Docketing Manager - Litigation

Bowman and Brooke LLP is a national product liability boutique law firm with more than 200 lawyers in 17 offices known for defending household name manufacturers of motor vehicles, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consumer products in high exposure, technically intricate lawsuits and mass torts throughout all 50 states. We have surpassed our 1,000th trial milestone, affirming our rank as one of the foremost product liability trial firms in the country.

The Docketing Manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the firm’s litigation docketing functions within a distributed docketing/calendaring model. This role ensures that all court-imposed deadlines, filing requirements, and statutory time limits are accurately calculated, recorded, and communicated to attorneys and staff. The Docketing Manager will serve as the firm-wide subject matter expert and trainer. A strong working knowledge of California-specific court rules and calendaring requirements is essential, and candidates based in California are strongly preferred. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in docketing software platforms, including CompuLaw and/or Milana, and has a proven track record of managing docketing operations in a multi-office law firm environment.

Requirements

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Docket Management: Oversee the daily operation of the docketing department, including the entry, verification, and maintenance of all deadlines, court dates, statutes of limitations, and filing deadlines across all active matters.

• CompuLaw and/or Milana Administration: Serve as the primary system administrator for CompuLaw Vision and/or Milana docketing platforms.

• Deadline Calculation and Verification: Calculate and verify all litigation deadlines using applicable federal, state, and local court rules.

• Team Leadership: Directly supervise two docketing specialists.

• Quality Assurance: Develop and enforce quality control procedures.

• Court Rule Updates: Monitor and implement updates to federal, state, and local court rules and procedural requirements.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with attorneys, paralegals, legal administrative assistants, records management, and IT to ensure seamless integration of docketing data with the firm’s document management system (DMS), case management system, and electronic filing platforms.

• Reporting and Analytics: Generate regular and ad hoc reports on docket status, upcoming deadlines, workload distribution, and departmental performance metrics for management review.

• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to streamline docketing workflows, reduce risk, and leverage technology to improve efficiency and accuracy.

• Compliance and Risk Mitigation: Ensure compliance with all applicable court rules, ethical obligations, and organizational policies related to deadline management.

• E-Filing Oversight: Oversee or coordinate electronic filing processes across multiple jurisdictions, including federal (CM/ECF), state, and administrative tribunals.

• Training and Documentation: Develop and deliver firm-wide docketing training programs for legal administrative assistants in all U.S. offices.

Qualifications

·        Bachelor’s degree required; paralegal certificate or equivalent legal education preferred.

·        Minimum of 7–10 years of progressively responsible docketing experience in a law firm, corporate legal department, or legal services organization.

·        Experience supervising docketing personnel and providing functional guidance or training to legal administrative staff in a distributed or multi-office environment.

·        Demonstrated hands-on expertise with CompuLaw Vision and/or Milana docketing software, including system configuration, rule set management, and troubleshooting.

·        Advanced proficiency in CompuLaw Vision and/or Milana, including the ability to build and modify jurisdiction-specific rule sets and calculation templates.

·        Working knowledge of federal and state e-filing systems (e.g., CM/ECF, NYSCEF, state-specific portals).

·        Familiarity with legal technology ecosystems, including document management systems (iManage), and Microsoft Office Suite.

·        Experience integrating docketing platforms with other legal technology tools via APIs or data feeds is a plus.

·        Thorough understanding of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and state/local court rules across multiple jurisdictions.

·        Knowledge of administrative agency filing requirements is a plus.

·        Understanding of statutes of limitations, service-of-process rules, and appellate deadline frameworks.

Skills and Competencies:

·        Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.

·        Strong leadership and people-management abilities, with the capacity to mentor and develop staff.

·        Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey complex procedural requirements clearly to attorneys and staff.

·        Sound judgment and the ability to work effectively under pressure with competing priorities and time-sensitive deadlines.

·        Analytical mindset with the ability to identify process gaps and implement solutions.

·        High degree of professionalism, integrity, and discretion.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

·        Primarily an office-based or hybrid role with extended periods at a computer workstation.

·        Ability to manage high-stress situations involving critical, time-sensitive deadlines.

·        Occasional overtime may be required to meet court-imposed filing deadlines.

Benefits

Benefits: We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package including everything you’d expect -- medical, dental, and vision insurance; firm paid life insurance and short and long-term disability; and a retirement savings plan with employer profit sharing contributions.

Apply with your resume, cover letter referencing this position, and your salary requirements.   If your qualifications meet our needs, we will contact you directly.

Compensation: $100,000 - $115,000 (based on experience)

Visit us on the web to learn more about our firm:    www.bowmanandbrooke.com.

No Agencies or Telephone Calls Please

Equal Opportunity Employer