Director, Strategic Client Finance

White & Case•Los Angeles, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Strategic Client Finance will serve as the head of finance for a key global technology client relationship (the Firm’s largest client), providing senior financial leadership within the relationship’s Executive Office. The role will establish and lead the financial governance, operating discipline and reporting required to manage a complex high-value global portfolio effectively. The relationship encompasses hundreds of active matters across approximately 160 countries, supported by more than 500 firm timekeepers and an extensive network of over 200 local counsel relationships. Operating through a central finance and operations hub in Los Angeles, the role will bring consistent financial oversight, controls and insight across a global delivery model. As a senior member of the Executive Office, the Director, Strategic Client Finance will work hand in hand with the Global Relationship Partner, Head of Legal Operations and Chief of Staff to support strategic decision-making and translate the relationship’s commercial priorities into practical financial and operational plans, assess investment decisions, manage portfolio performance, identify risks and opportunities across the global delivery model. The role will lead an established finance and invoice compliance team supporting the relationship. This comprises a finance team of three Revenue Controllers (plus a Finance Manager currently being recruited), responsible for revenue management, billing coordination, matter financial performance, and forecasting; and a five-person invoice compliance team led by a manager, responsible for invoice review, client billing requirements, local counsel payment, and engagement-term compliance. This role will provide strategic direction, establish accountability and build a high-performing team capable of consistent delivery across the global portfolio. Working closely with the Global Relationship Partner, firm leadership and cross-functional teams, the Director, Strategic Client Finance will oversee billing accuracy, revenue management, client budget performance, forecasting, profitability analysis, financial reporting, accounts payable and invoice compliance – serving as the central point of coordination for financial matters, improving transparency, reducing operational friction and ensuring that client requirements, firm financial objectives and service standards are consistently met. By building scalable financial and operational infrastructure, the Director, Strategic Client Finance will enable the Global Relationship Partner and wider Executive Office to focus on strategic client service, mentoring, business development, innovation and continued growth of the practice.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related discipline required
Significant experience in finance, accounting, billing, revenue management, or financial operations, preferably within a law firm or professional services environment
Prior law firm experience strongly preferred, including exposure to legal billing, client billing guidelines, matter budgeting, revenue management, realization, collections, and profitability analysis
Strong understanding of end-to-end law firm financial processes, including billing, work in progress, accounts receivable, collections, accounts payable, and client reporting
Experience managing complex, high-value client relationships, at-scale - preferably large institutional or technology-sector clients with global footprints, sophisticated billing and compliance requirements, and extensive local counsel or vendor networks
Demonstrated ability to lead and develop finance and compliance teams, setting direction and accountability across multiple functions and geographies
Strong executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to partner effectively with senior attorneys, finance leaders, billing teams, and operational stakeholders.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and pragmatic, with the ability to manage competing priorities across a large, complex portfolio in a fast-paced, matrixed, global environment.
Demonstrated commitment to process improvement, operational discipline, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
High degree of discretion, professionalism, sound judgment, and comfort handling confidential financial and client information.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and hands-on financial leadership across all aspects of the global client relationship – spanning hundreds of active matters across approximately 160 countries including billing, revenue, budget-to-actual performance forecasting, reporting, profitability, and compliance
Establish and maintain robust financial governance, controls, and operating rhythms that support accurate, timely, and disciplined financial management
Partner with Global Relationship Partner, Finance leadership, Legal Operations and client teams to provide financial insights, identify risks and opportunities, and support informed decision-making
Oversee client budget performance, including tracking against approved budgets, monitoring matter-level financial activity across the portfolio, and escalating issues or variances as needed to relevant stakeholders, including the Legal Operations team
Lead revenue management activities, including oversight of work in progress, collections, realization, billing cycles, and revenue leakage across a portfolio supported by more than 500 firm timekeepers
Drive accurate and timely billing by coordinating with attorneys, billing professionals, and operational teams to ensure invoices comply with client requirements and outside counsel guidelines
Lead and develop the dedicated billing team — three Revenue Controllers and an incoming Finance Manager — providing direction, prioritization, coaching, and performance oversight to ensure consistent service delivery and accountability
Oversee the five-person invoice compliance team, including its manager, responsible for the management, review, and processing of bills from the relationship network of over 200 local counsels globally
Strengthen accounts payable and invoice compliance processes, including review of local counsel billing, adherence to client guidelines, issue resolution, and timely processing
Develop and deliver regular financial reporting, dashboards, variance analyses, forecasts, and profitability insights for firm leadership and the Executive Office
Prepare ad-hoc financial reporting and analysis to address emerging business needs, stakeholder requests, and client requirements
Identify opportunities to simplify processes, reduce operational friction, improve coordination, and enhance the quality and consistency of financial information
Serve as a senior point of escalation for all finance matters including; complex billing, finance, AP, and local counsel invoice compliance matters, ensuring timely resolution and proactive stakeholder communication
Maintain a strong understanding of client billing guidelines, outside counsel requirements, legal finance best practices, and law firm financial operations