Accounting Administrator-Corporate Practice

New York, NY or Chicago, IL

Responsibilities

The ‘Accounting Administrator-Corporate Practice’ contributes to the smooth and efficient operations of the growing New York Corporate Practice by owning and managing all aspects of the practice’s financial operations (billing, eBilling, etc.). The candidate assists partners with all aspects of their financial operations through relationships both inside and outside of the firm and serves as a primary focal point for these operations. Primary responsibilities are to establish and manage finance operation structures to ensure the support of client specifications in invoicing while acting as the practice’s interface with other firm administrative functions. The position is a visible and critical resource to the practice that requires an adept combination of operational management, analysis, tactical processing, problem solving and customer service.

• Manages full financial relationship for designated portfolio with tact, diplomacy, and effective negotiation skills
• Fully engages with assigned partners within designated portfolio to advise and resolve complex billing, collections, client reporting and financial matter management issues
• From setup through finalization, coordinates or performs all aspects of invoicing cycle for assigned partners in designated portfolio
• Primary contact and manager of eBilling items for designated portfolio (e.g, obtaining eBilling numbers from clients, submitting budgets for approval, reviewing rates, confirming eBilling acceptance, resolving eBilling rejections)
• Works directly with assigned partners, serving as an essential resource in maximizing cycle effectiveness while minimizing their involvement with administrative tasks
• Anticipates outcomes, assesses next steps and recommends approaches to initiating actionable improvements related to assigned portfolio responsibilities
• Develops analysis and researches related to assigned portfolio to provide concise, detail-based documentation, statistics, tracking and recommendations
• Interfaces with Client Rates Management, Pricing, Matter Opening and Client Financial services (CFS) functions as necessary to ensure seamless coordination in the delivery of accounting services to assigned partners
• Evaluates unbilled and/or accounts receivable inventory and harmonize billing, collections and financial matter management efforts with partners, attorneys and other professionals throughout the firm to ensure appropriate revenue realization while maintaining a high level of client satisfaction
• Interfaces with Business Development on RFPs as necessary to ensure they have proper budgets, rates, timekeeper information, etc.
• In conjunction with attorney teams and billing professionals, works to ensure a full understanding of client guidelines and compliance with those guidelines
• Establishes, fosters, and maintains professional, credible, and collaborative relationships with attorneys, staff and clients to ensure accounts support both attorney and client specifications
• Monitor budgets where applicable and communicate with assigned partners and clients as appropriate
• Establishes effective cross-training and knowledge transfer procedures to ensure seamless support for all portfolio matters
• Addresses ad hoc practice or client requests (e.g. accruals, budget updates)
• Performs other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education/Training/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be considered in lieu of the degree when the experience has been directly related to the functions of the job

Professional Skills and Experience

• Minimum of three years legal billing including eBilling experience; required
• Minimum of three years legal billing experience with large NY firm supporting corporate practice; required
• Advanced accounting/finance experience; preferred
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to analyze, identify, and communicate results to team

Technical Skills

• Advanced spreadsheet/analytical proficiencies; required
• Advanced spreadsheet/analytical proficiencies; required
• Professional services billing operations and systems expertise; required
• Strong legal electronic billing knowledge; required

Performance Traits 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to analyze, identify, and communicate results to team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including for presentation to senior management
• Shrewd critical thinking and analytical skills
• Innate customer service orientation and commitment to excellence
• Superior interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to tenaciously solve problems and creatively conceive solutions
• Meticulous attention to detail, quality work, meeting deadlines
• Adept at delivering insightful, polished, accurate analyses and reports
• Inherently self-reflective, collaborative, team-oriented
• Proactive, innovative, self-starting