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WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY?
The Team Lead of External Counsel Management will oversee RBC's global external counsel management program and drive operational excellence across all aspects of law firm engagement.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
- Financial Governance
- Establish and maintain financial governance frameworks for global law firm spend, including rate structures, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) and cost saving initiatives.
- Oversee programmatic invoice review, approval processes, and spend analytics to ensure accuracy, compliance, and value realization.
- Partner with Finance and Procurement to support forecasting, reporting, and cost‑containment initiatives.
- Drive continuous improvement in pricing discipline and value‑based engagement models.
- Relationship Management
- Serve as the operational owner of the bank's global law firm relationships, supporting relationship strategy in partnership with Legal leadership.
- Lead performance management programs, including scorecards, KPIs, and periodic reviews.
- Support law firm panel selection, onboarding, and offboarding processes.
- Act as a point of escalation for operational issues involving external counsel.
- Documentation & Standards
- Own and maintain standard documentation governing external counsel engagements, including external counsel manual, engagement letter templates, and billing protocols.
- Ensure documentation is consistently applied, current, and aligned with regulatory, legal, and operational requirements.
- Risk Management
- Oversee risk controls related to law firm engagement, including conflicts, confidentiality, data security, and regulatory compliance.
- Partner with Third‑Party Risk Management teams to support due diligence, audits, and ongoing monitoring.
- Identify and mitigate operational and reputational risks associated with external counsel management globally.
- Leadership & Program Management
- Lead, coach,
and develop a team of external counsel management professionals.
- Drive cross‑functional initiatives that improve scalability, consistency, and transparency across the external counsel lifecycle.
- Leverage legal technology and data to enhance reporting, controls, and decision‑making.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SUCCEED?
- Must have:
- Bachelor's degree in any field
- 8+ years of experience in legal operations, external counsel management, procurement, or a related field
- Demonstrated experience managing law firm relationships and legal spend at scale
- Strong understanding of financial governance and third‑party oversight
- Proven people leadership experience, including building and developing teams
- Strong stakeholder management, communication, and negotiation skills
- Nice‑to‑have:
- LLB, MBA, JD or equivalent advanced degree
- Experience within a financial institution or other highly regulated environment
- Experience with global or multi‑jurisdictional law firm programs
- Robust understanding of risk management practices
- Experience with legal spend management and matter management technologies (e.g., e‑billing platforms, legal project management tools)
- Familiarity with alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) and pricing models in legal services
What’s in it for you?
- A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation, commissions, and stock where applicable
- Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities
- Ability to make a difference and lasting impact
- Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high‑performing team
- A world‑class training program in financial services
- Flexible work/life balance options
- Opportunities to do challenging work
Job Skills
- Coaching Others
- Communication
- Decision Making
- Detail‑Oriented
- Group Problem Solving
- Long Term Planning
- Organizational Change Management
- Results‑Oriented
- Technical Troubleshooting
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Apply on Kit Job: kitjob.ca/job/2fs4z9
📌 Senior Manager & Team Lead, External Counsel Management (Toronto)
🏢 RBC
📍 Toronto