Business and Legal Operations Trainee Programme

Our Business and Legal Operations Trainee Programme, is a pivotal component in the future of our driven, dynamic and award-winning team. No two days are the same in the legal operations function, and this comprehensive programme is aimed to helping you understand and navigate the legal environment, the requirements of the role and how we develop solutions.

The training programme is designed to take place over two years and will help you develop robust skills across a number of disciplines, such as project management, finance, legal tech and many more. You will gain the opportunity to work with some of the world’s best lawyers and market leading professional services individuals.

About CMS

CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 70 offices in over 40 countries and 5,000+ lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients, our people, and the communities we work in.

We take a bold, dynamic, and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by technology and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working.  Our aim is to inspire, impact and support our clients and our people, helping them to maximize their potential and thrive.

The Programme

The Business and Legal Operations Trainee Programme is the first step for you in understanding the business of law and specifically the drivers, requirements, and benefits of the legal operations function. It has been designed by a consortium of operations professionals and subject matter experts from each area to provide a comprehensive induction.

In conjunction with your training, you will be exposed to on-the-job learning and opportunities to gain practical experience across these key areas. We will provide mentoring opportunities and you will have access to several learning and development courses to help further your development. You will be part of an award-winning strategic team who are passionate about delivering results and solving business problems.

Please note that the programme does not lead to a legal qualification.
 
Areas of Focus 

Legal Project Management
Utilising project management disciplines to implement best practice in how we scope, manage, and deliver our work.
The seat covers:
– the project management framework and tools available.
– how to map and manage stakeholders, including behavioural considerations, to improve service delivery.
–how to work with clients, lawyers, and business support teams to improve transparency, accountability, and service delivery.

Finance & Pricing
Partnering with key stakeholders in the organisation to support strategic and commercial decisions to promote both efficiencies and profitability within the organisation.
The seat covers:
– The importance of data collection, analysis, and reporting.
–How effective reporting supports the flow of information and managed client relationships.
–The impact and requirements of different pricing models and the delivery approach.

Business Intelligence
Working with business services teams to understand and improve processes to streamline our business.
This seat covers:
– Identification of problems in an existing process and where inefficiencies exist.
– Working with project teams to support implementation efforts of new processes and technology.
– Collecting data and analysing trends. Tracking and reporting against metrics.

Legal Technology
Understanding the role of technology and process in supporting lawyers and clients to solve problems in how work is done.
The seat covers:
–The market, purpose and use cases of the technology tools.
- The specific needs of lawyers and support for implementation of technology solutions.
– How to measure and quantify benefits of using technology to the firm.

About You

We are looking for passionate, hard-working, and ambitious individuals that understand the importance of delivering results without compromising quality. We understand that technical and personal skills are important to building a successful team and delivering results. 
We want candidates to be able to demonstrate the following skills and attributes:
– Degree of any discipline (preferably legal, business and management disciplines)
– Ability to demonstrate commercial awareness
– Basic understanding of project management
– Basic financial acumen
– Awareness of the importance of data in business
– Awareness of the market, technologies, and basic law firm dynamics
– Excellent written and verbal communication skills
– Comfortable with ‘unknowns’ and stepping out of their comfort zone
– Strong ability to build credible relationships at all levels
– Ability to follow instructions and work collaboratively
– Willingness to accept responsibility and demonstrate initiative
– Strong attention to detail
– Be a self- starter and demonstrate a solution orientated mindset
– Willingness to share ideas and contribute in a personable manner
– Strong MS Office skills (Excel, Word and PowerPoint)
 
Application Process
 
Online application form
An opportunity for us to start to get to know you, your educational background, work experience and interests and why you are interested in a career with CMS.
Video interview
A short 20-minute interview where you will answer a series of questions.
Assessment day
Consists of a case-study, competency-based interview, a group exercise and an opportunity to meet other people from around the firm and learn more about CMS.

Equal Opportunities

At CMS, a next-generation mindset is woven into all we do. We're diverse, supportive and inclusive, embracing our corporate social responsibility and creating a culture of sustainability in which every one of our people, whatever their background, can maximise their potential and thrive. For further information about CMS' diversity initiatives and programmes, please view the Diversity & Inclusion pages on our website.

Please apply online or contact a member of the Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. For information regarding our competitive range of benefits please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Please note that CMS have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

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