Billing Specialist

Location: Chicago

The Billing Specialist assists lawyers with the preparation of bills for clients, ensuring that client bills are processed timely and in accordance with the client agreement and accounting standards. The Billing Specialist answers billing questions, researches billing-related issues, and prepares and distributes billing proformas, invoices, and billing-related reports for an assigned book of business. The Billing Specialist regularly collaborates with other accounting departments, including Electronic Billing, Accounts Receivable, Cash Applications, Pricing, Financial Terms Management, Accounts Payable, and Revenue Management, escalating complex or high-stakes billing issues to the Senior Billing Specialist or Billing Manager as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

Performs daily billing activities to support partners, lawyers, and clients.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to Proforma generation and edits, creating timecard summaries, updating matter and Timekeeper rates, and running client reports at the request of the partners and lawyers.

Ensure timeliness, accuracy, and acceptance of invoices on a monthly basis for an assigned book of business. Act as a billing resource to lawyers and legal secretaries as billing questions arise, and follow up with Billing partners and others in order to resolve client billing issues and ensure invoices are approved and billed.

Understands and ensures correct implementation of client Outside Counsel Guidelines and fee terms.

Ensures electronic invoices are processed accurately and efficiently. Timely resolves any rejections or reductions of electronic invoices.

Demonstrates professional and developed communication skills. Ability to deal professionally and courteously with partners, lawyers, legal secretaries, accounting staff, vendors and clients of the Firm while observing confidentiality of client and Firm matters.

Must be highly detail-oriented with the ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

Maintains invoice support documentation, electronic submissions and appeals, and unallocated balance records as directed, updates billing fields as needed to keep records current, updates work-in-progress notes as part of regular billing recordkeeping, and maintains clear and current billing preference notes.

Manages billing for an assigned book of business.

Collaborates effectively with others within the billing team, finance team, and other Firm groups and departments.

Effectively utilizes billing coordinators and billing senior coordinators to create efficiencies within the billing department.

Other duties as assigned.

Education and/or Experience

Required

• Bachelor’s degree
• A minimum of two years of billing, accounting, or related professional services experience
• Proficiency in MS Word and Excel
• Understanding of general accounting principles as they apply to Billings and A/R
• Excellent math aptitude

Preferred

• Previous law firm experience
• Implementation of, or exposure to various client billing agreements
• Experience with 3E or other legal billing systems and electronic billing vendor sites

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

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The target salary range for this role is

$71,800 - $95,000 if located in Illinois.

Salaries vary by location and are based on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, the relevant market, skills, experience, and education of the selected candidate. Our compensation package also includes bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program. Benefits information can be found at Sidley.com/Benefits.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the Duties and Responsibilities above satisfactorily and meet the requirements. The requirements listed above 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 [email protected] (current employees should contact Human Resources).

Sidley Austin LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.