Francine E. Lahm Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

New York, New York, Us

Managed the growing New York office of this cross-border litigation boutique that handles complex commercial litigation, with a focus on restructuring and bankruptcy disputes for some of the world’s most sophisticated clients. Pallas Partners is one of a very few litigation boutiques with top-end expertise in both the US and UK.

Hired to augment HR services at this niche law firm dating back 100 years. Work closely with Executive Director to move the Firm forward in areas such as employee benefits, leadership, employee engagement and automation. Currently applying knowledge gained throughout my career to ensure compliance; Handle total HCM for the Firm.

Lead a team creating quality value driven service and work product to benefit clients. Drive inter-disciplinary groups toward success by fostering engagement and inclusion across all aspects of legal services. Leverage all staff from support to functional specialists recognizing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Manage people and processes within a 360 degree environment. Resource person guiding and advising professional, legal and administrative staff in human resources, operational and management issues to move the Firm forward and retain its competetive status in its unique niche practice area.

Newark, Nj, Us

I streamlined this regional Firm’s HR Function by reducing headcount and creatively combining roles. Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, I directed the Human Resources function of 250 employees in three offices. From recruiting competent staff, looking at the on-boarding process, work production levels and how newly hired talent acclimated to the Firm, I managed the business needs of a diverse group of lawyers. Administrative Services is critical to top notch customer service and performance management is key. Part of my scope was to handle administrative support, employee relations and disciplinary issues. My role at this Firm also included benefits administration, coaching, design and implementation of Firm policies and procedures and budget planning and reconciliation. I accomplished upgrading the payroll solution to include HRIS capability bringing the Firm to a more self-service model as well as introducing more frequent staff reviews to more closely monitor performance.

Blackfriars, London, Gb

Working with the General Counsel at this Fortune 500 Consumer Products Company, I was responsible for the business functions of a 55 person legal team. My position immediately grew when the GC's role expanded from the US alone to the US, Canada and South America. I handled general administrative and operational issues, secretarial management as well as making contributions to a specialized global team created to significantly reduce outside counsel spend. I liaised with the Human Resources Business Partner on professional development, employee relations and compensation issues. Wearing my Human Resources hat, I handled full cycle recruiting, on-boarding and orientation. Visits to Canada, Brazil and New York to plan the Annual Legal Conference further developed my conference planning capabilities and was both exciting and professionally rewarding.

Recognizing my talent and drive, I was recruited out of my prior role to help the head Administrative Manager with heavy employee relations post merger as well as to support an upcoming commercial space relocation project. Also handled Performance Management, Benefits Administration and the Operations/HR budget. Developed and implemented Firm policies and procedures.

Legal Operations Management; Full Cycle Recruiting; Summer Associate Recruitment and Program Planning; Benefits Administrator; Facilities Management including RFP processes.

Some College, Liberal Arts And Sciences/Liberal Studies

Regents Diploma, Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics