DLA Piper

Client Accounts Project Manager - ET

DLA Piper$100K — $153K *
Legal & Accounting
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience in legal financial operations or project management
  • Strong grasp of legal billing, alternative fee structures, and client service models
  • Experience with financial systems like Aderant and Intapp is a plus
  • Proficient with project management tools (Smartsheet, Microsoft Project)
  • Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
  • Ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships and multiple priorities
  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Law, Business Administration or related field

Responsibilities

  • Manage daily communications between partners, clients, and internal teams
  • Translate complex billing data into actionable insights and recommendations
  • Generate reports on billing activities and financial performance
  • Coordinate resolutions for outstanding financial items
  • Investigate and resolve billing discrepancies and budget issues
  • Assist with electronic billing submissions and errors
  • Monitor client financial activity to promote timely collections

Benefits

  • Hybrid work arrangement
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) retirement plan
  • Training and development opportunities
  • Positive work culture emphasizing client service and employee development
Full Job Description

Summary

The Client Accounts Project Manager, working in collaboration with and in support of the firm’s strategic initiatives, plays a key role in supporting partners who manage complex client portfolios. This position serves as a trusted liaison among partners, clients, and internal client administration, billing, collections, and accounting teams to support effective financial management, timely communication, and strong client service delivery.

Location

This position can sit in our Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Miami, New York, Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Short Hills, Washington DC, or Wilmington office and offers a hybrid work schedule.

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.

Desired Skills

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.

Minimum Education

  • Bachelor99s Degree in Finance, Law, Business Administration or related field.

Certificates

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

Minimum Years of Experience

  • 5 years99 experience in legal financial operations or project management.


Essential Job Expectations

While the specific job requirements of a DLA Piper position may vary depending upon scope of the job and area of specialty, there are certain universal requirements that are expected of all DLA Piper employees, which include but are not limited to:

  • 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 (a) working at a computer for extended periods of time, including on-screen reading and typing; (b) participating in digital/virtual conference calls; (c) participating in 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.

Our employees are expected to embrace and uphold our firm values as a part of our DLA Piper culture. We are committed to excellence in how we represent our clients and develop our people.

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. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.


Work Environment

The individual selected for this position may have the opportunity for a hybrid work arrangement comprised of remote and in-office work, the requirement for which will be determined in coordination with the hiring manager or supervisor and may be modified in the firm99s discretion in the future.

Disclaimer

The purpose of this job description is to provide a concise statement of the work elements and to organize and present the information in a standardized way. It is not intended to describe all the elements of the work that may be performed by every individual in this classification, nor should it serve as the sole criteria for personnel decisions and actions. The job duties, requirements, and expectations for this position may be modified at the Firm99s discretion at any time. This job description does not change the at-will nature of employment.

Application Process

Applicants must apply directly online instead of sending application materials via email.

Accommodation

Reasonable accommodations may be made upon request to permit individuals with a disability to perform the essential functions and responsibilities of the position or to participate in the job selection process. If you have a request for an accommodation during the application process, please contact .

Agency applications will not be considered.

No immigration sponsorship is available for this position.


The firm99s expected hiring range for this position is $100,787 - $153,578 per yeardepending on the candidate99s geographic market location.

The compensation offered for employment will also be dependent on otherfactors including the candidate99s experience, skills, educational andprofessional background, and overall qualifications. We offer a comprehensivepackage of benefits, including medical/dental/vision insurance, and 401(k).

Applicants who are not based in thejurisdictionin which this position is posted and who apply for this role are doing so voluntarily and are not eligible forrelocationassistance. Anyrelocationbenefits, if any, are provided only where a relocation isrequiredat the firm99s direction andin accordance withapplicable policy and law.

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About DLA Piper

DLA Piper is a multinational law firm with offices in more than 40 countries. The firm was formed in 2005 by the merger of three law firms: DLA, Piper Rudnick, and Gray Cary. DLA Piper is one of the largest law firms in the world, with over 4,000 lawyers and 10,000 employees. The firm provides a wide range of legal services to clients in various industries, including banking, energy, healthcare, and technology. DLA Piper has been involved in several high-profile cases, including the representation of the estate of Michael Jackson and the defense of FIFA in the wake of the 2015 corruption scandal. In 2019, DLA Piper reported revenue of $3.11 billion.
Learn more about DLA Piper
Size
10,000 employees
Industry

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