Client Accounts Project Manager

Client Accounts Project Manager

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.

The Client Accounts Project Manager plays a critical role in optimizing the delivery of processing revenue for legal services by managing complex legal matters, improving financial performance, and ensuring alignment with client expectations. This role bridges legal expertise and legal revenue management with project management discipline to drive efficiency, profitability, and compliance across legal engagements.

Location : This position can sit in our Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Houston, or Minneapolis office and offers a hybrid work schedule.

Responsibilities :

• Project Planning & Execution : Develop and implement project plans for legal matters, including scope, timelines, budgets, and resource allocation.
• Coordinate with attorneys, billing managers, and client teams to ensure smooth execution across jurisdictions.
• Financial Oversight : Monitor matter-level profitability, realization, and budget adherence. Provide financial analysis and reporting using tools like Betterment's dashboard, AssessLex, or the Dell MyFinancials Dashboard.
• Client & Stakeholder Engagement : Serve as liaison between legal teams and clients to manage expectations and deliverables. Monitors and communicates client-specific timekeeping guidelines to attorneys working on the client. Facilitate timekeeper onboarding, billing coordination, and compliance with Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs).
• Process Optimization : Standardize workflows and identify potential improvements to legacy systems to support scalable service delivery. Lead initiatives to automate rate loading, billing instructions, and escalation workflows.
• Training & Enablement : Conduct training sessions on financial acumen, matter management, and firm economics. Mentor junior staff and support cross-functional collaboration.

Desired Skills :

Performance metrics include matter profitability and realization rates; client satisfaction and retention; timeliness and accuracy of billing and reporting; and adoption of standardized processes and tools.

Minimum Education : Bachelor's degree in Law, Business Administration or related field. Certificates LPM, LPP, LPA, or equivalent project management certification preferred. PMP certificate with legal experience also desirable.

Minimum Years of Experience : 5 years' experience in legal operations or project management.

Essential Job Expectations :

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 or supervisor and may be modified in the firm's discretion in the future. Disclaimer : The purpose of this job description is to provide a concise statement of the work elements and to organize and present the information in a standardized way. It is not intended to describe all the elements of the work that may be performed by every individual in this classification, nor should it serve as the sole criteria for personnel decisions and actions. The job duties, requirements, and expectations for this position may be modified at the Firm's discretion at any time. This job description does not change the at-will nature of employment.

Application Process : Applicants must apply directly online instead of sending application materials via email. Accommodation Reasonable accommodations may be made upon request to permit individuals with a disability to perform the essential functions and responsibilities of the position or to participate in the job selection process. If you have a request for an accommodation during the application process, please contact careers@us.dlapiper.com. Agency applications will not be considered. No immigration sponsorship is available for this position. The firm's expected hiring range for this position is $116,199 - $168,630 per year depending on the candidate's geographic market location. The compensation offered for employment will also be dependent on other factors including the candidate's experience, skills, educational and professional background, and overall qualifications. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including medical / dental / vision insurance, and 401(k).

DLA Piper is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.