Sr Finance Manager /Legal

The Senior Finance Manager serves as the critical second-in-command finance leader for the firm.

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• LAW firm experience REQUIRED.
  

This role is responsible for maintaining the absolute integrity of the general ledger, managing month-end close sequences and overseeing strict financial control environments. Crucially, this position acts as the comprehensive operational backup to the Director of Accounting and Finance, The ideal candidate blends rigorous technical law firm accounting expertise with the leadership acumen.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

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• Master all critical financial routines, core reporting structures, and upper-level administrative configurations to seamlessly step in and run the department in the absence of the Director.
  
• General Ledger & Month-End Ownership: Execute and manage the end-of-month and year-end close sequences including preparing, reviewing, and posting complex journal entries, bank reconciliations, and fixed asset schedules.
  
• Trust Account Controls & Regulatory Compliance: Review and supervise mandatory New Jersey IOLTA trust account tracking and compliance routines according to NJ Rule 1:21-6, validating monthly three-way reconciliations handled by the AP/Trust team.
  
• Operational Escalation & Management: Serve as the direct management layer for Billing Manager and the Manager of AP & Trusts. Review escalations regarding complex billing guidelines, software workflows, and specialized vendor payouts.
  
• Inter-Departmental Payroll Synchronization: Coordinate actively with the Human Resources department to audit incoming external payroll journals, benefits structures, partner draws, and equity distributions, ensuring completely accurate ledger matching inside Aderant.
  
• Process Automation & Documentation: Systematically draft, evaluate, and maintain a rigorous library of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Aderant financial workflows to guarantee structural transparency
  

Qualifications and Experience Requirements

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• Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration required. A CPA license or MBA is highly desirable.
  
• Legal Industry Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of progressive accounting experience, with at least 2 to 3 years within a mid-to-large size law firm environment.
  
• Software Mastery: Advanced, hands-on operational proficiency within the Aderant Expert ERP environment (specifically the General Ledger, Accounts Payable, and Trust modules) is strongly preferred alongside advanced Excel skills.
  
• Leadership Capabilities: Documented experience coordinating workflows across distinct accounting divisions or supervising transactional specialists and billing managers.