Senior Billing Specialist (Law Firm Experience)

Senior Billing Specialist

We are conducting a search for an experienced Senior Billing Specialist with a related bachelor's degree and at least five years of hands-on experience in billing, collections, or account management. This role calls for someone with law firm experience and complex accounting analysis.

What You Will Do:

The ideal candidate has expertise in client legal billing through prior experience and can handle complex client billing and large portfolios of client matters. They are able to generate new and innovative solutions to problems, while decision-making is guided by predefined policies, procedures and the firm's business plan. They work autonomously, manage their own time and deliver work products that meet the firm's expectations. The individual ensures proper and accurate client billing and excellent client service and satisfaction.

• Responsible for complete ownership of the billing cycle for designated portfolios of client matters. Establishes, fosters, and maintains professional and collaborative relationships with attorneys, business services personnel, and clients to ensure compliance with both attorney and client specifications; manages all billing processes from engagement to bill posting with tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to manage high-volume and complex billing portfolios.
• Reviews outside counsel guidelines and client agreed rates to ensure preparation of bills in accordance with the same.
• Prepares work in process and bills according to alternative fee arrangements with accuracy; ensures fee arrangement is in line with the client's outside counsel guidelines, monitors fee caps, tier discounts and matter budgets; escalates and proposes solutions when potential issues might occur (delayed billings, exceeding fee cap, etc.).
• Coordinates the prebill to final bill process; ensures Billing Partners receive accurate prebills and they return their prebills in a timely manner. Submits finalized bills/eBills in the appropriate template format by adhering to attorney and client specifications. Ensures final bills have been submitted to the client and are posted in financial system.
• Collaborates with the eBilling Specialist regarding new client and matter eBilling set-ups. Collaborates with the Client Onboarding Manager to update appropriate fields of client information, according to client billing guidelines. Takes accountability for successful submission and troubleshooting issues. Proactively follows-up on the acceptance and timely payment of eBills. Collaborate with collections teams to minimize outstanding balances.
• Communicates directly with partners, their assistants and clients as requested, including following-up on ebilling revision and contacting clients as needed. Concisely communicates arrangements with Billing Partners and clients regarding their matters; provides clients with requested information on any special billing. Responds to all inquiries relating to same in a timely manner.
• Responds to inquiries relating to billing and payment information; recommends solutions based on billing trends relating to realization; prepares ad hoc reports upon request.
• Serve as a resource and mentor to Billing staff.
• Assist in training new team members and sharing process improvements.
• Establishes effective back-up support processes (cross-training and knowledge transfer) to ensure seamless support for all portfolio matters; ensures adequate coverage when out of office.
• Create billing schedules, analyses, and distribute monthly partner or finance reports.
• Participates in continuous improvement of processes for own portfolio and for the Revenue group by offering constructive recommendations and solutions, proposals, streamlined processes, and actively solving issues.
• Other duties as assigned.

Teamwork and Applied Skills:

• High level of business acumen and ability to multi-task.
• Strong mentoring and knowledge-sharing skills across a range of experience levels.
• Ability to explain complex billing concepts in a clear, supportive manner.
• Ability to onboard and train new team members effectively and confidently.
• Ability to assess pertinent information, anticipates issues and outcomes, and makes effective decisions.
• Talent for delivering client service through teamwork.
• Ability to exchange information, present ideas, and report in a clear and concise manner.
• Strong initiative to proactively increase value to the position.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage large amounts of data.
• Ability to organize time, prioritizes workload effectively, and works independently.
• High comfort level with sometimes stressful client requirements.
• Reliability, dependability, and strong motivation to respond to requests quickly.
• Acts as informal resource for colleagues with less experience.

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or Business discipline preferred.
• Minimum five years dedicated specialized billing, collections or account management experience.
• Hands-on experience performing complex accounting analysis.
• Law Firm or professional services background preferred.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with lawyers, business services employees, and peers
• Strong organizational and management skills and an ability to prioritize and complete simultaneous projects with minimal supervision.
• Experience in working independently, within cross-functional teams, in a collaborative, professional environment.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work well under pressure.
• Ability to prepare accurate and detailed work product.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Law firm accounting software experience, such as Aderant, is preferred.
• Basic accounting and math skills to perform billing and reporting tasks.
• Excellent critical thinking skills and problem solving in addition to perform the essential functions of the job.
• Ability to focus attention on a task for some length of time is needed to perform the essential functions of the job.
• Exercises good judgment and decision making in performing essential function of position.