Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP is seeking a Legal Engineer – Litigation to join our team. The Legal Engineer – Litigation is the primary bridge between the firm's Litigation practice and its technology, AI, and automation capability. Embedded with the practice group, the Legal Engineer identifies opportunities to improve legal work through better tools and workflows, translates those needs into requirements for the AI Labs team, validates solutions against practice realities, and drives attorney adoption.
This attorney-facing role sits within the Practice Intelligence department. The Legal Engineer works closely with litigators and litigation support professionals and develops deep familiarity with e-discovery and litigation support platforms, docket monitoring and case analytics tools, deposition and transcript technology, trial presentation systems, legal research resources, court rules, and e-filing resources. The Legal Engineer also helps attorneys translate firm capability into client-facing value and supports the department's legal research function as needed.
Practice Intelligence is a new department. The Legal Engineer should expect an evolving scope, significant autonomy, and the opportunity to shape the role and the department's service model.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Practice Group Engagement and Needs Identification
- Embed with the Litigation practice group across all offices; attend practice group meetings and build working relationships with partners, associates, and litigation support staff
- Observe litigation workflows to identify tasks suitable for automation or improved tooling and maintain awareness of case-driven demand cycles and anticipate technology needs in advance
Requirements Development and AI Labs Liaison
- Serve as the primary point of contact between the Litigation practice group and the firm's AI Labs team, translating attorney needs into first-draft functional requirements; partner with the department Practice Systems Analyst to finalize specifications for AI Labs
- Participate in solution design review, user acceptance testing, and validation of delivered tools against real practice workflows, advocating for practice group prioritization when necessary
Training, Adoption, and Enablement
- Deliver training on approved practice-specific applications and platforms, in partnership with Practice Technology and Adoption department
- Run adoption campaigns, office hours, and targeted one-on-one support following practice-specific tool deployment
- Develop and maintain practice-specific reference materials, workflow guides, self-service resources, and serve as the first line of support for practice technology questions within the assigned practice group
Client-Facing Support
- Support attorneys in client relationships by demonstrating firm technology capability, participating in client-facing conversations and demonstrations alongside the relationship attorney
- Deliver client-facing training on firm tools, portals, and collaboration platforms where appropriate
Legal Research Support (As Needed)
- Perform case law, statutory, and regulatory research, docket research, and jurisdiction-specific procedural research in support of litigation matters as needed
- Assist the legal research function with overflow, surge, and deadline-driven requests as assigned by the Director; research volume will vary based on department demand
Solution Configuration and Self-Service Build
- Configure and maintain practice-specific workflows, forms, and automations within the department's build scope including Power Automate workflows and SharePoint self-service resources
- Escalate build requests exceeding departmental scope or complexity thresholds to AI Labs through established intake channels
Measurement, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement
- Track and report adoption, utilization, and satisfaction metrics for tools deployed within the assigned practice group, and gather structured attorney feedback to rout into the requirements and prioritization process
- Contribute to departmental reporting on capability delivered and capacity created
REQUIREMENTS:
- Demonstrated ability to translate the needs of legal professionals into clear, actionable technology requirements
- Strong interpersonal and consultative skills, with credibility among attorneys and the ability to build trust across a distributed, multi-office practice group
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences and legal concepts to technical audiences
- Proficiency with the Microsoft 365 suite; working familiarity with workflow and automation tools such as Power Automate and ServiceNow
- Working knowledge of legal research platforms and generative AI tools used in legal practice, and of the professional responsibility obligations governing their use, including verification and citation integrity
- Working knowledge of litigation practice workflows, court procedure, and filing requirements
- Familiarity with e-discovery process and terminology, including the EDRM framework
- Ability and willingness to perform legal research in support of the litigation practice group and department's legal research function as needed
- Ability to manage competing priorities across multiple offices and time zones, and to work independently in a newly formed department
- Sound judgment in handling confidential and privileged client and matter information
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor's degree required. Juris Doctor (JD) preferred.
- Minimum of five (5) years of experience in a law firm, legal department, or legal services environment.
- Experience in a litigation support, e-discovery, or litigation practice environment is strongly preferred.
- Prior experience in legal technology, knowledge management, practice innovation, legal research, litigation practice, or practice support required.
- Experience supporting generative AI tools in a professional services environment preferred.
This position is subject to export control laws.
COMPENSATION: The national average salary range for this role is $89,500 - $111,500. Starting salary will be determined based on location, qualifications and experience.
BENEFITS: Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, Life insurance, Disability Insurance, Paid Parental Leave, 401(k) Plan, Paid Days Off/Vacation, Firm Paid Holidays.
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP will consider all qualified applicants for employment, including those with arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Los Angeles County applicants: Material job duties for this position are listed above. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to firm policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, and safeguard business operations.