Insurance Practice Operations Manager

Status: Salaried/Exempt

Reports to: Liaison Partner, Finance

Department: Accounting

Position Summary

The Insurance Practice Operations Manager supports primarily the firm’s insurance practice, with the potential to expand to other practice areas, by maintaining accurate matter data, monitoring budgets and reporting deadlines, improving billing and collection processes, and providing timely operational and analytical reporting. The role serves as a central resource for insurer requirements, self-insured retention collections, matter administration, and process improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Matter Intake and Data Management

• Maintain a centralized spreadsheet of all insured matters, organized by insurer, and record the insured or client, matter number, state, line of business, self-insured retention (SIR), billing contact and process, billing attorney, supervising attorney, associate, assignment date, reporting deadlines, budget dates, current status, disposition, and related matter data.
• When new matters are opened for insurance company clients, promptly populate the appropriate spreadsheet tab with all relevant information.
• Create and organize shortcuts to iManage workspaces by insurance company client and matter category.
• Maintain current insurer guidelines, required report formats, panel counsel rate agreements by state and line of business, and related reference materials.
• Update the status of every matter at least monthly by reviewing available information in iManage and consulting attorneys when necessary.

Engagement, Calendaring, and Reporting

• Ensure engagement correspondence is sent to clients with an SIR that explains their payment obligation and is saved in the appropriate iManage correspondence folder.
• Calendar budget deadlines for supervising attorneys and mandatory reporting deadlines for supervising attorneys and associates.
• Monitor compliance with deadlines for initial case assessments, pre-trial reports, pre-mediation reports, and other required submissions.
• Ensure mandatory reports are submitted on time and saved in the appropriate iManage folder.
• Provide monthly matter-status reports to billing attorneys and additional reports to practice group leaders, billing attorneys, and the Insurance Team Leader as needed.

Budgeting, Billing, and Collections

• Assist with budget preparation, ensure budgets are submitted timely, save final budgets in the Administrative folder in iManage, and monitor billings against approved budgets.
• Monitor billing and collection of amounts within each SIR and notify the billing attorney and insurer when a client has not paid an invoice within 60 days of receipt.
• Promote collection of SIR amounts before settlement is finalized and the matter is dismissed.
• Develop consistent processes and template correspondence for billing insureds amounts that fall within their SIRs.
• Support timely and regular panel counsel rate-increase requests by billing attorneys.
• Use approved AI tools to identify billing-guideline compliance issues before pro formas are submitted and to analyze insurer reductions, appeal potential, and suggested appeal language.

Matter Resolution and File Closing

• Upon settlement, ensure the settlement agreement is saved in the Contracts folder in the iManage workspace.
• At the conclusion of a matter, ensure the insurer and client are notified of the firm’s intent to close the file.
• Ensure files are closed promptly and record the disposition, including settlement, judgment, or trial, together with total fees and costs incurred.

Analytics and Process Improvement

• Track annual matter volume, average effective rate, amounts billed, and amounts collected for each insurer with whom the firm has a panel counsel relationship.
• Analyze data to identify trends and opportunities to improve budgeting, billing, collections, reporting, staffing, and matter management.
• Report on unpaid SIR obligations, inactive matters, revenue by state and line of business, staffing, revenue by matter, time to close, and other relevant performance indicators.
• Identify practical uses of AI and other technology to improve billing and collection workflows and educate attorneys on approved process improvements.
• Once annually, identify attorneys working for each insurer and distribute the insurer’s guidelines, a one-page summary, and required report formats.

Work Allocation

• Administrative responsibilities: Approximately 75%
• Analytical responsibilities: Approximately 25%

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including the ability to use pivot tables to analyze and present data.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and process-improvement skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, written communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound initiative, and locate information within Intapp, 3E, and iManage.
• Ability to manage competing deadlines, maintain accurate records, and follow through on administrative requirements.
• High attention to detail and discretion when handling client, insurer, billing, and matter information.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with billing attorneys, supervising attorneys, associates, practice group leaders, clients, insureds, and administrative teams.

Working Conditions:

•   This position requires sitting for long periods of time while operating a computer. At times, employees are required to work in excess of the normal work schedule. Employees in this position must be mobile, have the ability to bend, and have ability to lift and carry files weighing approximately 10-15 lbs.