Client Accounts Project Manager - ET

DLA Piper; Reston (VA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

DLA Piper is seeking a Client Accounts Project Manager in the Northern Virginia area to support partners managing complex client portfolios. You will ensure financial administration, timely communication, and strong client service delivery.

You will collaborate with partners, clients, and internal teams to translate billing data into insights, produce financial reporting, and drive process improvements across matter management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Law, Business Administration or related field.
• Minimum 5 years in legal financial operations or project management.
• LPM, LPP, LPA or PMP with legal experience preferred.
• Experience with Aderant and Intapp preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day engagement with partners, clients, and internal teams.
• Convert detailed billing, receivables, and matter information into clear updates and recommendations.
• Produce recurring reporting and financial commentary on billing activity and account status.
• Drive follow-through on outstanding items with clients and internal teams.
• Research and resolve invoice questions and budget alignment concerns.
• Support electronic billing by addressing submission errors or rejections.
• Track accruals, budgets, and matter activity to identify risks or profitability concerns.
• Evaluate aged receivables and improve cash flow through focused collections.
• Maintain visibility into client payment activity and execute focused collection strategies.
• Recommend enhancements to workflows, reporting methods, and service delivery processes.
• Establish reusable guidance and standards across the department.

Skills

Legal billing

Collections

Client accounting

e-billing

Budgeting

Accruals

Matter financial management

Aderant

Intapp

Smartsheet

Microsoft Project

Asana

Trello

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Law, Business Administration

Tools

Smartsheet

Microsoft Project

Asana

Trello

Microsoft Office Suite

Aderant

Intapp

Job description

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.

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

• Bachelor’s 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 years’ 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