Legal Billing Specialist

Job Description

One of the nation’s leading environmental law firm, seeks an experienced Legal Billing Specialist to manage a sophisticated portfolio of legal billing matters from prebill review through successful invoice submission, approval, and payment. This role is ideal for a strong legal billing professional who can independently handle high-volume and complex billing arrangements, including e-billing, client billing guidelines, discounts, split-party billing, alternative fee arrangements, accruals, appeals, and invoice rejections. The successful candidate will bring strong judgment, accuracy, follow-through, problem solving and communication skills, and will serve as a trusted billing partner to attorneys, clients, and the Finance team. This position reports to the Billing Supervisor and works closely with the Billing Manager, Finance Director, CFO, attorneys, and client service teams. This position can be located in Austin, DC, or Baltimore.

They do not just practice environmental law—we define it. With more than 170 lawyers across seven U.S. offices and a legacy spanning five decades, we are The Environmental Law Firm. We combine the sophistication and reach of larger firms with the focus and agility of a boutique, counseling the world’s largest companies, industry associations, and municipalities on complex and rapidly evolving environmental issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage an assigned portfolio of client/matter billing responsibilities from prebill review through final invoice submission, client acceptance, and follow-up on approval/payment status.
• Compile, review, verify, and submit high-volume monthly invoices, including both electronic bills and PDF/manual bills, while ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with firm and client requirements.
• Review prebills for billing readiness, including accuracy of rates, timekeeper information, task/activity codes, costs, discounts, billing arrangements, invoice formatting, and client-specific requirements.
• Identify and resolve billing issues before invoices are submitted, including vague or incomplete narratives, administrative or non-billable time, duplicative entries, missing information, budget concerns, and other items that may create client guidelines or realization risk.
• Prepare and process complex bills, including matters with multiple discounts, insurance billing, split-party billing, alternative fee arrangements, task-code requirements, special client formats, budgets, accruals, and other client-specific billing arrangements.
• Interpret and apply client billing guidelines and outside counsel requirements to ensure invoices are submitted in accordance with client expectations and to reduce avoidable rejections, reductions, delays, and write-offs.
• Manage invoice submissions and updates in third-party e-billing systems, including coordination of invoice status, rejection resolution, appeals, accruals, budget requirements, and other client portal requests.
• Monitor e-billing submissions through successful processing, approval, and payment status, and proactively follow up on rejected, pending, or delayed invoices.
• Research and resolve billing discrepancies, short pays, invoice reductions, rate issues, matter setup issues, client inquiries, and other billing-related problems.
• Communicate proactively and professionally with attorneys, legal assistants, billing contacts, clients, and internal Finance team members regarding billing deadlines, invoice status, missing information, client requirements, rejection issues, and required approvals.
• Escalate material billing issues, recurring attorney delays, client guideline concerns, significant reductions, aging invoices, or potential realization risks to the Billing Manager, Billing Supervisor, Finance Director, or CFO, as appropriate.
• Update and maintain billing rates, billing arrangements, invoice formats, matter billing instructions, and related billing data in accordance with approved firm procedures.
• Prepare billing schedules, status updates, and ad hoc analyses related to WIP, invoice status, reductions, appeals, accruals, budgets, billing arrangements, or other billing matters.
• Follow and help reinforce firm billing policies and procedures, including policies related to write-offs, adjustments, billing approvals, confidentiality, and client communication.
• Contribute to billing process improvements, documentation, templates, checklists, and best practices to support accuracy, consistency, timeliness, and overall performance of the billing function.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of client, matter, financial, and firm information at all times.
• Assist with special projects and other billing, revenue, or Finance Department initiatives as requested.

Requirements

• At least five years of hands-on legal billing experience, including demonstrated experience with 3E and the Ebilling Hub in a legal billing environment
• Demonstrated experience managing complex legal billing, including e-billing, client billing guidelines, invoice rejections, appeals, budgets, and accruals.
• Strong understanding of full-cycle legal billing from prebill review through invoice submission and client acceptance.
• Ability to manage a high-volume billing portfolio with accuracy, urgency, and minimal supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to follow up effectively with attorneys, staff, clients, and billing contacts.
• Strong Excel skills, including the ability to analyze and reconcile billing data.
• Excellent judgment, attention to detail, organization, follow-through, and problem-solving skills.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and significant legal billing experience.
• Experience with major client e-billing platforms.
• Experience with complex billing arrangements, including discounts, split billing, AFAs, task codes, client-specific formats, and matter-level billing rules.
• Experience in an AmLaw, mid-size, or sophisticated law firm billing environment.

Work Environment
Hybrid model with a minimum of three in-office days per week. Some travel may be required.
**Please email resumes to: cbettencourt@friedmanwilliams.com **