The Senior Accountant reports to the Partner Accounting Operations (PAO) Manager and supports other department staff.

• Responsible for general ledger accounting duties related to active and withdrawn partner capital accounts such as journal entries, account analysis, intra-account reconciliations and investigating account activity, and monthly and yearly reporting. Uses technical judgment to ensure that financial transactions are properly recorded;
• Lead and perform Partner monthly draw process
• • Calculate individual partner compensation
  • Verify and balance Transactions output
  • Confirm validity of reasons for transactional discrepancies and communicate discrepancies to management
  • Work with other departments to resolve discrepancies;
• Verify accuracy of partners net earnings prior to distribution of funds;
• Perform monthly clearing account (Partner / Firm) reconciliations and resolve reconciling items through coordination with appropriate FIRM accounting personnel;
• Review and verify partner personnel and transactional activity in the proprietary partner accounting system (PRISM);
• Lead and perform withdrawn Partner capital settlement process
  • Prepare journal entries related to actual charges against holdback accounts
  • Perform quarterly analysis of capital settlements
  • Prepare journal entries for capital settlements
  • Initiate payments for capital settlements
  • Reconcile holdback accounts
  • Investigate and communicate discrepancies to management
  • Work with Partner Relations, Tax and Retirement departments;
• Review of monthly withdrawn partner capital account activity report published in the Executive Summary book;
• Analyze partner activity and create verification control sheets for the year-end accounting reports delivered to partners;
• Answer partner accounting and transactional questions by researching and interpreting data;
• Document and maintain PAO processing procedures for responsible areas;
• Assist with internal and external audit requests;
• Identify opportunities for improvement, provide information and recommendations to management and follow-through on solutions;
• Understand and service business needs of multiple departments;
• Work additional hours as required;
• Special projects as assigned;
• Communicate effectively with other departments and outside parties;

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the Duties and Responsibilities (Duties) above satisfactorily and meet the requirements below. The requirements listed below are representative of the minimum knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. If you need such an accommodation, please email staffrecruiting@sidley.com (current employees should contact Human Resources).

Education and/or Experience:

Required:

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Accounting
• A minimum of 4 years experience
• Demonstrated technical and analytical skills within their professional background
• General ledger accounting experience

Preferred:

• CPA or candidate for CPA certification
• Service industry experience

Other Skills and Abilities:

The following will also be required of the successful candidate:

• Strong organizational skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Good judgment
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills
• Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
• Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities

Sidley Austin LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.