BARACK FERRAZZANO & KIRSCHBAUM & NAGELBERG

Compensation

Full Description

Position: Software Engineer – AI and Practice Applications    Dept./Practice Group: IT     FLSA: Exempt     Reports To: Chief Information Officer    Salary: $125,000 to $140,000 annually commensurate with experience     Hours: Generally, 9 am - 5 pm. Occasional work outside of these hours, as required.      Job Summary: The Software Engineer – AI and Practice Applications is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining custom software solutions that support the firm’s practice groups and administrative operations. This role bridges traditional software development and modern AI-integrated tooling, building applications that enhance lawyer productivity, streamline legal workflows, and leverage emerging technologies. The Software Engineer works closely with practice group leaders, IT staff, and external vendors to identify needs and deliver reliable, secure, and user-friendly solutions.      Responsibilities: Custom Application Development: •    Design, develop, test, and maintain internal web and desktop applications tailored to the needs of the firm’s practice groups. •    Build integrations between firm systems, including document management (iManage) and Microsoft 365 platforms. •    Develop and maintain APIs and automation scripts to streamline repetitive legal and administrative workflows. •    Collaborate with practice group leaders and end users to gather requirements, define scope, and prioritize development efforts. AI and Emerging Technology Integration: •    Evaluate, prototype, and implement AI-powered tools and large language model (LLM) integrations to assist lawyers with research, drafting, document review, and other practice-related tasks. •    Develop and maintain prompt engineering frameworks, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, and AI workflow automation in coordination with firm leadership. •    Monitor the evolving legal technology and AI landscape and recommend solutions aligned with firm needs and risk tolerance. •    Ensure AI solutions comply with client confidentiality requirements, data security policies, and applicable regulations. System Maintenance and Quality Assurance: •    Maintain documentation for all developed applications, including architecture diagrams, deployment procedures, and user guides. •    Perform code reviews and testing (unit, integration, and UAT) before deploying applications to production environments. •    Monitor application performance and address bugs, vulnerabilities, and user-reported issues in a timely manner. Collaboration and Communication: •    Work closely with the IT team, including the IT Program Analyst and IT Training Manager, to ensure application compatibility with firm infrastructure and suitable training plans for any developed applications. •    Participate in regular IT status meetings and provide project updates to the Chief Information Officer. •    Assist with firm-wide technology initiatives, including rollout of new software as needed. •    Other duties as assigned. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: •    Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience. •    3–5 years of professional software development experience, preferably in a legal or professional services environment. •    Proficiency in one or more modern programming languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, C#) and associated frameworks. •    Experience with web application development, RESTful API design, and database management (SQL or similar). •    Demonstrated experience integrating or developing AI/ML-powered features, including working with LLM APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI) or building RAG pipelines. •    Familiarity with Microsoft 365 development (Graph API, SharePoint, Teams apps) and legal business software such as iManage and Litera is strongly preferred. •    Knowledge of software development best practices including version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and secure coding standards. •    Understanding of legal workflows, document management, and client confidentiality requirements. •    Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions. •    Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. •    Highly organized, self-motivated, and capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment. •    Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team. Working Conditions and Physical Effort: •    Work is normally performed in a typical office work environment at an assigned station. •    Primarily office-based with on-site support requirements, with in-office expectations of at least 3 days per week. •    Standard business hours with occasional evening and weekend work, as needed. •    Fast-paced environment requiring quick response to the firm's needs. •    Limited exposure to physical risk, but must be able to lift 40 lbs. •    Must be able to comply with all safety requirements in the workplace. Disclaimer: Incumbents must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to which will be required in this position. The Firm reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position (within guidelines and compliance with Federal and State Laws). Continued employment remains on an “at-will” basis.