Client Accounts Operations Lead - Austin

DLA Piper is a bold, exceptional, collaborative, and supportive firm where our people are the backbone, heart, and soul. This role offers the opportunity to engage in meaningful work and grow your career while supporting the firm’s strategic initiatives.

About the role

The Client Accounts Operations Lead is an advanced-level Legal Biller with analytical and job-priority sequencing responsibilities. This position dynamically manages the firm’s top-tier billing portfolios on an as-needed basis, potentially supporting multiple managers and billing teams. Responsibilities include analyzing and prioritizing tasks to maximize contribution to the billing organization, conducting process and gap analysis, and providing customized training and mentoring to staff on billing procedures.

The role serves as a subject-matter expert in billing, providing full-cycle billing support for complex domestic and international client accounts. It may also include temporary managerial support in the absence of designated regional managers or during periods of increased workload. The position requires collaboration across teams, participation in client meetings, and driving agendas that impact billing practices and processes. This role is remote and may require work across various time zones with a dynamic schedule based on business needs.

Location

This position is based in the Austin office and offers a hybrid work schedule. Relocation is available in accordance with firm policy.

Responsibilities

• Provide temporary managerial support in the absence of designated regional managers.
• Serve as a functional supplemental senior-level billing resource during absences, unplanned vacancies, or periods of increased workload.
• Act as a Subject Matter Expert to provide legal billing surge support for regional billing teams and managers.
• Handle internal assignments on an as-needed basis to support billing groups experiencing temporary production surges or resource shortfalls.
• Split time and work incrementally for multiple managers, supporting multiple billing attorneys.
• Review data for accuracy prior to submission and gather/submit accrual information based on client requirements.
• Research and resolve electronic billing rejections.
• Analyze client billing data and provide detailed reports to attorneys and support staff.
• Track and resolve tickets assigned by the Accounting Service Desk daily.
• Collaborate across multiple teams within Legal Support Services and Accounting to streamline billing and client account services.
• Analyze and prioritize responsibilities to ensure maximum contribution to the billing organization, including process and gap analysis for training and mentoring.
• Maintain accurate descriptions of client billing requirements, including guidelines from the client’s general counsel, and update them as necessary.
• Interact with billing department stakeholders to understand business problems and define solution requirements.
• Analyze legal billing processes and systems, develop business cases, build metrics, and perform reporting.
• Document and communicate functional and system requirements, build process-flow diagrams, and review internal processes for efficiency improvements.
• Apply best practices for communication and problem-solving, create standardized department reports, and analyze data for areas of improvement.
• Support projects, report progress, liaise with project participants, and follow up to ensure effective communication and task completion.
• Interface with IT and various departments to support cross-functional project requirements, perform system testing, and validate requirements.
• For U.S. clients: Support the full billing cycle, including reviewing and editing proformas, seeking approvals for deferrals, write-offs, and time transfers. Field billing inquiries and create complex monthly reporting.
• For global clients: Coordinate and lead unified billing, review data for accuracy, manage global client account assignments, and perform full-cycle billing functions. Create complex monthly reporting and liaise with international attorneys or finance counterparts for accrual and forecasting information.
• Follow up with international counterparts to ensure timely invoicing and budget adherence, troubleshoot issues as needed, and generate global client LEDES files for electronic billing.
• Develop training programs to ensure consistent billing processes and provide training to attorneys and staff.
• Finalize and submit invoices directly to clients or provide them to attorneys for transmission, including other billing information as needed.
• Serve as a point of escalation and Quality Analyst, providing support, guidance, mentoring, and training to junior staff.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED (Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or related field preferred).
• 5+ years of senior-level legal billing experience managing high-volume billing portfolios in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced experience as a Legal Biller in a major law firm or professional services organization.
• Expert-level knowledge of direct billing or client accounts, including domestic, global, and e-Billing.
• Strong knowledge of Aderant Legal Billing accounting system.
• Proficiency in e-billing applications such as e-Hub or Bill Blast.
• Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills for interacting with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Team-oriented with the ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, with the ability to recognize opportunities for efficiency improvements.
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex problems independently while taking direction well.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Lookup and PivotTable functions.
• Organized, self-starter capable of handling multiple projects and meeting concurrent deadlines.
• Ability to prioritize assignments and provide backup billing support to multiple managers.

Essential Job Expectations

• Effectively communicate, verbally and in writing, with clients, lawyers, business professionals, and third parties.
• Produce deliverables, answer phone calls, and reply to correspondence efficiently and responsively.
• Provide timely, accurate, and quality work product while meeting deadlines and expectations.
• Foster positive work relationships and comply with all firm policies and practices.
• Engage in both physical and sedentary activities, such as working at a computer for extended periods, participating in virtual meetings, and attending in-person meetings as needed.
• Work under pressure and manage competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Perform all other assigned duties, tasks, or projects.

Physical Demands

Sedentary work involving exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible force frequently. The role primarily involves sitting but may require occasional walking or standing.

Work Environment

This position offers a hybrid work arrangement, combining remote and in-office work. The requirement for in-office attendance will be determined in coordination with the hiring manager and may be adjusted at the firm’s discretion.