Chief Financial Officer

Prestige Business Services LLC
Southfield, MI
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Location: On-site or Hybrid (firm-dependent)

Reports to: Managing Partner / Executive Committee

Direct Reports: Controller, Accounting Manager, Billing/AR, AP, Finance Analysts (as applicable)

Role Summary

The Chief Financial Officer is the firms financial architect and risk manager . This role owns cash flow, profitability, forecasting, partner reporting, and financial controls across the firm.

In a contingency-fee environment, the CFO must be fluent in timing risk , case pipeline economics , and working-capital management . This is not a back-office role—it is a strategic leadership position with direct influence on firm growth, compensation, and long-term stability.

Core Responsibilities

Financial Strategy & Firm Economics

  • Own firm-wide financial strategy aligned with growth, expansion, and partner objectives
  • Translate case volume, settlement velocity, and fee realization into reliable financial forecasts
  • Advise partners on:
    • Capital allocation
    • Hiring pace
    • Office expansion
    • Marketing ROI vs. cash exposure
  • Model best-case, expected, and downside scenarios tied to litigation timelines

Cash Flow, Liquidity & Risk Management

  • Manage cash flow in a high-volatility, contingency-fee environment
  • Forecast cash needs based on:
    • Case age and stage
    • Expected settlements
    • Litigation costs and advances
  • Maintain liquidity buffers to protect the firm from settlement delays
  • Oversee lines of credit, banking relationships, and financing arrangements
  • Ensure disciplined controls around case costs and vendor payments

Budgeting, Forecasting & Reporting

  • Lead annual and rolling budgets with partner input
  • Produce clear, actionable reporting for leadership, including:
    • Revenue by practice area
    • Fee realization rates
    • Case aging and inventory value
    • Marketing spend vs. collected fees
    • Profitability by office, team, or attorney
  • Move reporting from historical to forward-looking

Accounting, Controls & Compliance

  • Oversee all accounting functions:
    • General ledger
    • AP/AR
    • Trust accounting
    • Payroll and benefits coordination
  • Ensure compliance with:
    • State bar trust accounting rules
    • GAAP (or firm-adopted standards)
    • Tax filings and audits
  • Implement internal controls to reduce financial risk and error
  • Partner with outside CPAs, auditors, and tax advisors

Case Cost & Trust Accounting Oversight

  • Maintain strict oversight of:
    • Client trust accounts
    • Case cost advances
    • Settlement disbursements
  • Ensure absolute separation between operating and trust funds
  • Prevent compliance failures that could expose the firm to disciplinary risk

Partner Compensation & Incentives

  • Design and administer partner compensation models
  • Model origination, working attorney credit, and profit distribution scenarios
  • Ensure transparency, consistency, and fairness in partner reporting
  • Provide data to support difficult but necessary compensation conversations

Cross-Functional Leadership

  • Work closely with:
    • Managing Partner (strategy and governance)
    • CMO (marketing spend, ROI, cash exposure)
    • COO / Operations (staffing, capacity, efficiency)
  • Serve as the financial counterweight to growth decisions—supporting expansion without reckless risk

Required Experience & Qualifications

  • 10+ years in senior financial leadership (CFO, VP Finance, or equivalent)
  • Prior experience in:
    • Personal injury law firms strongly preferred, or
    • Professional services with irregular revenue cycles (legal, consulting, healthcare)
  • Deep understanding of:
    • Contingency-fee economics
    • Trust accounting
    • Cash-flow forecasting under uncertainty
  • Proven ability to advise ownership-level stakeholders
  • CPA, CFA, or equivalent credentials preferred (not required)

What Success Looks Like (12–18 Months)

  • Predictable cash flow despite settlement variability
  • Clear visibility into case inventory value and financial risk
  • Disciplined marketing and operating spend tied to real liquidity
  • Trusted financial reporting partners actually use to make decisions
  • Reduced financial surprises—no scrambling at payroll or distribution time

This Role Is Not For

  • Bookkeepers or controllers who don't think strategically
  • Leaders uncomfortable challenging partners with data
  • CFOs without experience managing irregular or delayed revenue
  • Anyone who treats trust accounting casually
Posted 2026-02-18

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