are strategic, complex, and time-sensitive.
  • Coordinate and plan client engagement and business development events, including invite list development, marketing, vendor management, and execution.Service Delivery: The Client Experience Team works to augment the traditional legal services provided to clients through proactive communication, actionable reporting, and strategic client satisfaction initiatives. The Relationship Manager drives these initiatives together with legal project teams and client leadership and is expected to:
    • Work with lawyers and staff serving one or more clients to meet service expectations and address specific problems or opportunities to enable the firm to provide excellent, differentiated service.
    • Drive service innovation for the client in partnership with legal teams, legal project teams, and other staff departments to deliver service more efficiently, effectively, and profitably, including evaluating and developing new service and business process opportunities using technology, process improvement, legal project management, and alternative staffing.
    • Partner with Client Experience Legal Project Managers, Practice Managers, and others around the firm to share best practices, cross-selling opportunities, and business development opportunities.Join us if you have:
      • 7+ years' experience in a law firm environment or similar professional services industry; client management, operations management, and business development experience preferred.
      • Bachelor's degree required, emphasis in Business Administration and other technical discipline; MBA, JD, or other relevant advanced degree preferred.
      • Lean, Lean Six Sigma, PMP or similar certification preferred or the ability to demonstrate comparable experience and training in project management or process improvement.
      • Demonstrated understanding of alternative fee arrangements in the service industry (understanding of law firm pricing models and economics a plus).
      • Deep knowledge of relevant legal practice areas and/or industries a plus.
      • Experience presenting to small groups and decision-makers.
      • Demonstrated ability to collaborate with and guide decision-makers on strategic decisions.
      • Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously with high attention to detail.
      • Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and firm leadership.
      • Proficiency with legal technology tools such as matter management, document automation, and/or document review software, or skills with similar tools from other industries that demonstrates an ability to learn and use new technology preferred.
      • High proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, Project, Visio, and OneNote.
      • Ability to read and write in English.Who We AreDavis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with 11 offices nationwide. We are relentlessly committed to client service and look for candidates who share that commitment. At DWT, client service means having empathy for each client's and each lawyer's work and personal pressures, business objectives, and legal needs; anticipating their needs; and having the capabilities and commitment to deliver what matters most to them.What's in it For You?DWT offers competitive compensation in addition to ample benefits including but not limited to:
        • Choice of health and vision insurance plans.
        • 2 paid volunteer days for qualifying community service work.
        • Dental plan.
        • Fertility and adoption benefit.
        • Paid sabbatical after 13 years of service.
        • Tuition reimbursement.
        • Commuter benefits.
        • Retirement contribution.This job description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities.Washington StateThe annualized salary range for this position in Washington is $150,000 to $162,000. Actual pay will be adjusted based on the candidate's education, training, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law. Full-time employees may be eligible for a bonus, health insurance with an optional HSA, long-term disability, dental insurance, vision care, telemedicine and virtual short-term solution-based counseling services, life insurance, Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, subsidized backup care and caregiving resources, 401(k), vacation, sick time, 11 paid holidays each year and an employee assistance program. For full-time employees, the initial vacation benefit is 15 days per year and 11 days of sick leave per year, accrued bi-weekly. Additional voluntary programs include: voluntary accident insurance, voluntary life, voluntary disability, voluntary long-term care, and pet insurance. Commuter and Transit programs are also available.Diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of the fabric of Davis Wright Tremaine - central to who we are and what we do. Our vision is to foster a culture where all talented individuals - including those who are from traditionally underrepresented communities in the legal profession - can have, and can see, a path to success. We embed DEI throughout our law firm with our four-pillar framework: Community, Growth, Education, and Engagement. We invite you to learn more about our commitment to DEI at .Davis Wright Tremaine provides reasonable accommodations for those who need them to complete the application or recruiting process and for employees who need reasonable accommodations to perform the essential functions of their positions due to a disability or for religious reasons. If you need to request accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please email .
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Keywords: Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Edmonds , Client Experience Relationship Manager, Executive , Seattle, Washington