Complex Client Manager

at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Job Description

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK

Jenner & Block (www.jenner.com) is a law firm with global reach, with more than 500 lawyers and offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC. The firm is known for its prominent and successful litigation practice and experience handling sophisticated and high-profile corporate transactions. Firm clients include Fortune 100 companies, large privately held corporations, financial services institutions, emerging companies and venture capital and private equity investors. The American Lawyer magazine has ranked Jenner & Block as the #1 pro bono firm in the United States 10 times, most recently in 2019. The firm has been ranked in the top 10 in this category every year since 1990.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Manager of Pricing & Legal Project Management, you will join a collaborative and dedicated team of finance professionals and work closely with our lawyers in an important firmwide initiative to streamline shared services. This role focuses on various needs of management of our complex client portfolio by providing workflow management. This position requires billing expertise and technical proficiencies including issue resolution. Travel may be required as well as in-office collaboration. This is an exempt position located in our Chicago office.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Coordinate best in class financial services to the firm’s largest clients and the partners who represent those clients.
• Act as the client finance Subject Matter Expert to advise Partners on areas of inventory management and make recommendations to improve financial performance and client service concerning the pricing, billing, and collections processes.
• Drive process improvement and transformation efforts within the Finance function through ownership of the client dashboard.
• Ensure written documentation of all client management processes associated with managing client requirements compliance are up-to-date and organized in an audit-ready state.
• Prioritize clear, accurate and effective communication with partners, clients, and other business leaders and effectively resolve issues with clients and partners, in order to ensure accurate and timely billing is possible.
• Monitor AR balances and aging, along with client payments against WIP to identify areas of concern and work with Billing Attorneys, Collections, and Finance Leadership to develop and implement strategies to address any issues.
• Create and implement templates and tracking procedures to assist attorneys with monitoring and managing engagements throughout the matter lifecycle, providing reports to management regularly

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES MAY INCLUDE:

• Clearly communicating analysis, financial metrics, and budget reports to lawyers to ensure success of individual attorneys and the firm overall.
• Contribute to the development of tools, processes, and procedures to maximize efficiency.
• Work independently and maintain a level of flexibility with respect to working hours due to deadlines and deliverables in a fast-paced environment.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Data Analytics, or a related field is required.
• Strong customer service attributes with a result-driven positive attitude.
• Prior experience with major institutional clients in a law firm or professional services setting.
• Deep understanding of billing, pricing, Outside Counsel Guidelines, and e-Billing processes and procedures.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel and PowerPoint, is required.
• Experience with SharePoint, database management, and data presentation software(s).
• Strong organization skills with attention to detail and good business judgment, capable of handling sensitive information with appropriate discretion.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, demonstrating an ability to explain complex concepts to professionals of different backgrounds with confidence through the development of communication plans for defined stakeholders.

Jenner & Block LLP is an equal opportunity employer. Recruitment and employment decisions are not made on the basis of an individual’s race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability or medical condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity and/or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions, arrest record, matriculation, personal appearance, political affiliation, marital, parental, veteran, military, or order of protection status, or any other protected status or that of their relatives, friends, or associates.