Position Overview
We are looking for a unique professional with a strong background in both finance and law. As the Budget Manager for the Legal Department, you will be the critical link between legal strategy and financial accountability. You will be responsible for developing, managing, and optimizing the department's annual budget, forecasting expenses, and providing data-driven insights to support decision-making for internal and external legal spend. The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented problem-solver who understands the nuances of legal work and can communicate effectively with attorneys and finance professionals alike.
Key Responsibilities
- Budgeting & Forecasting: Lead the annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting processes for the entire Legal Department, including headcount and operational expenses.
- External Counsel Management: Manage the budget for external legal spend. Track, analyze, and report on law firm and other vendor invoices against budgets and outside counsel guidelines.
- Financial Analysis & Reporting: Develop and maintain detailed financial models and dashboards to track key performance indicators (KPIs). Provide monthly, quarterly, and ad-hoc reports to legal leadership on budget vs. actuals, spend trends, and cost-saving opportunities.
- Strategic Partnership: Collaborate directly with practice group leaders and attorneys to understand their matter strategies, provide financial guidance, and ensure fiscal discipline.
- Process Improvement: Identify and implement improvements to legal billing, matter management, and financial reporting processes to enhance efficiency and cost control.
- Vendor & Rate Management: Assist in the negotiation of alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) and monitor compliance with outside counsel billing guidelines.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with the corporate Finance and Procurement teams to ensure alignment of legal budgets with overall company financial goals.
Qualifications & Experience
Required:
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience in financial planning & analysis (FP&A), budget management, or a similar analytical role.
- 2+ years of experience working directly within or supporting a corporate Legal Department, a law firm, or a legal services provider.
- Deep understanding of legal billing processes, e-billing systems (e.g., Brightflag, SimpleLegal, CounselLink), and common legal industry metrics.
- Exceptional proficiency in financial modeling and data analysis with advanced skills in Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets.
- Strong understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
Highly Preferred:
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or a Paralegal certificate.
- Experience with matter management and e-billing software implementation or optimization.
- Proven ability to negotiate with and manage outside counsel and other legal vendors.
Ideal Candidate Profile
- Analytical Mindset: You can translate complex legal activities into clear financial data and actionable insights.
- Excellent Communicator: You can explain financial concepts to non-financial audiences (attorneys) and legal concepts to finance teams with ease.
- Proactive & Strategic: You don't just report the numbers; you anticipate challenges and identify opportunities for efficiency and savings.
- High Integrity & Discretion: You will handle sensitive and confidential information with the utmost professionalism.
- Detail-Oriented: You have an eagle eye for spotting discrepancies in invoices and financial reports.
