Director of Research and Intelligence

At Fried Frank, we’re a community of 800 lawyers and 500 business services professionals across New York, Washington, DC, London, Frankfurt, and Brussels. We advise leading corporations, investment funds, and financial institutions on high-stakes M&A, securities, regulatory matters, real estate, and litigation. Our culture is grounded in our core values — excellence, integrity and collaboration — and is designed to foster continuous learning, meaningful mentorship, and lasting professional growth. We are firmly committed to pro bono service and social justice, building on a proud legacy in civil rights. Our inclusive talent strategy is a core part of our broader talent management efforts and we remain steadfast in fostering a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to grow, thrive, and become their best professional and personal selves. Our business services professionals are integral to the firm’s success, driving innovation, operational excellence and exceptional client service across all areas of the firm. We offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, including comprehensive medical coverage, retirement plans and health and wellness initiatives designed to support your personal and professional wellbeing. We welcome passionate, driven individuals to join us, and be part of a team where you’ll be supported, inspired and empowered to build an exceptional career.

Position Summary:

The Director of Research & Intelligence provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the Firm's Research & Intelligence function across two interconnected pillars: Research Services, encompassing collection development, research and information retrieval, digital content, workflow management, and budget administration; and Intelligence, comprising Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence — including stewardship of the Foundation platform and the development of BI capabilities that surface actionable insight across the business.

A defining priority of this role is leading the Firm's strategic adoption of AI-powered research and intelligence tools in collaboration with Innovation Operations, Knowledge & Innovation, and Legal Solutions & Engineering. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in library and research systems, knowledge management, and data analytics, with proven director-level leadership, a strong command of the evolving legal technology landscape, and a collaborative, innovation-driven mindset.

Job Responsibilities:

• Build and lead a high-performing team of managers, researchers, and business intelligence analysts, setting performance and professional development objectives to align capacity and capabilities with the Firm and department's strategic priorities.

Research Services:

• Develop the strategy and oversee the management of operational systems including ServiceNow, ResearchHub, Research Monitor, and the Integrated Library System.
• Modernize and streamline expense management and financial reporting, leveraging SpendConnect and other technology-driven solutions.
• Provide strategic direction for reference, research, and collection services aligned with client and practice group needs.
• Lead the design and implementation of automated workflows to deliver current awareness resources for client news and market developments.
• Oversee management of Intranet content to promote awareness, adoption, and effective use of research tools and resources.
• Lead the evaluation, implementation, and optimization of AI-powered legal research platforms
• Design and deliver training programs on AI research tools, best practices, and prompt engineering techniques tailored to legal research workflows.
• Establish and maintain quality control frameworks governing AI-assisted research to uphold accuracy and professional standards.
• Manage strategic vendor relationships and accounts, leading negotiation, monitoring compliance with contractual terms, and tracking utilization to inform renewal decisions.

Intelligence:

• Set the strategic direction for knowledge management operations in close collaboration with K&I Counsel and Practice Group leadership, ensuring the effective capture, organization, and deployment of firm knowledge at scale.
• Drive knowledge-sharing initiatives and facilitate adoption of new and existing KM resources across the Firm.
• Lead the development and execution of the Firm's Business Intelligence program, building actionable knowledge about the Firm's industries, clients, matters, and documents.
• Serve as the primary owner and administrator of the Foundation platform, ensuring the consistent, high-quality capture of firm expertise, attorney knowledge, and matter experience.
• Design and deliver BI products and intelligence reports — including industry briefings, client profiles, competitive intelligence, and matter analytics — that equip attorneys and leadership with strategic insight.
• Partner with Innovation, IT, and practice group leadership to integrate BI capabilities into attorney workflows, pitches, client development, and strategic planning.
• Evaluate and implement BI technologies and data analytics tools that advance the Firm's intelligence capabilities.
• Partner with Legal and AI Engineering teams to design a data strategy for R&D purposes.

Job Specifications:

Education: M.L.S. strongly preferred

Experience:

• A minimum of 8–10 years of progressive law firm library, research, or knowledge management experience, including at least 3 years in a leadership or management role.
• Exceptional communication, client service, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with attorneys and staff at all levels; strong judgment, project management skills, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Proven ability to lead, supervise, and develop cross-functional teams across research, KM, and BI disciplines, with a high degree of integrity, adaptability, and self-motivation.
• Deep knowledge of legal research sources and methodology; proficiency with legal research databases (Lexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg, VitalLaw), library management software, KM platforms, BI applications, integrated library systems, and Microsoft Office suite including SharePoint and Teams.
• Experience with prompt engineering, AI-assisted research workflows, and emerging AI-powered platforms including Harvey, Legora, Protégé, and CoCounsel; familiarity with AI vendor evaluation, implementation roadmaps, and change management for technology adoption.
• Deep understanding of AI, knowledge management, and business intelligence methodologies with the ability to connect these disciplines into a coherent intelligence strategy; experience designing or scaling BI or competitive intelligence programs, and familiarity with knowledge graph, taxonomy, and metadata frameworks.