Legal Staff Accounting/Finance in Baltimore, MD

Law Firm

Baltimore, MD

Legal Staff Accounting/Finance in Baltimore, MD

Legal Staff

Min 3 yrs required

No

Job Title: Client Account Specialist

Job Responsibilities:
The Client Account Specialist (CAS) is responsible for full ownership of the billing and collections cycle for assigned client portfolios. This includes ensuring proper and accurate client account setup for billing, e-billing, collection arrangements, and inventory management. The CAS will cultivate strong, collaborative relationships with attorneys throughout the entire cycle of client invoicing and collections, ensuring client services and satisfaction in all areas of the position.

Key responsibilities include:
- Taking complete ownership of the billing and collections cycle for designated client portfolios.
- Establishing and maintaining professional and collaborative relationships with attorneys, business services personnel, and clients to ensure compliance with attorney and client specifications.
- Managing all billing and collections processes from engagement to collections with tact, diplomacy, and effective negotiation skills.
- Reviewing rates for accuracy and ensuring fee arrangements align with clients' outside counsel guidelines.
- Monitoring fee caps, tier discounts, accruals, and matter budgets, and escalating potential issues.
- Managing the proforma to final bill process, ensuring timely receipt and return of accurate proformas by the Matter Supervising Partners (MSP).
- Submitting finalized bills/eBills in appropriate template formats, adhering to attorney and client specifications.
- Collaborating with the eBilling Team for new client and matter eBilling setups and with the Client Maintenance Team to update fields according to client billing guidelines.
- Submitting invoices electronically, ensuring successful submission, and troubleshooting issues.
- Communicating directly with clients as requested or established, including following up on eBilling collections.
- Responding to inquiries related to accruals, billing, and payment information.
- Preparing effective monthly billing and collections forecasts.
- Maintaining updated proforma status reports.
- Establishing effective backup support processes for seamless support of all portfolio matters.
- Participating in continuous improvement of processes within the CAS group.
- Engaging in the firm's Responsible Business program.
- Performing other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience Information:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a business discipline is required, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
- A minimum of three years of specialized billing, eBilling, collections, or account management experience.
- Hands-on experience with complex accounting analysis.
- A background in a law firm or professional services setting is preferred.

Qualifications and Requirements:
- 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 with an ability to prioritize and complete simultaneous projects with minimal supervision.
- Experience working independently and within cross-functional teams in a collaborative, professional environment.
- Ability to meet deadlines and work well under pressure.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, EHUB) and a basic understanding of eBilling vendors (TyMetrix, CounselLink, BillingPoint, LegalTracker, Collaborati, Collaboration/Passport).
- Basic math skills for billing and reporting tasks.
- Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to focus attention and use reasoning consistently to perform essential job functions.
- Good judgment and decision-making skills.
- Spanish-speaking ability is a plus.

Teamwork and Applied Skills:
- High level of business acumen and multi-tasking ability.
- Capacity to assess pertinent information, anticipate issues and outcomes, and make effective decisions.
- Talent for delivering client service through teamwork.
- Ability to exchange information, present ideas, and report clearly and concisely.
- Strong initiative to proactively increase value to the position.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage large amounts of data.
- Ability to organize time, prioritize workload effectively, and work independently.
- High comfort level with sometimes stressful client requirements.
- Reliability, dependability, and strong motivation to respond to requests quickly.

Salary Information:
The annualized salary range for this position varies by location:
- Washington, DC: $61,000 to $69,000
- Colorado Springs, CO: $62,000 to $85,000
- Denver, CO: $63,000 to $87,000
Salary is dependent on the candidate's overall experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.

This job description outlines the duties and responsibilities of the Client Account Specialist position and may be subject to change as determined by the law firm. The law firm is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with federal and state disability laws, offering reasonable accommodations for applicants and candidates with disabilities.