Senior Pricing Specialist (Litigation)

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, the Senior Pricing Specialist (Litigation) will work closely with cross-functional administrative and legal teams to optimize litigation pricing models and strategies. This role will be focused on developing complex budgets and Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs) and supporting the pricing of Litigation based Requests for Proposals (“RFPs”) within Osler’s litigation practices (class action, commercial litigation, arbitration, tax disputes, intellectual property, etc.) with profitability and client satisfaction in mind.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience
This position requires a university degree in a business discipline and a minimum of five years of progressive experience preferably in the legal industry with or without experience in the litigation context. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be acceptable.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Strong analytical skills to look beyond financial data / report and prepare concise and actionable insight to aid business decision making and risk assessment
• Working knowledge of pricing, alternative fee arrangements, negotiation tactics and costing of services in the legal or professional services context
• Able to work autonomously and manage multiple engagements with aggressive deadlines. Excellent time management and organizational skills in order to efficiently multi-task and prioritize are critical
• Self-starter and a proactive approach with a mindset of continuous innovation and improvement
• Solid knowledge of financial analytical and reporting tools such as Excel (advanced), ADERANT, SQL, MS Access, and Microsoft SQL Analysis Services (SSAS) cubes
  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.

• Working closely with the Client Development team and lawyers to assist with the pricing of Litigation based RFPs
• Preparing litigation-specific budgets and developing pricing models in responding to RFPs and developing / maintaining template fixed pricing menus for department use
• Providing financial analysis and pricing scenario modeling for Partners and the Billing Management Committee (BMC) to assist them in making key business decisions
• Developing standardized matter plans (i.e. phase / task & tracking codes) for various matter types
• Routinely working with the National Department Chair (Litigation), Litigation Operations & Products Partner, Head of Osler Works Disputes, and Knowledge Management Lawyer (Litigation) in expanding Osler’s capabilities and tools in pricing, and AFAs in the litigation context
• Supporting the improvement of processes, policies, and procedures with a focus on gaining certainty of client costs in the litigation context and increasing the firm’s profitability
• Analyzing fee data of existing matters and developing templates for different matter types
• Providing training and coaching to peers and other professionals as needed, or in collaboration with others
• Provide other assistance as required, including but not limited to, assistance with the proper set up of AFA arrangements in our billing systems and responding to other general requests