Legal Operations Specialist - Morristown, NJ

At Valley Bank, we believe in people's growth potential. We invest in it. We protect it. We focus it. For nearly 100 years, we've been the Bank that clients from every industry turn to for our expertise, strategies, and advice--building the kind of trust that can fuel every goal. We are the leading relationship bank built for growth--with over $60 billion in assets, 3,800 experts, and more than 200 consumer branches and commercial banking offices in communities across the US.

At Valley, we're all driven by an ambition that goes deeper than just having a job. That's why when you work for us, we make it our goal to help you focus on what drives you--working to turn your passions and strengths into assets you can use to propel your ambitions and build the professional legacy you want. Because when we say we're a relationship bank built for growth, that's not just reserved for our clients--that includes all our associates as well.

The Legal Operations Specialist will oversee the design, implementation, and management of legal department processes, policies, and technology, while serving as a liaison between law firms, internal partners, and third-party vendors.

• Manage list of Panel and approved law firm relationships with Valley. Serve as a key liaison between law firms, internal stakeholders, and third-party vendors.
• Act as subject matter expert for Valley's current e-billing system (LegalTracker). Updating information in our matter management system (Legal Tracker) and various excel spreadsheets to reflect the status of each case and project.
• Oversee all phases of the EDRM (Electronic Discovery Reference Model), including identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, and production of electronically stored information (ESI).
• Monitor the budget by creating dashboards and reports on outside counsel/third-party vendor spend; working with Finance and stakeholders to ensure accurate budget controls.
  Prepare status reports monthly or as needed, pertaining to outside counsel/vendor expenses; analyze actual and projected costs vs. budgeted amounts, including breakdown of costs by applicable categories.
• Develop and manage department processes, policies, procedures, and tools.
  Develop and implement best practices, workflows, and quality control protocols to ensure defensibility and efficiency.
• Manage and maintain sensitive documents with a high level of discretion.
• Act as a strategic and trusted partner in the legal team and across business functions.
• Provide notary services as needed.

• Experience in paralegal and/or legal operations roles, preferably in the banking, wealth management, or finance sectors.
• Experience in e-Discovery platforms.
• Proven ability to design and implement legal department processes and legal technology systems.
• Experience in managing and coordinating law firm relationships.
• Strong knowledge of corporate governance, contracts, and legal processes.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite, legal research platforms (e.g., Westlaw, LexisNexis), and contract management tools.
• Familiarity with legal spend analytics and financial reporting tools.

• High School diploma
• Minimum of 5 years experience working in public company reporting environment, legal compliance, and cross-functional legal support in an in-house legal department at a bank. Will consider experience with banking matters at a medium to large law firm with banking clients and/or in-house legal department in other industries.

• Bachelor's degree

We provide a comprehensive and competitive total rewards package including base salary determined by factors such as the role, relevant experience, skill set, and geographical location. Eligible positions may also be eligible to receive commission-based compensation and/or discretionary incentive compensation, which may be awarded as cash or forfeitable equity, recognizing individual performance and contributions.

In addition to financial compensation, we offer a robust suite of benefits tailored to meet diverse employee needs based on eligibility criteria. These include comprehensive health care and insurance plans, retirement savings options, tuition and adoption reimbursement programs, paid time off, mental health support, and other valuable benefits programs. Further details regarding total compensation and benefits will be shared during the hiring process.