Credit and Collections Manager

Description

Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. is a full-service business-oriented law firm headquartered in Milwaukee, WI with offices in Chicago, Rockford, Denver, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Madison and Waukesha with a national and international client base.

We have an immediate opening for a full-time Credit and Collections Manager in our Accounting department in our Milwaukee location. 

The Credit and Collections Manager oversees the collections department, directing staff and administering the organization’s collection policies. The manager may also develop credit and collections policies, methods, and procedures for senior management’s approval. Core duties include assessing customer collection worthiness, managing the client collections process, and authorizing the extension of costs advances on behalf of the client. The manager proactively decides what action to take on past-due accounts when standard collection procedures have failed and seeks approval from Senior Management on next steps. The manager prepares, or supervises the preparation of, reports on account status. The manager works closely with the CFO, Account Responsible Attorneys and Accounting teams, keeping them informed about client account status and collection status. 

Responsibilities vary but include:

• Supervise, train and evaluate the Credit department’s staff and manage department workflow.
• Oversee the Firm’s IOLTA trust account, including reconciliations, and maintain current knowledge of applicable rules and regulations.
• Partner with attorneys, on a case-by-case basis, to resolve aged work-in-process (WIP) and past-due accounts receivable (AR) before they become collection issues.
• Respond to attorney and client inquiries regarding WIP and AR, documenting all contacts in the collection notes module to support follow-up. 
• Reconcile client accounts, arrange payment schedules and refunds, and engage and manage collection agencies when appropriate.
• Prepare monthly WIP and AR reports, and report on the status of aging WIP and AR to the CFO.
• Monitor incoming receipts proactively, forecast expected monthly collections and follow up on variances.
• Review the posting of cash receipts to client and/or Firm accounts for accuracy.
• Promote electronic payment adoption and enhance the client payment experience through clear communication and effective use of dashboard tools.
• Support the Controller and CFO in managing banking relationships.
• Identify and implement process improvements across credit, collections, and billing.
• Administer timekeeper numbers and attorney billing rates. 
• Orient new attorney and paralegal hires to the credit and billing functions.
• Support billing specialists with account reconciliation and attorney needs.
• Manage special assignments as directed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree10+ years of billing and collections experience
• 10+ years of billing and collections experience
• Working knowledge of IOLTA and trust accounting rules
• Knowledge of 3E Elite software, with legal or other service-industry experience preferred
• Process-improvement orientation
• Ability to work effectively with attorneys and senior finance leadership, including the Controller and CFO
• Self-directed, with a demonstrated record of anticipating issues and acting without prompting. 

Physical Demands and/or Work Environment:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to frequently use a keyboard, calculator, and telephone. Frequent sitting, walking, talking, hearing, and occasionally stand, stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, crawl, lift (20 lbs.), and an ability to adjust vision for close vision work. Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities consistent with applicable law. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and/or certain state or local laws. Please contact Human Resources at [email protected] if you need a reasonable accommodation or other assistance to participate in any aspect of the application process.