Client Accounts Project Manager - ET

DLA Piper is a bold, exceptional, collaborative, and supportive firm where our people are the backbone, heart, and soul. This is a place to engage in meaningful work and grow your career.

About the role

The Client Accounts Project Manager supports partners managing complex client portfolios by serving as a trusted liaison among partners, clients, and internal client administration, billing, collections, and accounting teams. This role ensures effective financial management, timely communication, and strong client service delivery in alignment with the firm’s strategic initiatives.

Location

This hybrid position is available in our Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Miami, New York, Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Short Hills, Washington DC, or Wilmington office.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day engagement with designated partners, clients, and internal teams to ensure financial administration needs are addressed with accuracy, urgency, and professionalism.
• Convert detailed billing, receivables, and matter information into clear business updates, insights, and recommendations that support informed partner and client decision-making.
• Produce recurring reporting and financial commentary covering billing activity, collection progress, account status, and related performance trends.
• Drive follow-through on outstanding items by coordinating with clients, partners, billing personnel, collections staff, and client administration teams through resolution.
• Research and resolve invoice questions, charge allocation issues, budget alignment concerns, and payment barriers in coordination with appropriate internal and external stakeholders.
• Support electronic billing by helping address submission errors, reductions, or rejections.
• Track accruals, approved budgets, alternative fee arrangements, and matter-level financial activity to identify exceptions, emerging risks, or profitability concerns requiring escalation.
• Evaluate aged receivables and open balances, partnering with responsible parties to remove obstacles, strengthen collection efforts, and improve cash flow outcomes.
• Maintain ongoing visibility into client payment activity and help execute focused collection strategies that support annual financial goals.
• Recommend and implement practical enhancements to workflows, communication practices, reporting methods, and service delivery processes.
• Establish reusable guidance, operational standards, and knowledge-sharing resources that promote consistency across the department and support broader strategic initiatives.
• Complete additional responsibilities as requested in support of departmental and firm priorities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Law, Business Administration, or related field.
• 5 years’ experience in legal financial operations or project management.
• Strong understanding of legal billing, alternative fee arrangements, matter profitability, realization rates, and client service delivery models.
• Experience with billing, collections, client accounting, e-billing, budgeting, accruals, legal financial systems, and matter financial management.
• Ability to perform analysis and reconciliation between cross-jurisdictional billing and financial systems.
• Experience managing global retainers and multi-jurisdictional matters preferred.
• Familiarity with legal financial systems such as Aderant and Intapp preferred.
• Proficiency in project management tools such as Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Asana, or Trello.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Excellent communication, analytical, relationship-building, problem-solving, and leadership skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable insights.
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, work effectively with partners, clients, and cross-functional internal teams, and drive consensus.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, follow up consistently, and drive work to completion in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strategic mindset with a focus on continuous improvement, innovation, operational excellence, and high-quality client service.

Preferred Certifications

• LPM, LPP, LPA, or equivalent project management certification.
• PMP certificate with legal experience.

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 in an efficient and responsive manner.
• Provide timely, accurate, and quality work product.
• Successfully meet deadlines, expectations, and perform work duties as required.
• Foster positive work relationships.
• Comply with all firm policies and practices.
• Engage in both physical and sedentary activity, such as working at a computer for extended periods, participating in digital/virtual conference calls, and attending meetings as needed.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Perform all other duties, tasks, or projects as assigned.

Physical Demands

Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.

Pay

The expected hiring range for this position is $100,787 - $153,578 per year, depending on the candidate’s geographic market location, experience, skills, educational and professional background, and overall qualifications.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.