Are you a champion of operational excellence, ready to lead a high-impact litigation firm with precision, empathy, and innovation?

Do you have the strategic acumen and legal fluency to drive firmwide transformation — optimizing performance, improving outcomes, and ensuring accountability across multiple divisions?

Can you manage the intricacies of legal operations at scale, mentoring both rising and established legal professionals while aligning cross-functional teams toward shared case deadlines and firm goals?

Is your leadership style grounded in relentless follow-through, fierce ownership, and the ability to elevate others with clarity and discipline?

Final question: When faced with a challenge, do you get excited or run away?

 

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Onder Law is a nationally recognized litigation firm based in the St. Louis metro area, known for securing landmark results in personal injury, mass torts, environmental litigation, sexual abuse cases, and class action lawsuits. With a client-first culture and a proven track record of billion-dollar outcomes, we are now entering an exciting phase of strategic growth.

As we scale, we are seeking a dynamic, in-office Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead and optimize all non-financial operational functions of the firm. This executive will report directly to the Managing Partner and work closely with leaders across finance, HR, IT, and legal operations to align cross-departmental performance and ensure consistent case progress, accountability, and client service excellence. This is a fully on-site role based in St. Louis, requiring daily, hands-on engagement with our teams and operations.

 

What you’ll do:

Firmwide Operational Leadership

• Oversee all non-financial operations across divisions, ensuring systems, personnel, and workflows support efficient case progress and performance outcomes.
• Implement and optimize firmwide systems and technologies to streamline processes, elevate client service, and improve efficiency across the full case lifecycle.
• Own operational KPIs tied to team productivity, case closure timelines, client satisfaction, and backlog reduction.

Attorney Accountability & Collaboration

• Hold business unit leaders (e.g., PI, Mass Tort, Class Action) accountable for both legal outcomes and team development, ensuring they fulfill responsibilities as both attorneys and operational leaders.
• Support and challenge attorneys — especially junior and mid-level litigators — to meet court deadlines, hit strategic goals, and elevate leadership capacity within their respective legal divisions.
• Familiarize yourself with active cases to proactively ask the right questions, identify bottlenecks, and reinforce performance expectations.

Case Lifecycle & Legal Operations

• Stay current on Case Management Orders, jurisdiction-specific rules, and court-imposed procedural deadlines to ensure firmwide compliance and case readiness.
• Track and enforce deadline adherence across all legal divisions, ensuring every case moves forward without delays or overlooked requirements.
• Monitor and report on key case milestones and litigation progress to firm leadership, identifying risks early and aligning team leads to resolve issues swiftly.

Team Development & Personnel Oversight

• Manage and mentor department leads and team managers across intake, legal support, and litigation operations.
• Identify, grow, and support emerging leaders across all legal divisions.
• Coordinate closely with HR on recruitment, benefits, and retention.
• Ensure team-wide compliance with firm policies and procedures while actively fostering an enjoyable, high-performance culture.

Strategic Planning & Special Projects

• Partner with the CFO, CTO, and HR to implement long-range operational improvements and systems development.
• Contribute to IT and infrastructure planning to support the firm’s goals through 2025 and beyond.
• Oversee building operations and lease management (with external vendors), supporting plans to bring all team members into one facility.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure firmwide compliance with all applicable legal, regulatory, and professional standards across jurisdictions and practice areas.
• Monitor and refine internal protocols to support quality assurance, reduce liability exposure, and proactively mitigate risk across legal and administrative operations.
• Partner with legal leadership and department heads to identify compliance blind spots, implement corrective measures, and ensure teams are trained and aligned with evolving policies and procedures.

Technology & Systems

• Oversee the selection, implementation, and optimization of legal practice management tools and systems to support operational efficiency and firmwide scalability.
• Leverage technology to streamline case tracking, document management, deadline compliance, and workflow automation.
• Collaborate with the CTO and department leads to ensure effective adoption, training, and performance measurement of technology solutions.

 

What we’re looking for: 

• A Juris Doctor (JD) is preferred but not required. If you hold a JD, being licensed in Missouri or eligible by motion is a plus.
• 7+ years of senior-level experience leading legal operations within mid-to-large law firm environments.
• Proven ability to lead and hold accountable multidisciplinary teams of attorneys, legal staff, and administrators.
• Brings sharp business acumen, a dynamic and entrepreneurial mindset, and a get-it-done attitude — approachable, organized, and thrives in fast-paced environments where accountability and hustle drive results.
• Deep understanding of litigation workflows, civil procedure, and court-imposed deadlines (especially in mass tort and PI cases).
• Track record of driving operational efficiency and managing complexity in high-volume legal environments.
• A strategic, entrepreneurial thinker who thrives on results, not micromanagement.
• Clear, direct communication style with a deep commitment to firm culture and accountability.
• Prefers working in a collaborative, in-person environment and thrives on the momentum, visibility, and connection that come from being onsite.

 

Why you should work here: 

• Leadership at Scale: Be part of a firm trusted with thousands of high-stakes cases across multiple legal verticals.
• Mission-Driven Practice: Join a team that fights for survivors, families, and communities harmed by negligence and corporate misconduct.
• Firmwide Visibility: Operate at the highest level of influence, reporting directly to the Managing Partner and helping shape firmwide strategy.
• People-First Culture: Work in a team that values integrity, excellence, and mutual accountability — and invests in its people.

 

Additional perks:

• Compensation and Incentives: Earn a competitive base salary with performance-based bonus opportunities tied to firm and operational success
• Health Care: Take advantage of comprehensive health and wellness benefits designed to support your overall well-being
• Insurance: Gain peace of mind with insurance offerings that support you through life’s unexpected moments
• Retirement: Access to 401(k) to help you build long-term financial security
• Time Off: Enjoy generous paid time off and firm holidays to support work-life balance
• Professional Development: Benefit from professional development support, including bar dues, CLE, and executive leadership training
• Executive Perks: Receive executive-level perks such as technology allowance, executive parking, and relocation support

 

At Onder Law, the COO role is more than a title — it’s an opportunity to lead, elevate others, and drive meaningful change. You’ll be working side by side with a committed leadership team and legal professionals who care deeply about the clients they serve. If you’re ready to bring clarity, accountability, and momentum to a growing firm, we want to hear from you.