Conflicts Attorney

WilmerHale is a leading, full-service international law firm with 1,000 lawyers located throughout 12 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Our lawyers work at the intersection of government, technology and business, and we remain committed to our guiding principles of providing quality, excellent legal and client services; developing diversity among our lawyers and staff and cultivating an environment that promotes an ambitious spirit, collaboration and collegiality by drawing on the extraordinary talents and dynamic experience of our lawyers. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our clients and the communities in which we practice.

What You Will Be Doing

Responsible for providing contextual analysis and critical assessment of new business intake (and other) matters with specific conflicts clearance responsibilities; providing direction, professional development, training, and review of work product of conflicts team. 

The Conflicts Attorney’s responsibilities also include providing guidance and implementing department administrative objectives as needed, overseeing and serving as a department and Firm resource for Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), lateral conflicts checks, and ethical screens; and actively participate in decision making in connection with conflicts resolution, business clearance and related ethics matters.

About This Role

• Provide contextual analysis and critical assessment of new business intake reports, lateral hire conflicts checks, RFPs, OCGs, and other conflicts materials, together with corresponding conflicts database hits, for completeness, accuracy, and adherence to firm procedures; refine or supplement packages as needed. Support department’s intake of and response to OCGs. Draft, provide or finalize accurate and deadline-driven responses in conjunction with other stakeholders and subject matter experts; work with attorneys to negotiate specific terms as needed; ensure accurate records and tracking system are maintained, and provide updates on developments that could affect department or Firm and make recommendations regarding OCG work procedures or specific situations.
• The Conflicts Attorney guides the Conflicts Teams’ responses or directly handles the responses to the more complex requests.  The Conflicts Attorney provides ongoing feedback and professional development in furtherance of the Conflicts Team gaining the expertise to handle certain categories of Info Searches (identified by the Deputy General Counsel) independently (and with timely periodic reviews by Conflicts Attorneys).
• Communicate and disseminate conflicts of interest information verbally or in writing to the Business Intake Approval Committee (BIAC); communicate with all levels of firm personnel on a variety of conflicts of interest issues and procedures.  Monitor, evaluate, and effectively manage clearance e-mail dialogue for the BIAC as needed. Provide concise, timely, and accurate communication of clearance-related issues to appropriate parties as needed.
• Oversee department’s administration of ethical screens, maintaining familiarity with the disqualification rules (and the differences in which the rules apply to lawyers and non-lawyers) for multiple jurisdictions. This includes review of the client consent or waiver letter and matter clearance documents, assessment of the screening requirements, and related follow ups needed to supplement the file with any other information needed to implement the (usually time sensitive) screen. Ensure that the screening records are complete and include all the data elements critical for accurate reporting. The Conflicts Attorney is also responsible for all research in connection with screen-specific conflicts questions, report requests, and implementation or removal projects. Oversee department’s responses to time sensitive attorney requests for specific or non-standard conflicts waiver and engagement letter language as needed.  Use independent judgment to determine whether response requires additional review.  Accurately memorialize consents and restrictions and disseminate updates as needed.
• Able to manage department’s lateral conflicts check process; this includes substantive and material involvement in the tracking of incoming lateral checks, ensuring successful inter- and intra-department deliverables through approaches that address both micro and macro level elements of the department's workflow, workload, and other competing demands.  Managing the process also includes serving as a resource for all assigned conflicts staff upon receipt and review of each lateral form.
• Oversee research provided for RFP process; this includes serving as a resource for Conflicts Staff upon receipt and review of the RFP, directing the focus and search and refining or supplementing packages as needed prior to review; and ensuring up-to-date tracking mechanisms for status of searches and timely delivery of deadline-driven responses. May draft, finalize or provide accurate responses to attorneys and Client Development and others as needed.
• Monitor new business and conflicts trends, remaining current with respect to both individual practice areas and the Firm as a whole.
• Supervise weekend and holiday coverage on a rotating basis. Responsibilities include advising Conflicts Staff on any intake-related questions or concerns Utilize clear, effective, and direct communications to collaborate with other Conflicts Staff to plan and carry out all projects. This includes timely establishment and communication of related changes, developments, and contingency plans to department management and staff.
• As a subject matter expert, provide ongoing review of Conflicts Team’s work product. Provide formal (subject matter and work product-specific) feedback as requested for inclusion in performance evaluations.  
• Independently identify research needs, effectively utilizing third-party business resources as relevant to the situation or topic. Plan library or electronic research, pacer, IP database, conflicts database, wall builder database, adobe acrobat, or other conflicts-specific or electronic workflow-specific training for teams as needed. Participate in the hiring process for Conflicts Team including evaluating potential candidates, resumes, interviewing; and providing recommendations.
• Assists with proactively supporting client service by actively participating in the firm's service excellence programs.   Ensures that staff members are providing quality service to internal members/departments of the firm as well as external clients and vendors by displaying professionalism via electronic and print correspondence, over the telephone and in-person and by encouraging an atmosphere that rewards a "can do" attitude.
• Manage special projects and perform other duties as assigned.