Head of Lawyer Support

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Role: Head of Lawyer Support

Location: Poole/Hybrid - 4 days per week in our office.

ABOUT WOODSTOCK LEGAL SERVICES:

Woodstock Legal Services isn’t your typical law firm. We’re breaking the mold – ditching the jargon, delivering expert advice, and doing things differently in the legal world. We've gathered our wisdom from years of legal experience and paired it with a willingness to break the mold.

At Woodstock, you’ll be part of a people-first culture where ideas are welcomed, collaboration is second nature, and your contribution really matters. We invest in our internal teams because we know they’re the engine that keeps everything running and we’re proud of the culture we’ve built together.

About Woodstock Legal Services & Lawhive Partnership

The Woodstock vision was to create a law firm that felt different, one where lawyers had true freedom and flexibility within a community of grade A lawyers and the best operational and regulatory support on offer - all while ensuring our clients remain our constant focus.

Since 2014, Woodstock has grown into a thriving community of lawyers, built on the principle that legal practice can be both professional and personal. We set out to create a place where lawyers have the freedom to shape fulfilling careers, and where clients benefit from clear, expert advice delivered with genuine care.

That vision remains at the heart of everything we do. By joining the Lawhive Group, we are strengthening this vision - combining the trusted relationships and values that define Woodstock, with innovative tools that ease the pressures of legal work. This means our lawyers can dedicate more time to what matters most: guiding and supporting our clients.

THE ROLE

We're looking for the senior operator who will own Lawyer Support end-to-end and make Woodstock the easiest place in the UK to practice law. You’ll own the Lawyer Support function end-to-end. The team, the systems, the SLAs, and the standards. Making sure our lawyers have a setup that lets them focus on practising law and serving clients.

This is a department-level leadership role. You’ll be responsible for a function of 30+ people, managing through experienced team leads and managers rather than directly supervising the front line. You will be accountable for the performance, capacity, culture, and continuous improvement of the function, and you’ll work closely with the wider Lawhive Group to integrate tools, data, and operating practices that move us forward as one business.

We’re looking for someone who is comfortable leading at scale, has done it before, and is energised by the chance to modernise how a legal support function runs, not just keep it ticking. The right person is a builder: confident with change, fluent with data and tooling, and able to bring a large team with them.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

• Lead the Lawyer Support function at Woodstock: a team of 30+ working across our digital inbound channels (Intercom) and overseeing the document centre, which handles printing, posting, and storage.

• Run the Printing and Post operation. Inbound and outbound mail, document production, scanning, distribution, and the physical workflow that keeps casework moving.

• Manage through managers. Develop, coach, and hold accountable a team of team leads and managers; build a leadership bench that scales as we grow.

• Set the operating model: structure, capacity planning, shift patterns, SLAs, and the metrics that prove we’re delivering for consultants and clients.

• Own the quality bar. Make sure file opening, consultant support, and print and post are accurate, fast, and audit-ready at all times.

• Drive change. Lead the adoption of new tooling, automation, and AI-enabled workflows across the function, in partnership with Lawhive’s product and operations teams.

• Partner cross-functionally with Lawhive’s Operations, Talent, and Product teams.

• Represent Lawyer Support in senior forums.

• Be the senior point of escalation for complex consultant issues and operational risk.

• Own the budget and headcount plan for the function, working with Finance and the Director of Operations.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THE FIRST 12 MONTHS

• A stable, well-led function with clear team structures, defined manager roles, and a credible succession plan underneath you.

• A published operating model with documented SLAs, capacity model, and a live performance dashboard the leadership team trusts.

• Measurable improvements in turnaround times, accuracy, and consultant satisfaction across file opening, consultant support, and print and post.

• At least one significant tooling or automation change shipped end-to-end, reducing manual effort and freeing capacity.

• Lawyer Support recognised across the Lawhive Group as a high-performing, well-run function.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• Proven experience leading departments of 50+ people in a support, operations, or service environment. Ideally including a regulated industry such as legal, financial services, or healthcare.

• A track record of managing managers, not just individual contributors. You’ve built and coached a layer of leadership underneath you.

• Strong, modern operations instincts: capacity planning, SLA management, workforce planning, performance management, and quality assurance.

• Tech-forward and change-confident. You’ve led teams through meaningful change (new tools, new processes, automation, AI) and you can show what changed and what it delivered.

• Comfortable owning a physical operation as well as a digital one. Print, post, scanning, and document workflows are part of this role.

• Calm, credible communicator. Comfortable in front of senior stakeholders, lawyers, and your own team.

• Data-literate. You make decisions from numbers, not vibes, and you can build the dashboards and rituals to keep a department honest.

• People-first leadership style. You set a high bar and build the kind of team people want to stay in.

• Comfortable being in the Poole office three days a week, working alongside the team you lead.

NICE TO HAVE

• Prior experience in a law firm, legal services, or another regulated professional services environment.

• Exposure to LEAP or similar legal practice management tooling.

• Experience operating in a high-growth, PE- or VC-backed environment.

LOCATION AND WORKING PATTERN

This role is based in our Poole office four days per week. The remaining one day can be worked remotely. We expect the Head of Lawyer Support to be physically present with the team they lead, particularly during periods of change and growth, and to be on-site for the days the print and post operation is running.

INTERVIEW PROCESS

• Introductory call with our Talent team

• Operational leadership interview. A working session on how you’d approach a real Woodstock scenario.

• Values interview with Leadership

• We offer!

UK Benefits

✈️ 33 days’ annual leave (25 + bank holidays) plus your birthday off

🎄 Extended Christmas holiday

💰 Pension contribution

☮️ Give back - support a good cause with a charity day each year