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Bookkeeper

Shoup Legal, A Prof. Law Corp.

Bookkeeper

Murrieta, CA
Full Time
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    Job Description

    OVERVIEW:

    The Bookkeeper is responsible for the firm’s day-to-day bookkeeping, including Billing, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Account Reconciliation, Accepting and Depositing Funds, Financial Reporting including but not limited to weekly Dashboards, Cash Flows, and Forecasting. The Bookkeeper will use the Firm’s practice management system and accounting software to record transactions and prepare standard reports as directed by the owner. The Bookkeeper’s duties are designed to keep the Owners apprised of the heartbeat and health of the firm. In addition, the Bookkeeper shall immediately apprise the Owners of any unusual financial activity or problem that may arise.

    The Bookkeeper is also responsible for managing the Firm’s processes and systems related to time-keeping, billing, retainer replenishment, accepting payments, and collections of accounts receivables. The Bookkeeper makes sure time entries demonstrate value, so clients pay their bills timely. Bookkeeper also ensures bills are generated and mailed timely and works directly with clients to ensure bills and installment payments are on time and retainers are replenished, so the Firm always has sufficient cash to meet cash requirements and the legal team works only for paying clients. The Bookkeeper will also manage the Firm’s Cash management system by recording all receipts and payments timely.

    REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:

    The Bookkeeper works under the supervision of the Managing Attorney.

    AUTHORITY:

    The Bookkeeper’s duties are limited to recording transactions and following the policies of the Firm and the instructions of supervisors. The Bookkeeper does not have the authority to issue checks, spend money, transfer funds between accounts, or make deposits without approval of the Owner or Firm Administrator.

    The Bookkeeper is expected to and has the authority to monitor attorneys’ and other staff’s billable time and productive time entries daily. The Bookkeeper must follow up with staff to ensure time is entered timely and correctly. The Bookkeeper also works directly with clients on billing, collections, and payment plans so long as long as they follow the Firm’s established policies and procedures and all laws and regulations, and the arrangements meet the Firm’s collections and financial goals. Non-routine arrangements or payment plans need to be reviewed and approved by the Attorney responsible for that Client.

    Non-attorney support staff are prohibited from practicing law by the ABA’s Rules of Professional Conduct and State Bar Association rules. All work done by the Bookkeeper must be in support of and under the direct supervision of an attorney. In dealing with clients and potential clients, the Bookkeeper must be careful not to inadvertently slip into the unlawful practice of law. This would include answering client questions about what will happen in their case or recommending that a client undertake a certain course of action during their case.

    RESPONSIBILITIES:

    1. Reviews case management or time & billing system daily.

      1. Reviews the quality and timeliness of time entries. Contacts billers to ensure time is entered timely.
      2. Edits bills to correct typos, grammar errors, and ensure proper sentence structure.
      3. Coordinates with billers to improve descriptions of activities to ensure the bills demonstrate progress and value.
      4. Coordinates with billers to resolve apparent errors where time is entered on the wrong matter or entries appear to be duplicated.
      5. Identifies time entries incorrectly designated as “non-billable” (or vice versa) and coordinates with the billers to draft proper billable time entries.
      6. Collects records of expenses of costs advanced to clients and updates the case management system and accounting system accordingly.
      7. Identifies for the Administrator and Managing Attorney where billable records exceed Firm guidelines/timeframes for activities.
      8. Reports to Administrator and Managing Attorney regarding patterns of quality or timeliness and other training or performance issues.
    2. Generates pre-bills bi-weekly and provides them to the Attorney for review.

    3. Edits prebills to include corrections, write-off of time entries, mark hours up or down, transfer entries, and apply trust monies.

    4. Prepares monthly retainer billing.

    5. Prepares or generates final invoices and sends them to clients in accordance with the Firm’s policies and procedures for time-keeping, billing, and expense tracking.

    6. Manages the trust accounts, auto-replenishment, and installment payments.

      1. Monitors timeliness of payments and contacts clients whose payments are not timely received.
      2. Accepts payments or negotiates payment plans or installment plans in accordance with Firm policies and procedures.
      3. Obtains approval from the Attorney prior to committing the Firm to a non-standard agreement.
    7. Oversees A/R collections and case withdrawal process.

      1. Advises Administrator of clients who will not pay and have A/R older than one billing cycle.
      2. Initiates the first phase of A/R collections calls in accordance with Firm policies and procedures.
      3. Manage withdrawal process based on the Client Non-Payment and Collections Policy and Procedures.
      4. Notify Legal Team when withdrawal from a case is necessary; gathers red rubberband files and updates case management system.
    8. Works with the client, Merchant Service Provider, and credit card company to resolve disputes and requests for “charge back” or refund. Issues refunds with the express approval of the Owner.

    9. Enters clients' payments into the accounting system, prepares the bank deposit, balances daily reports, and upon approval, assures that the deposit is delivered to the bank.

    10. Answers questions related to payables and billing questions.

    11. Codes and enters all expense invoices and check requests.

    12. Verifies all invoices and check requests are properly approved.

    13. Prepares daily or weekly check runs.

    14. Reconciles trust accounts monthly via three way reconcile in excel.

    15. Prepares the following weekly reports for the CFO:

      1. Cash On-hand Operating & Trust
      2. Weekly Cash Flow Forecast (6-8 weeks ahead)
      3. Work in Progress (WIP)
      4. Aged Accounts Receivables (A/R)
      5. Gross Revenue Compared to Goals
      6. Cash On-hand Operating & Trust
    16. Prepares the following monthly reports for the CFO:

      1. Aged Accounts Receivables (A/R)
      2. Trust Reconcile Report
      3. Credit Card Reconcile Report
      4. Open Closed Cases Report
      5. Cash Flow
      6. Budget Variance Report
      7. Gross Margins
      8. Monthly Run Rate
      9. Work in Progress (WIP)
      10. Owner’s Stated Income
      11. Total Owner Benefit
      12. Profit First Accounts & Account Balances
      13. Balance Sheet Equity
      14. Revenue & ROI per Producer
      15. Cost of Client Acquisition
      16. Lifetime Value of Client
      17. Production Capacity Report (with assistance from COO/CFO)
      18. Growth Rate
      19. Average Case Value

    MATRIX OF TASKS

    • Daily:
      • Prepare bank deposits
      • Enter all deposits in accounting system
      • Respond to request from inside and outside the organization as appropriate regarding vendor issues, outstanding accounts payable, or billing questions
      • Update and maintain client billing list
      • Track and process client payment plans according to the agreed upon terms
      • Review daily time-keeping records and work with billers to ensure accuracy
      • Contact clients to obtain payment
      • Record all messages, correspondence in the case management system for all client contact.
      • Accurately record all cash transactions in QuickBooks.
    • Weekly:
      • Oversee the billing process: pre-bills, final bills, process payment, contact clients with late payments, update case management and accounting systems
      • Compile metrics on contacts and collections
      • Process any vendor invoices to ensure timely payment while maintaining cash flow
      • Review all incoming bills and resolve any issues prior to issuing payment
      • Prepare checks for all bills due that week – attach bill to check and submit to owner for signature
      • Maintain integrity of General Ledger
      • Email clients with open account balances to assist with collection efforts (bi-weekly)
      • Update dashboard
      • Create and distribute reports per policy and procedure
    • Monthly Responsibilities:
      • Reconcile credit cards
      • Reconcile bank accounts and create reconciliation reports
      • Provide additional reports monthly per policy and procedure
      • Additional collection efforts if attorney deems necessary. This may be a phone call or a more formal collections letter

    EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

    The Bookkeeper will have not less than two years’ experience as a Bookkeeper or Accounting Clerk, working with computerized accounting systems. Must have intermediate level Microsoft Office skills, especially with Excel.

    Familiarity with State Bar Rules on Trust Accounting preferred. A minimum of one year of specialized classes in accounting or bookkeeping preferred.

    KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

    1. Weekly reports are available each Monday at 10 a.m. for the prior week’s activities.
    2. Monthly reports are finalized on time per the company’s policy and procedure.
    3. Trust Account is reconciled no later than the 17th of each month with no discrepancies.
    4. Client billing is finalized bi-weekly.
    5. Check requests and expense requests are processed with the regular check run unless specifically requested by an attorney.
    6. Employees achieve at least 90% realization towards billable hours requirements; exceptions or performance issues noted weekly.
    7. 90% of payments are processed timely; non-paying clients are contacted within 3 business days.
    8. A/R is processed timely and reports are available bi-weekly according to the Firm’s policy and procedure.