Legal Staff Information Technology in Chicago, IL

Law Firm

Chicago, IL

Legal Staff Information Technology in Chicago, IL

Legal Staff

No

Job Title: Project Analyst

Job Responsibilities:
The Project Analyst (PA) is a full-time, exempt position responsible for providing input, auditing, and analytical support for various projects related to practice management within a law firm. The PA plays a crucial role in auditing time entries per outside counsel guidelines, gathering and analyzing data used for fee arrangements, and managing discrete portions of specific projects aimed at process improvements within practice groups.

Essential job functions include:

1. Practice Group Projects:
- Collaborating with Practice Group Managers and Legal Project Managers to enhance processes and manage specific project portions.
- Developing skills to manage projects effectively.
- Gaining a strong understanding of practice group economics, task codes, and client requirements.
- Acquiring a deep understanding of outside counsel guidelines related to time entry, invoicing, pricing, and rate requirements.
- Maintaining a collaborative and proactive working relationship with the Pricing and Legal Project Management Team, Finance and Accounting Department, Business Development Team, and Firm Practice Leaders and attorneys.
- Collaborating with different management groups and attorneys within the firm to utilize tools and analytics for better time entries and to guide rates and pricing strategies to maximize profitable growth.
- Supporting Intake Clerks with SharePoint/Case Management inputs.

2. Billing and Time Entry Projects:
- Performing time entry auditing per outside counsel guidelines.
- Running routine scripts to generate a list of new time entries posted.
- Making necessary changes to time entries still in Work In Progress (WIP).
- Splitting block billing narratives into separate entries as appropriate.
- Escalating issues to the timekeeper if the narrative is not descriptive, if time increments are listed in block-billed entries, or if there is an error in the substance of the narrative.
- Escalating to the billing partner if a wording change may change the definition of actual work done, or if any of the timekeeper escalations are still not compliant with guidelines.
- Escalating to the billing partner if the month-end, matter-level time entries identify multiple timekeepers completing the same task or attending the same meeting.
- Running Billblast reporting on e-billing client rejections and reductions.
- Working on automation to correct repetitive errors in the time entry system via macro/scripts/error messages.
- Documenting and analyzing required information and data.

Secondary job functions include:

1. Pricing Related Projects:
- Providing support to partners for pricing requests, time entry best practices, preparation of fee estimates, development of appropriate pricing approaches, and communication of fees and value pricing.
- Creating and documenting best practices related to time entry, pricing, and profitability.
- Maintaining current knowledge of trends and developments affecting the area of specialization and encouraging innovative thinking and sound judgment to achieve results.
- Assuming responsibility for maintaining the highest level of confidentiality of all firm records and files.
- Assuming additional responsibilities as requested.

Education and Experience Information:
- A BA/BS degree is preferred.
- The candidate should be a self-motivated, strategic, and analytical thinker with a high level of initiative and attention to detail.
- Experience in constructing complex models, financial analyses, and reports using Excel and other relational-database systems is required.
- Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage time effectively to meet deadlines and manage competing priorities.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively across all levels of the firm, both internally and externally.
- Demonstrated ability to learn new technology quickly.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to organize and prioritize multiple assignments, use initiative and judgment to accomplish results, participate as a team leader or member of a team, work under pressure, and complete job assignments accurately, timely, and professionally.
- The ability to travel to the firm’s other offices is required.

Salary Information:
The salary range for the Project Analyst position is $55,000 - $65,000. Any offered salary is determined based on internal equity, internal salary range, market data, applicant skills, relevant experience, degrees, or certifications.

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by employees in this job. It is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this job classification.