Client Accounts Financial Analyst

Posted 14 Days Ago
Austin, TX
In-Office
5-5
Senior level
Legal Tech
The Role
The Client Accounts Financial Analyst manages legal billing processes, analyzes billing data, ensures compliance with client requirements, and trains staff in billing procedures. Responsibilities include resolving billing rejections, tracking tickets, and collaborating across teams for effective billing services.
Summary Generated by Built In

DLA Piper is, at its core, bold, exceptional, collaborative and supportive.  Our people are the backbone, heart and soul of our firm.  Wherever you are in your professional journey, DLA Piper is a place you can engage in meaningful work and grow your career.  Let’s see what we can achieve. Together.

Summary

The Client Accounts Financial Analyst position handles financial invoicing, analytical, and job priority sequencing responsibilities. This position will train to assume permanently assigned billing management responsibilities, to assume the duties for billing support models to include the highest volumes and fees for institutional, high-profile clients and attorneys. The role is responsible to work with experienced Legal Billers to analyze and prioritize 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. Also, the position provides and ensures a cohesive, full-cycle billing support solution to billing attorneys with complex domestic and international billing books. With support from experienced Sr,. Legal Billers, this position will serve as a proxy for the position’s regional manager as needed and is considered a subject-matter expert in the field of billing. The position will evolve to assume responsibilities for temporary managerial support in the absences of designated regional manager or be a functional supplemental senior-level billing resource during absences, unplanned vacancies and/or during periods of increased work content within a designated regional territory. This role represents the department by participating in client meetings and across groups and sets and drives agendas impacting billing practices and processes.
Location

This position can sit in our Austin office and offers a Hybrid work schedule working at least 3 days in the office.
Responsibilities                                
 

  • Be trained to become the subject matter expert in providing dedicated legal billing.

  • Review data for accuracy prior to submitting it; gather and submit domestic and international 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.

  • 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 reporting efforts and liaise with project participants and follow up routinely to ensure effective communication and completion of tasks.

  • Coordinate with existing Billing staff in concert with IT and various departments to support the execution of cross-functional project requirements and perform system testing and requirements validation.

  • For US clients: support the full billing cycle to 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, which includes 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. Create and maintain complex monthly reporting. 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 that engaged locations stay within budget and issue invoices timely. Troubleshoot issues with finance counterparts as needed. Track and resolve tickets assigned by the Accounting Service Desk on a daily basis. Generate global client data exchange files for electronic billing based on client requirements.

  • Support existing vendors to 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.

  • May perform other duties and projects as assigned.

Desired Skills   

Advanced on-the-job experience as a senior-level financial analyst or biller with financial oriented firms. Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills are required to interact with various colleagues and business stakeholders. Expert level of knowledge and experience with financial tracking, billing or client account management. Strong knowledge of billing accounting systems. Team-oriented and have the ability to work effectively and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment. Accurate proofreader and have strong attention to detail. Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex problems. Ability to work independently and is able to 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 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.
 

Minimum Education    

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.

Preferred Education  

  • Master's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
     

Certificates 

  • CPA, CMA, CFA, LPM certifications desirable.
     

Minimum Years of Experience  

  • 5 years’ Senior-level billing experience or financial management experience managing high volume and high value portfolios in a fast-paced environment, customer service and business analysis.

   
Essential Job Expectations

While the specific job requirements of a DLA Piper position may vary depending upon scope of the job and area of specialty, there are certain universal requirements that are expected of all DLA Piper employees, which include but are not limited to:
 

  • Effectively communicate, verbally and in writing, with clients, lawyers, business professionals, and third parties.

  • Produce deliverables, answer phone calls, and reply to correspondence in an efficient and responsive manner.

  • Provide timely, accurate, and quality work product.

  • Successfully meet deadlines, expectations, and perform work duties as required.

  • Foster positive work relationships.

  • Comply with all firm policies and practices.

  • Engage in both physical and sedentary activity, such as (a) working at a computer for extended periods of time, including on-screen reading and typing; (b) participating in digital/virtual conference calls; (c) participating in meetings as needed.

  • Ability to work under pressure and manage competing demands in a fast-paced environment.

  • Perform all other duties, tasks or projects as assigned.
     

Our employees are expected to embrace and uphold our firm values as a part of our DLA Piper culture. We are committed to excellence in how we represent our clients and develop our people.
Physical Demands

Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.    
Work Environment    

The individual selected for this position may have the opportunity for a hybrid work arrangement comprised of remote and in-office work, the requirement for which will be determined in coordination with the hiring manager or supervisor and may be modified in the firm’s discretion in the future. 
Disclaimer    

The purpose of this job description is to provide a concise statement of the work elements and to organize and present the information in a standardized way. It is not intended to describe all the elements of the work that may be performed by every individual in this classification, nor should it serve as the sole criteria for personnel decisions and actions. The job duties, requirements, and expectations for this position may be modified at the Firm’s discretion at any time. This job description does not change the at-will nature of employment. 
 

Application Process     

Applicants must apply directly online instead of sending application materials via email. 
 

Accommodation    

Reasonable accommodations may be made upon request to permit individuals with a disability to perform the essential functions and responsibilities of the position or to participate in the job selection process. If you have a request for an accommodation during the application process, please contact [email protected]
 

Agency applications will not be considered.     
 

No immigration sponsorship is available for this position.    
 

#LI-SB1
#LI-Hybrid 

DLA Piper is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Job applicant poster viewing center.

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The Company
HQ: London
13,446 Employees
Year Founded: 2005

What We Do

DLA Piper is a global law firm capable of taking care of the most important legal needs of clients wherever they do business. With offices throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, we represent more clients in a broader range of geographies and practice disciplines than virtually any other law firm in the world.

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