Client Relationship Specialist

Withersworldwide 

Job title: Client Relationship Specialist

Reports to: Divisional Supervisor

Location: London, UK 

This role is an experienced client facing role responsible for more complex billing and client onboarding tasks for an allocated number of partners and their clients and will work closely with the Finance and Risk teams. The role provides an escalation point for the Client Relationship Coordinators, issuing guidance and support where required. 

Areas of focus and responsibilities (not an exhaustive list):

• Liaising directly with clients in respect of onboarding requirements and financial aspects of matters including submitting invoices and dealing with queries
• Dealing with the new business intake process, ensuring all sections are completed and all relevant information is included, including but not limited to ensuring all relevant parties and appropriate matter descriptions are included before submission.
• Taking responsibility for all usual client due diligence tasks including client and matter risk assessments relating to each new matter, ensuring clients are appropriately vetted, and checks carried out and any requisite approvals sought in line with the firm's policies, controls and procedures.
• Carrying out electronic identity verification checks where necessary to avoid delays, chasing due diligence documentation where it has not been obtained, liaising with partners and fee earners to establish source of wealth and funds for completion of the risk-based assessment forms and completing the appropriate due diligence and anti-money laundering forms, double checking information to ensure rejections are kept to a minimum.
• Once forms are submitted to the Risk & Compliance team, ensuring that they, together with all associated client due diligence forms and documentation (and approvals), conflict check emails and matter opening emails are filed in the compliance folders at matter level in the firm's document management system (iManage).
• Troubleshooting and on-going monitoring of the client due diligence process, undertaking regular reviews, reporting discrepancies, and monitoring sanctions compliance.
• Producing the first draft of engagement letters based on the scope of work, for approval and sign off from the fee earners. Pro-actively requesting money on account throughout the matter cycle and using best endeavours to ensure that it is received.
• Support the firm's pricing function in the creation and monitoring of matter budgets using the firm's pricing tool.
• Ensuring the firm's client relationship system (InterAction) is updated during the matter opening process (and ongoing) including telephone numbers and email addresses and any amendments that may be needed to existing entries, ensuring that duplication is avoided. This involves capturing client referral information, collecting and maintaining client relationship data and accessing this data to support fee earners in being able to cater for their clients' needs as well as being able to better report on referral information when looking at commercial conflicts. Working with the marketing team to help fee earners to access client intelligence when undertaking targeted campaigns or events.
• Liaising with fee earners to make sure all time is recorded accurately and in a timely manner, ensuring it is transferred promptly once matters are open as well as recording time entries, when requested.
• Pro-actively taking responsibility for processing third-party costs, liaising with third parties where necessary to ensure all relevant disbursements are billed in the relevant billing month.
• Responsible for compliance with the third-party payment process, ensuring approval request forms are completed and any associated documents are obtained prior to submitting the request for approval.
• Proactively initiating billing, to include more complex billing, producing proformas, checking VAT exemptions, charge out rates and currencies are correct, obtaining and following instructions for transfers, write offs and splits of time, processing billing, updating narratives in the practice management system (3E) creating and amending narratives and heads of charge, processing bills and coordinating the timely despatch of invoices to avoid any cash flow bottlenecks.  Ensuring that clients are aware of all outstanding invoices previously submitted and any queries clients may have regarding invoices are dealt with, to facilitate the prompt payment of invoices. Updating all relevant bill trackers throughout the billing process.
• Pro-actively working with the fee earners and the Finance team on their accounts receivable workflow requirements on a monthly basis - producing credit notes, ensuring auto-generated statements are not sent to clients inappropriately and on credit control and debt management tasks.
• Take a lead role in the housekeeping of files, checking balances and dealing with residual balances remaining on the client account for allocated matter supervisors on a regular basis to adhere to Solicitor Accounts Rules.  Closing completed and inactive matters which have a zero balance in a timely and frequent manner.
• Assisting fee earners who are sending out funds by checking details through 'Lawyer Checker' (online bank account checking provision) as required.
• Assisting with lateral partner hires – dealing with file transfers and onboarding of the lateral partner's transferring clients. Acting as a point of contact for the lateral partner in advance of their joining date and delegating to the Client Relationship Coordinator where appropriate.
• Assisting with training and mentoring of new Client Relationship Coordinators offering guidance and support.
• Delegating effectively to the Admin Assistants where appropriate, including giving substantive instructions and guidance.
• Keep up to date with compliance and regulatory firm policies
• Become a trusted expert in working effectively with the firm's technology and systems.
• Pro-active and eager in approach to learning and supportive of change within the organisation.
• Keep up to date with latest technologies, including awareness of AI.
• This role will be a pipeline to the Client Relationship Executive position.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive.  It is intended to describe the general content and requirements for the performance of this job and, as such, the role may include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

To be successful in this role, you must be able to demonstrate:

• Good academics - University Degree desirable
• Previous experience in a professional services environment
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Someone who demonstrates collaboration and team working
• Strong IT skills with the ability to use both existing and new tools and technology
• Expert working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams)
• A self-starter who is competent to work independently
• A calm nature, with the ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• A professional, willing and proactive approach, with a keen attention to detail 

The Essentials:

• This role will be categorised as 'hybrid' under the firms mobile working policy.