Client Account Operations Lead - CT/ET at DLA Piper in Houston, Texas

Client Accounts Operations Lead

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 Operations Lead, working in collaboration with and in support of the firm's strategic initiatives, is an advanced level Legal Biller with analytical and job priority sequencing responsibilities. This position will not have permanently assigned billing responsibilities is expected to successfully but dynamically manage the firm's top-tier billing portfolios based on an as needed basis potentially supporting multiple managers / billing teams to temporarily assume the duties for billing support models to include highest volumes and fees for institutional, high-profile clients and attorneys. Based on overlapping assignments from multiple managers or for providing interim support for multiple biller's positions, the Operations Lead will be responsible 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. As part of the team, the position provides and ensures a cohesive, full-cycle billing support solution to billing attorneys with complex domestic and international billing books. Serves as proxy for regional managers as needed and is considered a subject-matter expert in the field of billing. May provide temporary managerial support in the absences of designated regional managers or be a functional supplemental senior-level billing resources during absences, unplanned vacancies and/or during periods of increase work content within a designated regional territory. Represents the department by participating in client meetings and across groups and sets and drives agendas impacting billing practices and processes. The position will report to a Manager, Senior Manager, or Director in the department with ongoing assignments that require taking directions from or providing support to multiple regional managers simultaneously. This position is remote and may require work across various time zones and may require dynamic work schedules that change according to business needs of assigned region.

Location This position can sit in our Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Short Hills, Washington, DC, or Wilmington office and offers a hybrid work schedule.

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.
• 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.
• 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 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 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.

Desired Skills

• Advanced on the 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.
• 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

• High School Diploma or GED.

Preferred Education

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

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.

Essential Job Expectations All DLA Piper employees are expected to demonstrate excellence in how we serve our clients and develop our people, upholding our firm values as part of our culture. Specific expectations include:

• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with clients, lawyers, business professionals, and external audiences.
• Produce high-quality work and respond to correspondence in an efficient, timely, and professional manner.
• Meet deadlines, manage competing priorities, and commit to meeting high standards.
• Comply with firm policies and procedures.
• Maintain confidences as required in a law firm environment.

Physical Demands Sedentary work: This is primarily sedentary work, requiring occasional exertion of up to 10 pounds of force to lift, carry,