Lead Knowledge Lawyer, Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT)

Role Purpose

To develop, manage and execute knowledge strategy, including industry, client and legal content projects, training and knowledge initiatives for the Group within the context of the Firm's Knowledge and Client and Markets strategies.

The Technology, Media & Telecommunications Industry Group has more than 1,500 cross-practice lawyers and PBS professionals around the world who advise TMT sector clients on key issues and trends affecting them. The leading technology industry group in the world, TMT is the largest industry group within the Firm and a prioritised IG.

Responsibilities:

To create and make easily available first-class industry, client, market and related legal knowledge to the Group and its lawyers, clients, BD and client teams in order to generate client demand for the Firm's services and to develop the firm's lawyers as sector-focussed commercial advisors. The role includes (on a non-exhaustive basis) the following activities:

Knowledge and Expertise

• Sales enablement, client facing content, current awareness and commercial/industry know-how: Deeply understand clients' industries and businesses and use that knowledge to optimize opportunities for knowhow creation, including sales enablement and client-facing materials, internal and client training, current awareness updates including client alerts, as well as connecting business and industry knowledge relating to the Group to client solutions, legal services and broader Firm initiatives.  Participate in meetings with clients to understand their issues and to reflect in tailored content
• Monitor and spot forward-looking Group issues and trends and translate their legal impact to clients and lawyers in a commercial way.  Possess a fundamental understanding of the work performed by the Firm's other practice and industry groups in order to connect their work to the Group and vice versa.  Enhance internal awareness of Group-specific issues and equip lawyers to talk about them irrespective of their practice or industry group
• Client-facing knowledge:  Set the agenda and lead the development of content for the Group's client-facing knowledge and thought leadership campaigns, working with the Group's SC, BD and client teams, in alignment with the Group's strategy. Implement tailored, industry and clients-focused analysis, not just “news."   
• Internal and client training: Devise training plans and menus linked to the Group's business strategy, and to develop a bench of sector-focussed lawyers. Identify opportunities for using different media as well as collaborating with PGs on collaborative industry-related legal training and the Learning and Development team on related skills training.  Link the Group's training programs to broader Firm training initiatives
• Industry-specific precedents and know-how: Working with relevant Practice Group KLs, Group lawyers and Knowledge Services, collate, review, draft, develop and automate specific industry-specific precedents, samples, know-how and other legal content
• Lawyer requests:  Be a sounding board and trusted advisor to lawyers on industry and market trends and industry legal issues, and devise systems for capturing and analyzing lawyer enquiries in order to produce knowhow or intelligence to address gaps
• Policy initiatives and capacity-building:  Work with the Group on policy
  initiatives and lobbying, including offering training and knowledge sharing sessions, responding to consultations and generally maintaining good channels for dialogue with political and governmental individuals and bodies

Service Orientation

• Relationships:  Promote an integrated, "one global team" mind-set among the team and implement and influence the knowledge culture throughout the Group.  Establish and nurture long-term relationships with key decision-makers in the Group and across the Firm and with Group BD and client teams to help achieve results and coach and facilitate the building and establishment of long-term relationships by members of their team.  Ensure that Knowledge work for the Group is recognized and rewarded.  Connect the Group work with the work of Knowledge Lawyers in other practice and industry groups for wider benefit

Work Management

• Strategy, alignment and integration:  Build and implement a comprehensive global Knowledge Plan for the Group.  Align the Group's Knowledge Plan with its business plan, the Firm's Clients and Market strategy, the firmwide Knowledge strategy and the Industry Groups and Clients knowledge strategy.  Create a single joint community among fee-earning lawyers, Knowledge Lawyers and other Knowledge and business professionals within the Group and across countries and regions.  Emphasize and illustrate the cross-practice group nature of the industry and impact of Group knowhow
• Operations and innovation:  Redefine the Group's Knowledge services and best practices and promote them among lawyers in the Group.  Promote an innovative and quality-focused mind-set and challenge the team to consider how to deliver services more effectively and efficiently.   Promote greater use of offshore Service Centers, integrated use of project managers and other technology tools to manage costs and improve efficiency in the Group
• Systems:  Act as an internal champion for Knowledge systems, ensuring the engagement of all lawyers in the Group.  Identify and implement Knowledge system changes (technological and behavioural) needed in order better to deliver legal content

Travel requirements

Some travel will be required

About The Team

Function

The Knowledge function is a Firm-wide team of nearly 300 professionals, including Knowledge Lawyers, Information & Research professionals, and a variety of other functional specialists. The Knowledge function helps the Firm deliver better legal solutions by producing and providing easy access to high-quality, relevant legal information for both lawyers and clients. The focus is on the following areas:

• Content: creating, collecting and providing access to market-leading precedents, sample documents, practice notes, training materials, and other knowhow for our lawyers and clients, reviewing and updating regularly, to ensure that the content is current and market-leading
• Systems: working with the Technology function to design, develop and build user-friendly and flexible platforms to store knowhow and deliver it intuitively to lawyers and clients, adopting common systems across all offices and practice/industry groups
• Culture: striving to establish Knowledge as a core part of every lawyer's role, engaging actively with all lawyers in the Firm and encouraging them to share their know-how and expertise with colleagues as openly as possible; embracing a "one team" culture within the Firm's Knowledge community ensuring that all team members create and develop high-quality local content while being aligned with our global strategy and approach 

This role will report to the Director of Knowledge (Industries and Clients).

Line management responsibility for managing Knowledge Lawyers and Senior Knowledge Lawyers within the Group across the globe, i.e. regardless of country or region.

You must liaise closely with other members of the Professional and Business Services team – especially within the Knowledge function and your Group's BD and Client Teams – to ensure that Knowledge projects and initiatives are carried out consistently with the Firm’s overall business objectives and its Knowledge strategies. 

Technical skills, qualifications and experience

• Law degree
• Current license to practice law (or eligibility for one)
• Extensive post-qualification experience as a practicing lawyer ideally with some involvement in TMT
• Excellent English language skills (verbal and written) and the confidence to communicate in a multi-cultural, multi-level environment
• Journalistic style ability to write engaging sales enablement and client-facing content for lawyers and clients with a commercial focus that drives demand
• Experience working directly with senior counterparts on strategy and execution
• Training development and delivery experience a bonus
• Excellent time management and organizing skills; ability to prioritise and manage time to meet deadlines
• Strong word processing and spreadsheet skills
• Experience in or willingness to learn document automation and other legal technology

Personal qualities

These personal qualities represent the shared characteristics of high performers across Baker McKenzie, regardless of job level and location. 

Know-how

• Demonstrates the ability to identify the real issue, and to anticipate requirements and potential consequences; distills a range of possibilities by thinking in a considered, prudent manner
• Has the capacity to take on new ideas and develop knowledge and think holistically about business and address media, analyst, employee, and client audiences
• Able to move through a variety of tasks requiring different approaches, knowledge, and expertise, with the agility of mind and capacity for analysis and synthesis

Dedication

• Driven by a strong personal sense of integrity and upholds exemplary quality standards 
• Prepares thoroughly, takes responsibility, uses initiative, and is selfreliant to ensure work progresses to the fullest extent possible
• Hardworking and diligent with a keen understanding of client demands
• Demonstrates composure when dealing with difficult situations

Personal Impact

• Uses complex, coordinated influencing/negotiation strategies, adapted to people, organizations, and/or the situation, e.g. networks
• Leverages direct reports to facilitate increased collaboration across the organization
• Builds partnerships based on a common agreement that acknowledges individual differences but creates a new commonality beyond root belief large-scale
• Creates a positive impression at all times; develops relationships through collaboration and reciprocity
• Negotiates to achieve mutually satisfactory outcomes; shows good judgment on when to stand strong and when to compromise
• Invests in, nurtures, and builds a network of productive relationships

Humanity

• Respectful to others, regardless of their position, and earns the respect of others by being transparent
• Has care and concern for others and a genuine interest in others as people
• Treats delicate or confidential issues with discretion

About Baker McKenzie

Complex business challenges require an integrated response across different markets, sectors, and areas of law. Baker McKenzie's client solutions provide seamless advice, underpinned by deep practice and sector expertise, as well as first-rate local market knowledge. Across more than 70 offices globally, Baker McKenzie works alongside our clients to deliver solutions for a connected world.

We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion for all. Our unique international culture is reflected in the drawing together of a worldwide family of individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds in all of our offices. We encourage the best people -- regardless of race, religion, or belief if any, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, or age -- to fulfill their professional aspirations with us.