Hybrid Client Accounts Operations Lead

at DLA Piper

• Job title: Client Accounts Operations Lead
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Senior
• Salary: $88,226 - $130,000 per year
• Degree requirement: High School Diploma
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Washington, United States

About the role

• Client Accounts Operations Lead at DLA Piper managing advanced legal billing portfolios. Collaborating across teams to support multiple regional managers and assist in high-profile client billing tasks.

Responsibilities

• The Client Accounts Operations Lead will report to a Manager, Sr Manager, or Director in the department with ongoing assignments that require taking directions from or providing support to multiple regional managers simultaneously.
• 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.
• Be the Subject Matter Expert to help provide legal billing surge support for several regional billing teams / managers.
• Internal assignments made on an as need basis to provide short-to-mid-term support for designated billing groups experiencing temporary production surges or shortfalls of required billing resources.
• Assignments may include splitting time and working 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 provides detailed analysis to attorneys and support staff.
• Track and resolve tickets assigned by the Accounting Service Desk on a daily basis.
• Works 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.
• Responsible for analyzing and prioritizing responsibilities to ensure maximum contribution to the larger billing organization, which includes process and gap analysis to be incorporated into customized training and mentoring to other staff members on all billing procedures.
• Maintain an accurate description of all client billing requirements, which may also include guidelines established by the client’s general counsel.
• Update and track changes to the requirements as necessary.
• Interact with billing department stakeholders to understand business problems and define solution requirements.
• Analyze legal billing process and supporting systems and develop business cases, build metrics and perform reporting.
• Document and communicate functional and system requirements and build process-flow diagrams.
• Also, continually review internal processes for opportunities to improve efficiency.
• 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 and liaise with project participants and follow up routinely to ensure effective communication and completion of tasks.
• 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.

Requirements

• 5 years of senior-level legal billing experience managing high volume billing portfolio in a fast-paced customer environment, customer service and business analysis
• Advanced job experience as a senior-level Legal Biller
• Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills are required to interact with various colleagues and business stakeholders
• Advance 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
• 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 in 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.

Benefits

• medical/dental/vision insurance
• 401(k)