Lead – Finance & Accounting Services

About the Role

The Lead – Finance & Accounting Services, United States is an integral part of Latham’s Global Finance team. This role will be responsible for supporting U.S. practice offices and Global Finance through a combination of accounting expertise, operational support, process improvement, and technology-enabled solutions, while supporting Finance & Accounting Services across practice offices, including budgeting, expense management, accounts payable, nominal and recoverable costs, charitable contributions, and related non-billing activities. This role will be located in our New York office. Please note that this role may be eligible for a flexible working schedule that allows for a hybrid and in-office presence.

Responsibilities & Qualifications

Other key responsibilities include:

Applying solid accounting principles, financial controls, and firm policies to review transactions, research issues, prepare analyses, and resolve practice office and
our Global Services Office requests
Assisting with annual budget processes, including compilation of inputs, review of operational expenses, variance and payee/department-level analysis, and follow-up with local office and business contacts
Reviewing and documenting finance and accounting processes to identify root causes, control gaps, training needs, and opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and service quality across offices
Participating in automation and technology initiatives (e.g., SharePoint and Power Platform workflows, reporting enhancements), including business requirements, user acceptance testing, validation of outputs, and post-implementation support
Using Excel, reporting tools, and financial systems to analyze data, identify trends or exceptions, and prepare clear summaries for management review and stakeholder discussions
Protecting and maintaining any highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, financial, and/or proprietary information that Latham & Watkins retains

We’d love to hear from you if you:

Exhibit analytical skills, including the ability to interpret financial data, analyze variances, identify exceptions, perform detailed reviews, and summarize findings clearly
Display a strong accounting foundation, including the ability to understand, analyze, and apply accounting principles to financial transactions, reconciliations, reporting, and operational decision-making
Possess a high level of attention to detail, with the ability to review and proofread work to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance

And have:

A bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field
A CPA, CPA candidate, or other relevant professional certification, preferably
A minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience in accounting, finance, audit, financial operations, or related professional services experience
A minimum of five (5) years of cumulative experience
Experience with budgeting, financial analysis, reconciliations, accounts payable, expense management, reporting, process documentation, or financial systems, preferably
Experience participating in process improvement, system implementation, data analysis, automation, workflow, or reporting initiatives, preferably