Legal Practice Support & Operations Specialist
Tampa | St. Petersburg | Clearwater, FL Administration
Job Type
Full-time
Description

Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, LLP is seeking an experienced full-time Legal Practice Support & Operations Specialist to join its team. The candidate must have a minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience as a legal assistant, senior legal assistant, paralegal, or similar legal support position.


Why Join Johnson Pope?


At Johnson Pope, we pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and professional environment where your skills are valued, and your contributions make a difference. As one of Florida’s leading regional law firms, we offer our team members the opportunity to work alongside some of the most respected attorneys in the state, in a firm that supports a strong team environment and actively builds community within the organization.


Position Overview

  

The Legal Practice Support & Operations Specialist will play a firmwide role in strengthening how legal support staff are trained, onboarded, and equipped to perform at the highest level. Working across the firm's practice groups — including Litigation, Real Estate, Corporate, Trusts & Estates, Healthcare, Employment, and Bankruptcy — this individual will develop structured training programs, maintain up-to-date knowledge resources, and drive process improvements that support consistent, high-quality legal support services. The role requires broad familiarity with law firm operations, strong project management skills, and the ability to work independently while collaborating across departments.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate onboarding and training for all legal assistants and paralegals across the firm's practice groups, including structured onboarding plans tailored to each practice area.
  • Conduct 30-, 60-, and 90-day follow-up meetings with new legal support employees, identifying training gaps and recommending improvements.
  • Coordinate continuing education and refresher training for legal support staff.
  • Develop and maintain written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), workflow guides, checklists, and instructional videos or practice guides.
  • Partner with attorneys and experienced legal support professionals to document best practices and maintain a centralized knowledge library.
  • Ensure training materials remain current as procedures, technology, and court requirements evolve.
  • Coordinate conflict check workflows and assist with matter intake and matter opening procedures.
  • Monitor engagement letter workflow and follow up on outstanding documentation.
  • Serve as a resource on legal support workflows and administrative procedures.
  • Evaluate legal support workflows, recommend process improvements, and standardize procedures across offices and practice groups where appropriate.
  • Identify opportunities to leverage technology, automation, and artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, and participate in the implementation and testing of new legal technologies.
  • Develop cross-training initiatives to improve operational flexibility and business continuity.
  • Coordinate subject matter experts to help build practice-specific training and promote consistency in legal support practices firmwide.
  • Serve as a liaison between Human Resources, Accounting, Information Technology, Marketing, attorneys, and legal support staff.
  • Participate in firmwide administrative initiatives and special projects designed to improve legal support services and client experience.


Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

  • Broad understanding of law firm operations across multiple practice areas.
  • Demonstrated experience training, mentoring, or onboarding legal support staff.
  • Strong organizational and project management skills.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • High level of discretion and professionalism.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently under deadline pressure.
  • Familiarity with legal technology, document management systems, billing systems, and workflow automation is a plus.
  • Interest in process improvement and knowledge management.

Educational/Job Experience Requirements:

  • High school diploma from an accredited institution; Bachelor's degree preferred.
  • A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience as a legal assistant, senior legal assistant, paralegal, or similar legal support position.
  • Experience supporting multiple practice areas preferred.
  • Experience developing training programs, instructional materials, or knowledge management resources preferred.
  • Experience with conflict checking and matter intake procedures preferred.

Office Location:  Tampa | St. Petersburg | Clearwater, FL 


Note: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as required to meet the ongoing needs of the Firm.


Equal Opportunity Employment:

Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, LLP is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and do not discriminate on the basis of an applicant’s or employee’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, citizenship, ancestry, pregnancy, familial status, actual or perceived status as a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, or any other legally protected status entitled to protection under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws, including applicable laws in Florida. We also provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).