Senior Pricing & Business Analyst

Job Description

WilmerHale is a leading, full-service international law firm with 1,000 lawyers located throughout 12 offices in the United States and Europe. Our lawyers work at the intersection of government, technology and business, and we remain committed to our guiding principles of providing quality, excellent legal and client services; developing diversity among our lawyers and staff and cultivating an environment that promotes an ambitious spirit, collaboration and collegiality by drawing on the extraordinary talents and dynamic experience of our lawyers. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our clients and the communities in which we practice.

About The Role

Analize, monitor, and report on financial data to both internal and external stakeholders. Create practice-specific budget templates, analyze comparable data, and develop standardized task pricing for all legal matters, with a focus on civil and criminal litigation. Develop budgets/estimates in support of client requests and/or alternative fee pricing. Monitor budgets, identify overruns, alert partners, and recommend solutions. Provide recommendations and analyses for various client pricing arrangements, including annual rate renewals. Provide firm, practice and office focused profitability statistics, modeling, and analysis under the general direction of a PBA Manager, and or the Director of PBA,. Prepare and distribute weekly and monthly financial reports in approved formats, analyze results, and prepare observations for firm management. Provides financial support to the Department Chair and Practice Group Leaders in the litigation department. Develop tools to provide Department leadership with value-add analysis to help improve revenue. Work closely with other team members to create consistency in analyses, understand the firm practices at large, and anticipate cross-sell opportunities. Work collaboratively with employees from other administrative functions, including but not limited to Billing, Legal Project Management, Client Development, Practice Management and New Business Intake, in order to provide comprehensive support to WilmerHale attorneys.

What You Will Be Doing

• Develop hourly budgets or Alternative Fee Arrangements for legal matters in collaboration with Partners / matter team to meet client requests; budgets to be based on matter scope and staffing assumptions, as well as phases of engagement; provide quality assurance in the budget process.
• Provide pricing support to WilmerHale attorrneys in the form of annual rate renewals, budget estimates, and alternative fee proposals.
• Leverage warehoused financial data to provide financial support to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Incorporate Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs); provide notification of deadlines to Partners and update budgets to meet client requirements.
• Monitor actuals against budgeted fees and update budgets in light of actual work performed; submit reports to Partners.
• Participate in firm-wide matter management program including, but not limited to theorizing, review, and validation of matter management reports.
• Analyze impact of client rate arrangements including financial modeling and impact analysis of alternative rate scenarios on the firm and client.
• Participate in the annual billing rate budgeting process that supports the firm’s revenue objectives; includes supporting and contingency recommendations; includes updating our billing system with firm standard rates and firm level variations; prepare annual office and practice group revenue budgets; includes financial modeling and risk and opportunity analysis related to revenue.
• Prepare and deliver statistical support for Attorney Compensation review processes, including Partner Compensation and Capital process; provide information related to revenue generation and management components for Partners and individual productivity statistics of partners and other attorneys; includes maintenance of revenue FTE variations.
• Provide decision-support to Chief Financial Officer, Managing Partner and Practice Leadership as assigned, including monthly statistical reporting, issue/problem definition from both a business and financial perspective, developing, analyzing, and quantitatively modeling feasible/realistic alternatives, and presenting recommendations.
• Assist in developing financial and operational presentations for Finance Management to Partners, Senior Administrators and Firm Management as assigned.
• Look for opportunities to improve processes and activities by using/leveraging business technologies, artificial intellegence, and other resources.
• Participate in special projects and other duties as assigned.
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to professionalism, delivering high-quality service, and maintaining a positive, solution-oriented (“can-do”) approach. Effectively supports internal departments, external clients, and vendors through clear, courteous communication via electronic correspondence, telephone, and in-person interactions.
  
  

Required Skills

What You Will Bring To This Position

• Demonstrated ability to effectively use PC-based and on-line technology, database, presentation, and spreadsheet software
• Knowledge of mainframe-based general ledger accounting systems and statistical & financial modeling software
• Knowledge of matter planning and legal terminology
• Demonstrated ability to perform research that involves interpretation and analysis as necessary to develop recommendations on broad, complex topics and issues that have long-range impact
• Demonstrated ability to identify and analyze problems, propose solutions, and anticipate future opportunities before initiating action and implementing solutions
• Excellent project management and organizational skills, including the ability to work effectively, under general supervision, in an atmosphere of multiple projects, shifting priorities, and deadlines
• Excellent business writing and oral skills including knowledge of business English as necessary to present information that requires some origination and/or compilation
• Excellent document interpretation skills
• Ability to work with partners, clients, and staff
• Demonstrated ability to work with supervisor, peers, subordinates, and support personnel, keeping others informed of work status and changes that relate to their activities and stimulate team cooperation to successfully complete the task or assignment
• Ability to make customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions, developing and sustaining productive relationships
• Ability to work independently in a flexible, team-oriented environment with enthusiasm, courtesy, adaptability, and spirit of cooperation
• Demonstrated competency in knowledge and skills relating to the position, keeping up with current developments and trends in area of expertise
• Remains open to technological change as generative AI becomes more integrated into the firm’s practice, actively develop comfort with new tools, and adapt how work is performed to support efficiency and innovation
  
  

Required Experience

• Minimum 4 years’ directly related experience in the field of financial management, pricing, budgeting, data-mining and/or financial analysis.
  
  

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, or Economics required
• CPA or MBA preferred.
  
  

Why Join Us?

• A values driven firm that fosters collaboration and respect
• This position is eligible for a Hybrid Schedule
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match and profit-sharing options
• Paid time off and holidays
• For additional information about our benefits, please click here
  
  

Our Commitment

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (WilmerHale) is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to compliance with all applicable laws prohibiting employment discrimination. It is our policy to take all employment actions and make all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, citizenship status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, disability, military status, status as a disabled or other protected veteran, or any other protected status under applicable law. WilmerHale will make reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities and otherwise as required by applicable law.

For more information about Equal Employment Opportunity, please click here.

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by employees in the position. It is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills for positions. The firm reserves the right at all times, in its sole discretion, to add or subtract duties and responsibilities, as it deems necessary.