Pre-Litigation Case Manager Team Lead, Illinois

About the role

TopDog Law is a nationally scaling personal injury firm built for impact and growth, owning the client experience end‑to‑end from marketing and intake through litigation. Over the past three years the firm has grown 2–3x year over year, setting a new standard on the marketing side of personal injury and proving what’s possible when strategy, speed, and execution align. Now the firm is applying that same discipline and innovation to firm operations, case management, and national scale — intentionally building the infrastructure, systems, and teams to grow without sacrificing quality, culture, or accountability. The team is fully remote, sharing trust, open communication, and a commitment to doing great work.

Responsibilities

• Supervise 3–5 Pre‑Litigation Case Managers within the pod
• Assign and balance workloads across the team
• Provide guidance on case handling procedures and documentation standards
• Ensure case managers understand priorities and case progression expectations
• Provide coaching and day‑to‑day support to help case managers execute effectively
• Serve as the primary operational liaison between the case manager team and the Pre‑Litigation Attorney
• Handle escalations from clients and providers, resolving issues before they reach the attorney or Ops Manager
• Escalate friction points between case managers and the attorney to the Pre‑Lit Case Manager Ops Manager
• Own MRI rates, advanced treatment rates, and ensure diagnostics are properly tracked and attended
• Monitor and drive case velocity — ensuring cases move efficiently through each pre‑litigation phase
• Ensure settlements meet expected value targets relative to policy limits
• Identify roadblocks to case progression and proactively clear them
• Flag systemic medical management issues to the Pre‑Lit Case Manager Ops Manager
• Monitor progress of medical record collection and documentation gathering
• Ensure case files contain required documentation and supporting evidence
• Confirm liability and damages documentation is organized and complete
• Review case files for completeness prior to escalation to the attorney
• Maintain strong case file organization and documentation discipline
• Actively use dashboards and reporting tools to evaluate team KPIs and identify underperformance
• Identify process changes and efficiency improvements through direct case experience and data analysis
• Surface operational gaps and improvement ideas to the Pre‑Lit Case Manager Ops Manager
• Be comfortable building or pulling reports independently — data literacy is a core expectation of this role
• Lead onboarding and training for new case managers joining the pod
• Provide informal coaching and identify skill gaps requiring additional training
• Promote consistency in case handling practices and ownership mentality across the team
• Model best practices in case management, documentation, client communication, and ownership through personal caseload performance
• Manage approximately 50 active pre‑litigation cases, with an emphasis on higher‑value matters
• Be held to a higher performance standard than case managers given the complexity and value of the assigned caseload
• Balance personal case execution responsibilities alongside team supervision duties
• Demonstrate full ownership over cases — regardless of what other departments have or haven't done, the Case Manager Lead is accountable for outcomes on their cases
• Identify workflow challenges or process gaps through direct case experience and escalate operational improvements when needed

Requirements

• 6‑8 years of experience supporting Personal Injury pre‑litigation matters on cases in multiple states or the state of Illinois
• Proven experience managing and leading a team of case managers, directing case strategy and workflow to efficiently drive files through each phase and toward timely settlement
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to manage a high‑volume caseload in a fast‑paced environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience requesting, reviewing, and summarizing medical records and bills
• Ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and work independently while collaborating with a team

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal Certificate (not required)
• Proven experience managing and developing a team within a legal environment
• Experience in high‑volume or fast‑growing law firms
• Familiarity with Personal Injury claims processes and insurance procedures
• Experience with case management software (e.g., Filevine, Clio, SmartAdvocate)
• Comfort working in evolving systems and processes

Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience requesting, reviewing, and summarizing medical records and bills
• Ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and work independently while collaborating with a team
• Data literacy — comfortable building or pulling reports independently
• Familiarity with Personal Injury claims processes and insurance procedures
• Experience with case management software (e.g., Filevine, Clio, SmartAdvocate)
• Comfort working in evolving systems and processes

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• HSA
• Life insurance
• Disability coverage
• Paid time off
• Parental leave

Pay

Base Salary: $95,000 to $118,500 per year, commensurate with experience.