Client Accounts Operations Lead - Pacific Time

DLA Piper is, at its core, bold, exceptional, collaborative and supportive. Our people are the backbone, heart and soul of our firm. Wherever you are in your professional journey, DLA Piper is a place you can engage in meaningful work and grow your career. Let’s see what we can achieve. Together.

The Client Accounts Operations Lead works in collaboration with and in support of the firm’s strategic initiatives. This advanced level Legal Biller has analytical and job priority sequencing responsibilities, managing the firm’s top‑tier billing portfolios for high‑volume and high‑fee institutional and high‑profile clients and attorneys. The role includes process and gap analysis, customized training and mentoring, and providing a cohesive full‑cycle billing support solution to attorneys with complex domestic and international billing books.

The Operations Lead may serve as a proxy for regional managers, provide temporary managerial support during absences, and represent the department in client meetings.

This position can sit in our Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, or Seattle office and offers a hybrid work schedule.

• Provide temporary managerial support in the absence of designated regional managers.
• Serve as a subject‑matter expert to provide legal billing surge support for regional billing teams.
• Review data for accuracy, gather and submit accrual information based on client requirements.
• Research and resolve electronic billing rejections.
• Research client billing data and provide detailed analysis to attorneys and support staff.
• Track and resolve tickets assigned by the Accounting Service Desk on a daily basis.
• Work across multiple teams within Legal Support Services and Accounting to provide streamlined billing and client account services.
• Analyze and prioritize responsibilities to maximize contribution to the larger billing organization, including process and gap analysis and customized training.
• Maintain accurate descriptions of all client billing requirements 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.
• Create standardized department reports and identify opportunities for efficiency improvements.
• Support projects, report efforts, and liaise with project participants to ensure completion of tasks.
• Interface with IT and other departments to support cross‑functional project requirements, system testing, and requirements validation.
• For US clients: support the full billing cycle, review and edit pro‑formas, seek approvals for deferrals, write‑offs, and time transfers, field billing inquiries, and create and maintain complex monthly reporting.
• For global clients: coordinate and lead global client unified billing, manage global client account assignments, perform all full‑cycle billing functions, liaise with international attorneys and finance counterparts, track tickets, and generate global client LEDES files.
• Develop training programs to ensure consistent billing processes across the team.
• Finalize invoices and submit them directly to the client or provide them to attorneys for transmission to the client per approved exceptions.
• Serve as a point of escalation and quality analyst, supporting and coaching junior specialists.

• Advanced senior‑level Legal Biller experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Advanced billing experience with a major law firm in a finance or billing assignment.
• Expert knowledge of direct billing or client accounts, including domestic, global, and e‑Billing for a law firm.
• Strong knowledge of the Aderant Legal Billing accounting system.
• Proficiency in e‑billing applications such as e‑Hub or Bill Blast.
• Team‑oriented, collaborative, and effective in a fast‑paced environment.
• Accurate proofreader with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex problems independently.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to recognize efficiency opportunities and coach others.
• Comfortable…