Legal Engineer

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 Legal Engineer supports the Practice Innovation function by designing and developing client- and practice-facing legal solutions that enhance client service, lawyer productivity, and operational efficiency through the thoughtful application of emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools.

This role works closely with practice groups and cross-functional teams to identify opportunities, analyze legal workflows, and translate legal requirements into solution designs, prototypes, and data-driven insights. The Legal Engineer conducts applied research and development, experiments with new tools and techniques, and contributes to business cases that inform build-versus-buy decisions and strategic investment in legal solutions.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Practice Innovation Manager and other department and practice group leadership to design a portfolio of client- and practice-facing solutions aligned to the needs of each practice group.
• Support the development of the Legal Engineering function by contributing frameworks, methodologies, and best practices for solution design, experimentation, and evaluation.
• Leverage best practices in user research, workflow analysis, and solution design to understand attorney and client pain points and identify high-value opportunities for improvement.
• Conduct regular consultations with practice groups to analyze workflows, identify friction points, and assess the feasibility, impact, and risk profile of proposed solutions.
• Design and prototype legal solutions using AI-enabled tools, low-code platforms, and data-driven approaches, iterating quickly based on findings and feedback.
• Contribute to applied research and development efforts, testing emerging technologies and approaches to understand their potential value to the firm and its clients.
• Analyze data, outputs, and usage patterns to evaluate effectiveness and inform build-versus-buy decisions and prioritization.
• Collaborate with Practice Solutions, Knowledge Management, and AI Engineering teams as concepts mature toward implementation or broader adoption.
• Support business case development, stakeholder materials, and recommendations for investment in new legal solutions.
• Promote a culture of experimentation, innovation, and continuous learning within the Practice Innovation function.
• Stay current on emerging technologies, trends, and best practices in legal technology, data analytics, and solution design.
• Contribute to the evolution of the firm’s innovation roadmap, frameworks, and strategic priorities as needed.

Qualifications:

• Experience working with legal workflows, legal technology, or knowledge management systems, required.
• Familiarity with change management concepts and adoption considerations in professional services environments, preferred.
• Comfort with rapid prototyping and exploratory development approaches (e.g., “vibe coding”), including experimenting with AI tools, low-code platforms, and lightweight scripting to quickly test and iterate on solution concepts.
• Two or more years of experience as a practicing attorney, preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with internal stakeholders across practice groups and business services teams, showing professionalism, accountability, and sound judgment.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and time management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Self-directed, curious, and comfortable exercising independent judgment in an evolving environment.

Education / Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• JD or LLM preferred.
• 2+ years’ experience working in a legal, consulting, innovation, or solution design capacity preferred.
• Law firm or legal services industry experience is a plus.

 Skills & Abilities:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) required.
• Familiarity with legal document management and knowledge systems (e.g., iManage, Litera) is a plus.
• Exposure to a range of legal technology platforms and tools is a plus.
• Working knowledge of AI-enabled tools, data analysis, or prototyping environments is a plus.