Miami - Outside Counsel Guidelines Attorney

The Outside Counsel Guidelines Attorney will serve as a senior legal and risk-management resource with the Office of General Counsel/Conflicts Department, supporting Winston Taylor's review, negotiation, governance, and implementation of outside counsel guidelines, non-standard engagement terms, client retention agreements, onboarding requirements, RFP terms, panel terms, and related client-tendered agreements. The role supports a transatlantic firm where client terms may affect conflicts, professional responsibility, pricing, billing, information security, privacy, records, AI and legal technology, audit rights, work product, and firmwide client strategy.

The attorney will coordinate closely with relationship partners, Conflicts, New Business Intake, Pricing, Billing, Collections, Records, Information Security, Legal Technology/Privacy, Business Development, and the U.K./international risk function to identify legal, ethical, operational, and commercial issues; develop clear recommendations; prepare client-facing responses; preserve accepted firm protections; and support consistent documentation of approved terms and exceptions.

Position responsibilities

• Review and negotiate outside counsel guidelines, other client-drafted engagement letters, panel terms, and RFP terms; lead responses to client diligence, compliance questionnaires, and other client requests requiring coordination with multiple stakeholders.
• Act as a coordinator for the OCG review workflow: triage submissions, identify required stakeholders, circulate materials to appropriate internal reviewers, consolidate comments, resolve conflicting feedback, and prepare partner-ready summaries and recommended negotiation positions.
• Draft and revise client-facing responses, addenda, exception letters, markups, and explanatory comments ensuring that communications are practical, precise, and aligned with Winston Taylor's approved positions.
• Advise relationship partners, client teams, RFP teams, and business professionals on the practical effect of proposed client terms, approved positions, and emerging risks.
• Support negotiation strategy with clients, including explaining Winston Taylor's standard positions and proposing acceptable fallback language.
• Partner with Conflicts in new business intake to ensure engagement letters, terms, conflict waivers, client notes, and matter-opening conditions are aligned with OCGs.
• Support harmonization of the U.S. and U.K./international OCG review process.
• Maintain accurate records of negotiated positions, approved exceptions, client terms, communications, and implementation notes in designated firm repositories.
• Develop, maintain, and update OCG playbooks, standard positions, approved fallback language, issue-spotting checklists, escalation protocols, and training materials.
• Monitor recurring OCG issues and market trends and recommend process or policy improvements.
• Provide periodic reporting on OCG volume, turnaround issues, recurring negotiation points, process risks, and recommend practical improvements to reduce delay, duplication, and inconsistent outcomes.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the Office of General Counsel and client new business intake risk-management functions.
• Provide response support for time-sensitive matters outside regular business hours when necessary.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to responsive, high-quality client service.

Experience, skills, and qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction required.
• At least three years of experience reviewing, drafting, negotiating, or advising on client engagement terms, outside counsel guidelines, professional responsibility issues, conflicts, risk management, commercial contracts, or comparable legal operations matters in a law firm, corporate legal department, or professional services environment required.
• This role may be hybrid or fully remote. Must reside within a commutable distance to the firm's office either way.

Desirable Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to identify legal, ethical, operational, and commercial risk in complex client-drafted terms and translate those issues into clear recommendations.
• Strong contract drafting, redlining, negotiation, written communication, and issue-spotting skills.
• Ability to work with partners, attorneys, business professionals, and client-facing teams at all levels while maintaining discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment.
• High attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple time-sensitive reviews simultaneously.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, working knowledge of AI-enabled tools, and demonstrated ability to learn, adopt, and help operationalize new applications, platforms, and workflow technologies.
• Experience in an Am Law 100 global law firm, or similarly complex professional services environment.
• Familiarity with conflicts rules, professional responsibility principles, engagement letters, identity-of-client provisions, advance waivers, and common OCG negotiation issues.
• Experience with Intapp Open/New Business Intake, Intapp Terms, iManage, or other client-terms repositories or conflicts and intake systems.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional legal or risk reviews across U.S., U.K., European, or other international stakeholders.

Competencies

• Practical legal judgment and risk calibration.
• Clear, concise, partner-ready communication.
• Process ownership and follow-through.
• Collaborative influence across functions and jurisdictions.
• Client-service orientation.
• Confidentiality, discretion, and professionalism.