Legal Operations Manager Jobs in Illinois

Are you looking to make an impactful difference in your work, yourself, and your community? Why settle for just a job when you can land a career? At ICW Group, we are hiring team members who are ready to use their skills, curiosity, and drive to be part of our journey as we strive to transform the insurance carrier space. We're proud to be in business for over 50 years, and its change agents like yourself that will help us continue to deliver our mission to create the best insurance experience possible.

Headquartered in San Diego with regional offices located throughout the United States, ICW Group has been named for the twelfth consecutive year in a row and for the 20th time overall as a Top 50 performing P&C organization offering the stability of a large, profitable and growing company combined with a focus on all things people. It's our team members who make us an employer of choice and the vibrant company we are today. We strive to make both our internal and external communities better everyday! Learn more about why you want to be here!

The Legal Operations & Analytics Manager is responsible for the strategic management of ICW Group's outside (panel) counsel network across all lines of business. This role monitors the annual defense spend on Workers' Compensation, General Liability, Auto Liability, Coverage, and Bad Faith litigation. This position oversees the outside counsel panel, manages a data-driven performance framework to monitor law firm effectiveness and outcomes, governs e-billing and invoice compliance, and identifies opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence and legal technology to improve claim outcomes, enhance operational efficiency, and optimize litigation spend while maintaining defense quality.

Outside Counsel Panel Management & Governance

• Provides strategic oversight of ICW Group’s outside counsel panel across insurance offerings encompassing Workers' Compensation, General Liability, Auto Liability, Coverage, and Bad Faith, including panel selection standards, performance expectations, tiering, geographic coverage and specialty expertise.
• Leads the Request for Proposal (RFP) process as well as firm onboarding/offboarding. Negotiates rates including alternative fee arrangements (flat fee, blended rate, success-based structures) where appropriate based on claim severity and complexity.
• Serves as the primary relationship owner for panel firms, balancing cost discipline with the need to maintain strong defense relationships and good litigation quality.

Legal Spend & Budget Management

• Manages the Workers' Compensation defense budget and builds out comparable spend visibility and budget ownership for GL, Auto, Coverage, and Bad Faith as programs are onboarded.
• Partners with Finance / Claims leadership for quarterly and annual forecasting of outside counsel spend by line of business and severity band.
• Identifies and executes cost-reduction opportunities without compromising claim outcomes.

Performance Analytics & Objective Scorecards

• Leads the design, administration, and ongoing refinement of ICW Group's Defense Attorney Scorecard, leveraging objective, weighted KPIs to assess law firm performance, outcomes, efficiency, and cost effectiveness across severity bands.
• Translates law firm performance results into actionable panel management recommendations, including counsel assignment, referral, and In-House Counsel utilization strategies.
• Partners with Data Science and Analytics to enhance performance measurement frameworks, validating and incorporating emerging indicators of legal outcomes, efficiency, service quality, and litigation effectiveness.
• Delivers executive-level reporting and trend analyses on law firm performance, litigation spend, and panel effectiveness, providing strategic insights to Claims leadership and key stakeholders.

Billing Governance, E-Billing & Compliance

• Establishes and oversees outside counsel billing policies and standards, promoting cost discipline, transparency, and compliance across all lines of business.
• Conducts billing analytics and invoice audits to identify cost-saving opportunities, improve billing efficiency, and ensure legal services are aligned with agreed-upon engagement standards.
• Manages the e-billing program, ensuring efficient invoice processing, effective controls, and clear communication of billing requirements to both internal stakeholders and outside counsel.

AI & Legal Technology Enablement

• Partners with Claim Strategy & Operations and IT to assess, pilot, and deploy AI-driven solutions that improve legal operations, spend management, and litigation efficiency.
• Establishes the strategic roadmap for AI adoption within legal operations, prioritizing opportunities to streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and improve organizational outcomes.
• Evaluates outside counsel adoption of AI and related legal technologies, incorporating their impact on efficiency, value, and pricing into panel management and engagement strategies.

Coverage & Bad Faith Program Build-Out

• Develops the governance and vendor management framework required to extend ICW Group’s data-driven legal operations model to Coverage and Bad Faith litigation.
• Works closely with stakeholders to manage counsel selection, bad faith escalation protocols, and performance monitoring tailed to the unique risk profile of these matters.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Reporting

• Acts as a strategic connector across Claims, Legal, Finance, and Analytics functions, facilitating data-driven decisions related to outside counsel performance, legal operations, and spend management.
• Produces and delivers executive-quality analytics, scorecards, dashboards, and presentation materials that communicate litigation performance, legal spend, and key business trends.
• Evaluates evolving litigation trends and market developments across Workers' Compensation, General Liability, Auto Liability, Coverage, and Bad Faith matters, incorporating insights into panel oversight and long-term legal operations strategy.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This role does not have supervisory responsibilities.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required (or equivalent combination of education and experience). J.D., paralegal certification, or equivalent legal operations credential preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in legal operations, outside counsel management, or claims litigation management, preferably within a P&C or workers' compensation insurance carrier.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

None required.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Strong computer skills with MS Office including advanced Excel required; experience with BI/data tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) preferred.
• Experience with e-billing and legal spend management platforms and a demonstrated interest in applying AI/legal technology to operational workflows.

Additional Preferred Skills

• Prior experience building or administering a multi-line-of-business outside counsel scorecard or panel program.
• Experience piloting or implementing AI-enabled legal or claims technology.
• Insurance industry experience across multiple lines of business (WC, GL, Auto, Coverage).

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Office environment – no specific or unusual physical or environmental demands and employees are regularly required to sit, walk, stand, talk, and hear.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position operates in an office environment and requires the frequent use of a computer, telephone, copier, and other standard office equipment.

We are currently not offering employment sponsorship for this opportunity

#LI-ET1 #LI-Hybrid

The current range for this position is

$137,617.39 - $232,082.34

This range is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses. If hired at ICW Group, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors unique to each candidate, including experience, education and the location of the role and considers employees performing substantially similar work.

WHY JOIN ICW GROUP?

• Challenging work and the ability to make a difference
• You will have a voice and feel a sense of belonging
• We offer a competitive benefits package, with generous medical, dental, and vision plans as well as 401K retirement plans and company match
• Bonus potential for all positions
• Paid Time Off
• Paid holidays throughout the calendar year
• Want to continue learning? We’ll support you 100%

ICW Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. ICW Group will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

At ICW Group we offer a work environment that encourages entrepreneurialism and celebrates success. Our team members are hands-on contributors who are given the opportunity to make an impact. It's our people who make us an employer of choice and the vibrant company we are today.

Job Category: Shared Services

Job Type: Full time

Req ID: JR101753