Who we are: BAL is a team of brilliant people who change lives through elite immigration work and collaborative innovation. We pursue the exceptional in all that we do, but never at the expense of our values. There’s no denying our work is demanding, both in volume and pace, but we’re up for the challenge. We love the balance of hard work and fun – so, you’ll see us in jeans as we shatter glass ceilings and conventional stereotypes. BAL employees feel valued, rewarded, and respected. We seek opportunities to be of service to others and our communities. We are committed to your growth and development and want to set you up for success here at BAL and beyond.
Who you are: You are looking for work that has a purpose. You aren’t afraid to roll up your sleeves and get stuff done. You learn quickly. You move fast. You embrace challenge and detail as well as creative thinking. You believe you have something unique to contribute and you aren’t afraid to raise your hand. You understand that powering human achievement is ultimately about impacting a real person. You are looking for a place to grow and an environment where everyone has a spot and is genuinely welcome.
We’re better together: A bright, driven person like you and an industry-leading powerhouse like BAL? It’s a perfect combination! We truly want to see you succeed here and become an integral part of our mission to provide an experience that makes a positive difference in people’s lives. Come be a part of something special, where you can have an impact and be valued just for being you!
In addition to competitive pay, a discretionary annual bonus, and a supportive, team-oriented culture, we offer an outstanding benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, sick time, unlimited vacation, and 401(k) with company match.
OVERVIEW: The Practice Support Manager manages the Practice Support team within a specific Partner(s) cluster, while optimizing legal performance within the cluster and maximizing use of legal resources.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Leads strategic enablement of immigration program operations across high-volume complex immigration programs.
- Partners with attorneys and/or other operations departments to design and implement workflow improvements, identify bottlenecks, and embed best practices across systems, templates, and processes.
- Manage a team of Practice Support Leaders within assigned Partner(s) cluster.
- Pursues and supports implementation of technological enhancement to optimize workflows.
- Manages program-wide service delivery, ensuring alignment with client expectations, SLAs, and operational goals.
- Analyzes historical data and capacity trends, as well as forecasts upcoming case volume, to collaboratively support Partners/LOMO on appropriate staffing model.
- Serves as a key point of contact for client stakeholders on program-level decisions, delivery metrics, and service escalations.
- Identifies and leads firmwide and team-level change management initiatives to improve scale, quality, and efficiency.
- Collaborates with legal leadership to develop and roll out new tools, templates, and systems that enhance delivery consistency.
- Demonstrates high autonomy in executing improvement plans and driving operational transformation.
- Tracks delivery metrics and recommends strategic adjustments to ensure equitable workload distribution and optimal performance.
- Provides strategic insights and recommendations to clients and HR representatives regarding program logistics, delivery trends, and service enhancements.
- Responds to escalations and recurring client concerns with urgency and professionalism, ensuring resolution and continuous improvement.
- Participates in and/or leads program-level reviews, client meetings, and service planning sessions.
- Owns training strategy for legal team members, including identifying skill gaps, assigning training plans, and facilitating onboarding for new workflows.
- Supports the development and implementation of scalable training programs aligned with evolving service standards and operational needs.
TIME ALLOCATION:
- 60% Program Management and Process Optimization
- 20% Team support, mentorship, and quality review
- 20% Firmwide strategic initiatives
CORE COMPETENCIES:
- Process Innovation & Optimization – Designs improvements to enhance quality, speed, and consistency in legal service delivery
- Strategic Collaboration – Partners closely with attorneys and leaders to align legal operations with client and firm priorities
- Systems thinking – Uses data, tools, processes & systems effectively to streamline complex workflows and manage risk
- Leadership & Influence – Leads cross functional firmwide initiatives, mentors team members, and champions a culture of operational excellence
- Subject Matter Mastery – Maintains subject matter mastery of primary product areas including H-1B, TN, L-1, I-140, AOS, PERM, and complex RFEs, as well we foundational knowledge of NIWs, O-1s, and other lower volume immigration product areas.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- 4 years’ experience as a Practice Support Lead and demonstrated ability to perform the functions of the position
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
- Must have experience as a PSL overseeing NIV and IV processing teams
- Ideally has served as a PSL for a large client, mid-sized client, and small client
- Must have experience training legal team members at all paralegal levels
- Must have extensive Excel/reporting experience
- Demonstrated mastery of PSL skills and abilities
- Must have knowledge and experience in both NIV and IV
- Proven ability to be the “Go To” person on a team
- Ability and willingness to share knowledge in a helpful manner
- Ability to ensure tasks are completed accurately and timely by others
- Strong project management skills
- Ability to communicate with diplomacy and tact
- Demonstrates willingness to take on additional responsibilities and challenges
WORKING CONDITIONS:
- Able to sit and work at a computer keyboard for extended periods of time.
- Able to stoop, kneel, bend at the waist and reach daily.
- Able to perform general office administrative activities: copying, filing, delivering and using the telephone.
- Able to lift and move up to 25 pounds occasionally.
- Regular and on-time attendance.
- Must be able to prioritize, schedule, and complete testing required for multiple applications with overlapping schedules.
- A certain degree of creativity and flexibility is required.
- Hours may exceed 40 hours per week.
- Occasional travel by conventional means including aircraft, motor vehicle and the like within the region and to other locations as required.
Note: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities or qualifications associated with this job.
Berry Appleman & Leiden is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of BAL to ensure an equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, alienage or citizenship status, marital status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law. BAL prohibits and will not tolerate any such discrimination or harassment.
BAL does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. BAL is under no obligation to pay any referral compensation or recruiter fee in the absence of a current executed Recruitment Services Agreement. In the event a recruiter or agency submits an unsolicited resume or candidate without an agreement, BAL reserves the right to pursue and hire said candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers, shall be deemed the property of BAL. If your agency would like to be considered as a potential recruiting partner, please forward your contact information to Recruitment@BAL.com.
In accordance with Massachusetts Wage Transparency Law, the expected salary range for this position in Massachusetts is between $118,500
and $125,900.
Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience, geographic location, and other job-related factors as permitted by law.
In addition to competitive pay, a discretionary annual bonus, and a supportive, team-oriented culture, we offer an outstanding benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, sick time, unlimited vacation, and 401(k) with company match.
