Kimberly Barrett

About Kimberly Barrett

I am a senior Big Law operator specializing in scaling complex legal organizations, enabling firm leadership, and translating strategy into execution. As Director of Legal Operations at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, I lead a global, multi-office team of 130+ professionals and manage a $6.3M annual budget supporting approximately $139M in gross revenue.My career spans more than two decades at elite Am Law firms, where I have partnered with Managing Partners, practice leadership, Finance, IT, HR, and Knowledge Management to design operating models that support growth, efficiency, and risk management. I have led enterprise-level restructures, consolidated legacy functions into unified service models, implemented KPIs and performance frameworks, and introduced technology solutions that reduced turnaround times by over 30%.I am particularly effective in roles requiring trust, discretion, and execution—building leadership pipelines, improving retention, stabilizing high-growth teams, and ensuring continuity during change. I bring a Chief of Staff / COO mindset to every role: clear priorities, disciplined execution, and alignment between people, operations, and firm strategy.

Experience

1. Director of Legal Operations

   Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

   Apr 2024 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Global leadership of a 130+ person Legal Operations organization across multiple offices, overseeing four core operational functions and a $6.3M annual budget supporting ~$139M in revenue.* Act as a strategic partner to firm leadership on resource planning, operational strategy, and execution* Design and implement scalable operating models aligned with firmwide objectives* Lead performance management and leadership development for global teams* Drive efficiency, utilization, and service delivery through metrics, technology adoption, and workflow optimization* Build and sustain high-performing teams with strong advancement and retention outcomes

Education

• Berkeley College

  AAS, Paralegal Studies

  1996 — 1997

• The George Washington University

  MS, Paralegal Studies

  2009 — 2011

• Montclair State University

  B.S., Justice Studies

  1998 — 2009

• Pepperdine Graziadio Business School

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, Business Administration and Management, General

  2018 — 2019

Skills

• Lexis
• Westlaw
• Legal Documents
• Product Liability
• Paralegals
• Corporate Governance
• Casemap
• Trials
• Legal Assistance
• Notary Public
• Livenote
• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation Support
• Courts
• Class Actions
• Document Review
• Relativity
• Depositions
• Legal Research
• Legal Writing
• Litigation
• Civil Litigation