Client Account Operations Lead - CT/ET

DLA Piper•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Client Accounts Operations Lead is an advanced-level Legal Biller with analytical and job priority sequencing responsibilities. This position will not have permanently assigned billing responsibilities but is expected to dynamically manage the firm’s top-tier billing portfolios on an as-needed basis, potentially supporting multiple managers/billing teams. The role involves temporarily assuming duties for high-volume and high-fee billing for institutional, high-profile clients and attorneys. The Operations Lead will analyze and prioritize responsibilities to ensure maximum contribution to the larger billing organization, including process and gap analysis for customized training and mentoring of other staff members. The position provides a full-cycle billing support solution to attorneys with complex domestic and international billing books, serving as a subject-matter expert and proxy for regional managers as needed. It may provide temporary managerial support or serve as supplemental senior-level billing resources during absences or vacancies. The role represents the department in client meetings and across groups, setting and driving agendas impacting billing practices and processes. The position reports to a Manager, Senior Manager, or Director and may involve ongoing assignments requiring direction from or support to multiple regional managers simultaneously. This position is remote and may require work across various time zones with dynamic work schedules based on business needs.

Requirements

Advanced on the job experience as a senior-level Legal Biller.
Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills required to interact with various colleagues and business stakeholders.
Advanced billing experience with a major law firm in a finance or billing assignment.
Expert level of knowledge and experience with direct billing or client accounts (to include domestic, global, and e-Billing) for a law firm or professional services organization supporting legal billing.
Strong knowledge in Aderant Legal Billing accounting system.
Proficient in e-billing applications such as e-Hub or Bill Blast.
Team-oriented and ability to work effectively and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
Accurate proofreader with strong attention to detail.
Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex problems.
Ability to work independently and take direction well.
Strong analytical skills and attention to detail with ability to recognize opportunities for efficiency improvements and coaching other billing employees on industry and process level optimization.
Comfortable summarizing and communicating project scope and execution.
Strong computer skills, including advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including use of Lookup and PivotTable functions.
Organized and a self-starter with the ability to handle a large number of projects at one time and meet multiple concurrent deadlines.
Ability to prioritize assignments while accepting work assignments and providing backup billing support to multiple managers supporting a large base of dynamically (i.e. not permanently) assigned billing attorneys.
Minimum Education: High School Diploma or GED.
Minimum Years of Experience: 5 years’ senior-level legal billing experience managing high volume billing portfolio in a fast-paced customer environment, customer service and business analysis.

Nice To Haves

Preferred Education: Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or related field.

Responsibilities

Provide temporary managerial support in the absence of designated regional managers.
Provide temporary functional supplemental senior-level billing resources during absences, unplanned vacancies, and/or during periods of increased work content within a designated regional territory.
Serve as the Subject Matter Expert to provide legal billing surge support for several regional billing teams/managers.
Handle internal assignments on an as-needed basis to provide short-to-mid-term support for designated billing groups experiencing temporary production surges or shortfalls of required billing resources.
Split time and work in allocated incremental assignments for multiple managers, providing billing for multiple billing attorneys.
Review data for accuracy prior to submitting it; gather and submit accrual information based on client requirements.
Research and resolve electronic billing rejections.
Research client billing data and provide detailed analysis to attorneys and support staff.
Track and resolve tickets assigned by the Accounting Service Desk on a daily basis.
Work across multiple teams of support specialists within both Legal Support Services and Accounting teams to provide effective, streamlined billing and client account services to attorneys of the firm.
Analyze and prioritize responsibilities to ensure maximum contribution to the larger billing organization, including process and gap analysis for customized training and mentoring of other staff members on all billing procedures.
Maintain an accurate description of all client billing requirements, including guidelines established by the client’s general counsel, and update/track changes as necessary.
Interact with billing department stakeholders to understand business problems and define solution requirements.
Analyze legal billing processes and supporting systems, develop business cases, build metrics, and perform reporting.
Document and communicate functional and system requirements, build process-flow diagrams, and continually review internal processes for efficiency improvements.
Apply best practices for effective communication and problem-solving, create standardized department reports, analyze data, and document areas requiring improvement.
Support projects and report efforts, liaise with project participants, and follow up routinely to ensure effective communication and completion of tasks.
Interface with IT and various departments to support execution of cross-functional project requirements and perform system testing and requirements validation.
For US clients: support the full billing cycle, including reviewing and editing proformas, seeking requisite approvals for deferrals, write-offs, and time transfers.
Field billing inquiries from adjacent support groups and attorneys.
Create and maintain complex monthly reporting.
For global clients: coordinate and lead global client unified billing, including reviewing data for accuracy prior to submission, managing global client account assignments, and performing all full-cycle billing functions associated with both the firm’s and the client’s billing requirements.
Liaise with international attorneys and/or finance counterparts to obtain accurate accrual and forecasting information for monthly client reporting.
Follow up frequently with international counterparts to ensure engaged locations stay within budget and issue invoices timely.
Troubleshoot issues with finance counterparts as needed.
Generate global client LEDES files for electronic billing based on client requirements.
Develop training programs to ensure consistent billing processes across the team and provide training to attorneys and staff as needed.
Finalize invoices and submit them directly to the client (per policy) or provide them to attorneys for transmission to the client (per approved exceptions to policy), also includes other billing information as needed.
Serve as a point of escalation and Quality Analyst to support and coach more junior Specialists; provide support, guidance, mentoring, and training to staff as needed.