Cooley LLP

Director of Client Accounts

Cooley LLP • $280K — $340K *
New York, NY 10025In-Person
Legal & Accounting
8 - 10 years of experience
3 weeks ago
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of relevant experience in client account management, with 5+ years in a management role
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and firm applications after orientation
  • Ability to work extended hours and travel as necessary
  • Supervisory experience preferred, especially within a law firm, and familiarity with 3E systems is a plus

Responsibilities

  • Lead and manage direct reports in the US and Asia, overseeing staffing and employee lifecycle activities
  • Ensure accuracy and compliance in billing operations, delivering performance reports to senior management
  • Drive process improvements in billing workflows to enhance efficiency
  • Monitor unbilled WIP aging, maintaining visibility on revenue impact
  • Evaluate and propose amendments to Outside Counsel Guidelines with the New Business team
  • Oversee Intellectual Property billing operations, managing fixed-rate structures and billing procedures
  • Provide guidance to billing partners on best practices and financial analysis

Benefits

  • Opportunities for business professional development and continued education
  • Comprehensive support for employee lifecycle events in partnership with HR
  • Mentorship and direct supervision for career development
  • Dynamic work environment with an emphasis on collaboration and teamwork
  • Exposure to a diverse range of billing operations and legal practices
Full Job Description
Director of Client AccountsCooley is seeking a Director of Client Accounts to join the Accounting & Finance team.
Position summary: The Director of Client Accounts partners closely with attorneys and firm leadership to drive strong billing practices, support overall financial performance, and enhance billing efficiency. A key focus of the role is leveraging technology and process improvements to optimize billing workflows and shorten the billing cycle, while maintaining high standards of accuracy and service.  Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Position responsibilities:
  • Lead and manage US and Asia direct reports, including staffing, workload oversight, and employee lifecycle activities in partnership with HR
  • Oversee end-to-end billing operations, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, compliance, and timely month-end close, and deliver performance reporting to CFO and Director of Revenue
  • Drive continuous process improvements to eliminate inefficiencies and enhance billing workflows
  • Monitor, report, and escalate unbilled WIP aging to partners and leadership, ensuring visibility to revenue exposure on matters where work has been performed but invoices have not yet been billed
  • Work closely with New Business to evaluate new and updated Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs), propose amendments, identifying non-compliant or unfeasible requirements, and determine overall acceptability of engagement terms
  • Oversee Intellectual Property (IP) billing operations, including management of patent fixed-rate structures, annual rate updates, creation and retirement of task codes, guidance on billing procedures, and implementation of invoice template changes
  • Serve as a resource to billing partners, by providing guidance on billing best practices, including discounting, matter closures, financial analysis, and effective invoice presentation
  • Oversee biannual PwC audit processes by coordinating the collection of approved pro formas and supporting documentation, ensuring all billing approvals (including write-offs and discounts) are properly documented, validating compliance with client billing guidelines, and managing submission of audit materials through the PwC portal
  • Track and manage secondment agreements, including identifying new agreements and coordinating with the team to issue monthly secondment services for prior periods
  • Serve as direct supervisor and mentor to direct reports
  • Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requests
  • Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities
  • In collaboration with immediate supervisor and central HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events
  • All other duties as assigned or required

Skills and experience:
Required:
  • After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
  • Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
  • Ability to travel, as required
  • 10+ years of directly relevant exempt level applicable experience in the field with 5+ years management experience in relevant roles
  • Bachelor’s Degree
Preferred:
  • Supervisory experience
  • Prior law firm experience
  • 3E experience highly preferred

Competencies:
  • Entrepreneurial by nature
  • Excellent attention to detail
  • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with ability to facilitate and solve problems
  • Ability to organize, prioritize and coordinate multiple activities often under tight timelines
  • Ability to drive projects to completion and achieve goals
  • Strong judgment
  • Team-player with collaborative spirit
  • Unwavering ability to handle and maintain confidentiality regarding firm information, projects, and client data
  • High level of professionalism at all times
  • Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and develop talent
  • Proactive, analytical mindset
  • Effective presentation skills

About Cooley LLP

Cooley LLP is an American international law firm, headquartered in Palo Alto, California with offices worldwide. The firm's practice areas include corporate, litigation, intellectual property, fund formation, public markets, employment, life sciences, clean tech, real estate, and tax. Cooley's clients include private and public companies, financial institutions, venture capital firms, and nonprofit organizations. Cooley has been recognized as one of the top law firms for technology and life sciences companies. The firm has also been recognized for its diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Learn more about Cooley LLP
Size
1,200 employees
Industry
Legal & Accounting
Founded
1920
* Ladders Estimates

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