Director of Pricing and Legal Project Management

Job Description

Job Description

Incisive. Inclusive. Invested. We’re Axinn.

Experienced, tenacious, and always trial-ready, we are committed to understanding complex legal challenges that impact the future of our clients' businesses, globally.

Focusing on antitrust, intellectual property, and high-stakes litigation, our extensive teams in the U.S. possess deep knowledge and client-side experience across a range of sectors, including technology, healthcare, life sciences, and consumer products.

At Axinn, inclusivity is central to who we are. We have a purpose that goes beyond profit, which includes fostering a fair, welcoming workplace and supporting the communities where we live and work. We actively recognize talent and promote opportunities for all team members. By embracing the unique experiences and perspectives of our people, we fuel creativity and deliver results for our clients.

Under the general direction of the CFO, the Director of Pricing and LPM (Legal Project Management) will lead the firm’s pricing strategy, driving innovation in fee arrangements that ensure we meet client requirements and firm profitability goals. The incumbent will collaborate directly with clients, Firm leadership, practice group leaders, partners, and various departments (e.g., Innovation and Marketing & Business Development) to structure competitive proposals for new business and monitor the financial health of existing client portfolios against firm profit metrics. Based on negotiated pricing, the incumbent will advise and assist billing partners and other attorneys leading matters with matter budgeting and legal matter/project management.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Pricing & Proposals: Lead the development of creative fee solutions, including Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs), and provide advice and financial modeling for client RFP responses.
• Profitability Analysis: Utilize internal data and Business Intelligence (BI) platforms to model matter profitability and identify levers for revenue growth.
• Partner Coaching: Advise and mentor partners on pricing options, negotiation tactics, and the financial impact of discounted rates.
• Matter Management: Set up budgets and specific timekeeper classification allocation to client matters to ensure compliance with agreed-upon pricing. Monitor deviation and alert responsible partner and firm management of impact on profitability, and provide strategies to rectify.
• Market Benchmarking: Conduct ongoing research into legal market trends to ensure the firm’s billing rates, fee structures, and discount practices remain competitive, profitable, and consistent with client expectations.
• Process Infrastructure: Design and implement streamlined procedures for matter pricing and budgeting, including the creation of standardized templates for various practice areas.
• Team Leadership: Manage, mentor, and develop a team of pricing and financial analysts, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Assume a leadership role in other special projects as assigned. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Education, Experience, and Skills Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in business or accounting preferred, along with 10+ years of direct experience managing the pricing and matter management function of a law or comparable professional services firm. 
• Time and billing software/system experience (i.e. Elite; Aderant; or another ERP). 
• Past experience in project management, including matter scoping, budgeting, and tracking progress towards budget (experience in the legal industry highly preferred).
• Past experience in selecting and implementing technology-based solutions that leverage AI and other technology for LPM, matter budgeting, reporting, and data analysis. 
• Significant past experience (in the legal or comparable professional services industry) developing pricing/profitability analyses and recommendations for new clients and matters, including working with partners and Marketing/Business Development teams on RFP responses. 
• Demonstrated familiarity in writing SQL queries to retrieve and analyze data. 
• Proven analytical skills to look at the data and translate it to the “story”. 
• Effective people and time management skills, with the ability to handle a variety of tasks simultaneously and manage multiple projects while prioritizing assignments
• Strong Microsoft Office skills – Word, Excel (high-level of proficiency required), PowerPoint, Outlook and various document management tools.
• Ability to build rapport with attorneys and professional staff.
• Strong organizational skills with great attention to detail.
• The ability to work independently and within a team environment.

Benefits 

At Axinn, we offer market competitive wages and generous benefit options to our valued employees. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Competitive starting pay and annual discretionary bonus and raise eligibility
• Generous paid time off benefits (vacation, personal days, holidays, and sick leave)
• Firm paid short and long-term disability, plus life and accident insurance
• 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Cash Balance Retirement Plan with generous employer contributions (please ask for further details re: eligibility requirements)
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance options
• Flexible spending and health savings accounts (medical plan dependent)
• Firm paid comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Student loan refinancing discounts
• Lifestyle reimbursement program
• Hybrid remote work schedules are available for most employees (per current policy, in-office presence is required at least 3-days per week and fully remote roles are not available)

Position Details

This is a full-time, benefits eligible, exempt level position. Final rate of pay will be commensurate with the incumbent’s experience, with a targeted hiring range of $210,000 - $280,000 for NY/DC/CT and $210,000 - $300,000 for SF (the upper range reserved for highly qualified applicants). This position is currently available in either our NY, DC, CT, and SF office locations.

Axinn is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to creating an environment that draws upon the strength of the diversity of its workforce to achieve excellence in the Firm's field and beyond