Nicole Bergknoff

Head of Legal Operations @Raymond James

Perform comprehensive database, systems and operational management for a 100+ associate legal department. • Lead a 4-person team to achieve operational excellence. • Responsible for key performance and statistical reporting to senior management. • Prepare budgets, financial reports and manage legal billing (internal and external). • Track spending, research variances and identify spending trends and efficiencies. • Manage department business continuity planning and impact analysis documentation and procedures. • Develop metrics and dashboard reporting to quantify and compare performance and productivity. • Lead efforts to modernize department processes, workflows and reporting. • Serve as the Business Unit Risk Manager (BURM) for the department and facilitate entry and review of issues both self and no self-identified on behalf of the business. Perform validation procedures to verify remediation aligns with the business’s actin plan(s). • Administrator of Legal Matter Management System, including developing customized fields for practice groups and capturing required data points, and creating templates, processes and procedures. • Reduced outside counsel spend by 10% during fiscal year 2019 by enhancing invoice review workflow, billing guidelines and negotiating better fee arrangements. • Spearheaded implementation of a legal spend management system thereby improving efficiencies, costs savings and enhancing reporting and visibility into performance of outside counsel firms. • Restructured the department shared drive and SharePoint sites for optimal efficiency and to be in compliance with firm retention policies. • Successfully managed 70+ associate office build out with the corporate real estate project manager while keeping within budget and on schedule.