Finance Manager

Location: Brea, CA

Reports To: Managing Partner / Firm Administrator

Employment Type: Full-Time - Hybrid

Salary Range: $115,000 - $125,000 base

About the Role

NOW CFO is conducting a private search on behalf of a growing law firm in Orange County with a statewide presence. We are seeking an experienced Finance Manager to lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting for the firm. This role is central to giving partners the financial clarity and visibility they need to make confident decisions.

This is a role for someone who thrives on turning financial data into clear, actionable insight, and who has direct experience working within a law firm environment.

What You'll Do

Budgeting & Forecasting

• Build and maintain the firm's annual budget
• Track actual performance against budget and proactively flag variances
• Develop rolling forecasts to support partner decision-making
• Model cash flow needs and support partner draw planning

Ad Hoc & Management Reporting

• Produce fast-turnaround custom reports on request: profitability by client, matter, practice group, or attorney
• Prepare analysis and materials for partner meetings and budget reviews
• Build and maintain dashboards to track firm KPIs
• Translate financial data into clear, digestible insights for partners and firm leadership

Law Firm-Specific Financial Analysis

• Support billing analysis across fee arrangements, including hourly, flat fee, contingency, and hybrid structures
• Pull and interpret data from the firm's practice management/billing system to support financial reporting and analysis

Team Leadership

• Oversee an accounting team of 7, providing guidance, direction, and performance management
• Ensure the team's day-to-day work supports timely, accurate financial reporting and analysis
• Serve as the primary point of escalation for the accounting team

What You Bring

Required

• 5+ years of progressive finance experience, with a focus on budgeting, forecasting, and reporting
• Direct experience working in a law firm environment (required) familiarity with matter-based accounting, legal billing structures, and law firm financial operations
• Strong track record in budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis
• Demonstrated ability to build ad hoc reports quickly and accurately, including profitability analysis by client, matter, or practice group
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, financial modeling)
• Experience working with legal practice management or time-and-billing software (e.g., Clio, Aderant, Elite, PracticePanther, or similar)
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to partners and non-financial stakeholders
• Prior experience managing or leading a team

Preferred

• Experience in Orion Accounting Software
• Experience with alternative fee arrangements and their financial/revenue implications
• Familiarity with partnership accounting concepts (partner capital accounts, distributions)
• Experience with BI/dashboard tools (Power BI, Tableau, or similar)
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field

What Success Looks Like in This Role

• Partners have timely, accurate budget-to-actual reporting and can trust the numbers behind key decisions

• Ad hoc requests are turned around quickly, with minimal back-and-forth for clarification
• The annual budgeting process runs smoothly, with realistic targets and clear variance tracking throughout the year
• Financial reporting bridges the gap between the firm's billing/practice management systems and the general ledger, so partners see one consistent picture of firm performance

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: $115,000 - $125,000, commensurate with experience

• Benefits: health insurance, Dental, Vision, retirement plan, life insurance, FSA, PTO
• Hybrid schedule (3 days in office / 2 days remote)

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