Litigation Budget Advisor

at  Osler Hoskin Harcourt LLP

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is one of Canada’s leading business law firms. Advising many of Canada’s corporate leaders, as well as U.S. and international parties with extensive interest in Canada, our more than 1,000 firm members are based in offices in Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and New York.
Osler prides itself on attracting and maintaining some of the brightest talent in the legal arena. Our lawyers, students, management and staff have created a unique firm culture which nurtures mentoring and the exchange of ideas. Osler is a dynamic and exciting place to further your career or carve out a new path.
Reporting to the Senior Manager, Pricing and Legal Project Management, the Litigation Budget Advisor will focus on the financial management of litigation matters and portfolios of matters. This position requires a unique blend of legal understanding, financial acumen, and project management skills. The primary responsibility of the Litigation Budget Advisor is to oversee the budgeting, financial management and accurate billing of more complex litigation matters. This role will work closely with the Litigation Knowledge Management Lawyer, the Pricing team, lawyers and other administrative staff.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience
The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field, and a minimum of five years of experience as a project manager and/or pricing analyst. A formal project management qualification (e.g. Project Management Professional, PMP) designation or equivalent experience is considered an asset. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be acceptable.

Knowledge and Skills

• Proven experience in financial planning, budgeting, and analysis, preferably within a legal or professional services environment
• Understanding of litigation processes and the legal industry
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and project management skills
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively within all levels of the Firm
• The ability to be flexible, exercise sound judgement, and manage tight and unexpected deadlines
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy and the ability to work under pressure
• Self-starter and a proactive approach with a mindset of continuous improvement
• In-depth knowledge of Excel (intermediate) required
• An understanding of ADERANT, MS VBA, MS SQL and various billing applications preferred

For the safety of firm members and visitors, Osler is committed to complying with the recommendations of public health authorities, including with respect to adopting mandatory vaccination policies. Employment at Osler is therefore conditional on complying with any vaccination policies that Osler may adopt from time to time in response to the recommendations of public health authorities.
We are currently working in a hybrid work arrangement, which includes a requirement to work primarily in the office and flexibility to work remotely up to 2 days per week.

• Participate in the preparation of estimates and initial budgets for individual litigation matters
• Use, advance, and develop new litigation budget templates
• Monitor ongoing litigation budgets and adjust budgets, working with the Pricing team as needed
• Identify and update budgets based on scope changes
• Where required, communicate directly with the client on budget details and prepare client facing fee reports
• Work closely with the Billing and Billing Compliance teams to ensure a smooth process of docketing to billing litigation matters
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all budget-related inquiries from within the Litigation Department
• Work closely with Legal Professionals and legal staff to educate and implement the Firm’s standard matter management methodologies and processes
• Participate in Litigation Department continuing education events for partners and associates, including the annual litigation retreat
• Identify opportunities and implement procedures to enhance the integrity of matter data
• Work with partners to proactively engage key clients to demonstrate our matter management capabilities
• Continuously review and improve budgeting processes and tools to enhance efficiency and accuracy
• Implement other project management initiatives necessary to advance the Firm’s litigation matter management strategy
• Provide other financial and project management support to the Litigation Department as needed