What are the responsibilities and job description for the Accounting Assistant position at Laborde Earles?
Grow with us! We are featured in Inc. Magazine's prestigious 2023 Inc. 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies List and are the 25th fastest-growing private company in the entire state of Louisiana!
Do you find satisfaction in helping people and making a difference in their lives and the lives of their communities? Laborde Earles is committed to providing quality representation to our clients and being fully attentive to their needs, which starts by providing the same favorable environment for our team members. Join us in standing up for our clients, with our community, by our work, and beside each other!
The Opportunity
Expanding Personal Injury Law Firm has an immediate opening for an Accounting Assistant in our Lafayette, Louisiana office.
We are seeking a meticulous Accounting Assistant to be accountable to provide financial, administrative, and clerical support to the firm. This role requires strong interpersonal skills where professionalism, confidentiality, and integrity are showcased. A successful candidate for the role will be team and detail-oriented. Success in this role will also require the ability to multi-task and be solution driven to ensure accurate and timely processing of all matters.
Objective
Provide financial, administrative, and clerical support to the firm by efficiently maintaining and processing attorney fees, client trusts and disbursals, and other special projects.
Desired Outcomes
Accountable for attorney fee / referral fee deposits
Deposit client disbursal checks for Laborde Earles fees and expenses
Ensure no funds remain in Trust and notify Accounting Manager of any outstanding balances to determine if writing off is necessary
Enter attorney fee deposit information into case management software
Accountable for disengaged cases
Make journal entries to write off expenses as bad debt when prompted, seek appropriate approvals when necessary
Accountable for client trust and operating reports
Run and save Operating & Trust Reports when prompted by paralegals
Corrections to financial tab as needed
Accountable for voided checks
Process voided checks in NetSuite and case management software
Determine, based on case status, if the funds belong to the firm or client and process accordingly
Accountable for provider and court cost refunds
Process refunds and determine, based on case status, if the funds belong to the firm or client
Accountable for client disbursals
Prepare client disbursal checks on Tuesdays and Thursdays according to firm guidelines
Maintain custody of disbursal checks and follow firm guidelines regarding holding periods
Follow interoffice schedule to ensure checks arrive at appropriate offices accordingly
Accountable for miscellaneous tasks
Special projects as assigned by Accounting Manager
Request W-9s as needed for disbursals
Reconciliations as assigned by Accounting Manager
Answer various calls and questions throughout the day
Accountable for lines of credit (backup)
Serve as backup for lines of credit by requesting loan payoffs and ensure payoffs are sent to bank in a timely manner
Required Skills / Abilities
Organizing and prioritizing
Attention to detail and accuracy
Confidentiality and strong judgment
Problem analysis and problem-solving
Teamwork
Willingness to perform any / all tasks as assigned by supervisor and / or firm leadership in support of the firm’s growth and success
Education and Experience
Proficient in data entry, general analysis, reconciliation, and quality control
1-3 years accounts payable or general accounting experience preferred
Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer
Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times
The Perks of Being Part of Our Laborde Earles Community
Optional companywide events allowing you to play as hard as you work, such as Crawfish Boils, Christmas parties, Retreats, and more!
Work-life balance is encouraged as we consider 36.5 hours your full-time requirement and we rarely exceed a 40-hour workweek. We prefer you work to live, not live to work.
We celebrate life's little (& big) moments with you from birthdays & work anniversaries to marriages and births, as well as, support you when the going gets tough from procedures / hospitalizations to loss of a loved one.
Collaboration and team member rapport is cheered and emboldened.
We offer many competitive benefits upon eligibility waiting periods :
Company-paid Short-term disability & Life / AD&D;
Health, vision, dental, long-term disability, critical illness, and additional life insurance policies upon eligibility waiting periods;
401(k) and profit sharing options upon eligibility waiting periods;
PTO, paid holidays (10), and paid maternity leave;
Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), including dependent care;
Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Who We Are
We are a team and community-oriented personal injury law firm dedicated to winning for our clients who have had their lives turned upside down from injuries through no fault of their own. With multiple offices across Louisiana, we focus on ensuring people get maximum monetary compensation for various types of personal injuries or loss of a loved one from incidents like car wrecks, truck accidents, offshore, and workplace injuries. Our founders joined forces to build the premier law firm in Louisiana. With over 250 years of combined experience, our attorneys have earned a powerful reputation and have been nationally recognized as top trial lawyers. As a dedicated and high-performing team, we pride ourselves in our core values : All In, Work Hard, Play Hard, Honorable, Cutting Edge, Community, and Winners, Not Whiners. With all the proper tools in place, our mission is to stand up for our clients, stand with our community, stand by our work, and stand beside each other. You may begin your journey with Laborde Earles for many different reasons, but you stay for the team.
Our Core Values
All In : Being fully committed to a task or endeavor. Giving 110% for the team and our common goals.
Work Hard, Play Hard : Emphasizing work life balance. Putting in the hard work for the clients that depend on us as well as turning work-mode off sometimes to add fun, laughter, and relaxation into our routines.
Honorable : Making moral and just decisions, having an ownership mentality, being reputable and respectable through your work product, client and teammate interactions, and personal and family life.
Cutting Edge : Having the most advanced or newest version of a product or service, ensuring that we are functioning at our highest capacity as a firm, both effective and efficient.
Community : Being a pillar for the surrounding area and the people within by rallying for and supporting them through giving back and volunteering. Supporting the constant growth and improvement of ourselves and each other.
Winners, Not Whiners : Being a team-player even when the going gets tough to support the goals of our team and the firm, maintaining a positive outlook through the day-to-day challenges and setbacks, celebrating the wins and successes, being willing to step in and help for the sake of the common goals we strive to achieve.
