Legal professionals choose to work at Pierce Atwood for many reasons. For some it's the opportunity to work at a successful firm with a first-class national reputation, for others it's the chance to work on interesting matters from small, local clients to large, national or international clients, and for many it's to work with smart people who value collaboration and collegiality.

Location: Portland, ME preferred. Firm has other offices in Portsmouth, NH; Boston, MA; and Providence, RI. 

Position Summary

The Director of Finance serves as a key strategic and operational administrative leader and primary financial and accounting advisor to firm management. This role oversees all financial operations, including day-to-day accounting (AP, AR, and GL), budgeting, financial planning and analysis, ad hoc requests (FP&A), billing team oversight, collections, treasury oversight, cash flow management, and compliance. The Director ensures the financial health and sustainability of the firm while supporting profitability analysis, firmwide compensation analysis, overhead cost management, and data-driven decision-making. This position balances hands-on operational management with high-level strategic input, leading a finance team of 10-12 professionals.

Key Responsibilities

  • Direct firmwide financial operations, including general ledger accounting, accounts payable/receivable, payroll, trust accounting, balance sheet reconciliation oversight, and month-end/year-end closings.
  • Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and variance analysis; prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports for the Management Committee, Practice Group Leaders, and partners, with occasional presentation responsibilities.
  • Oversee billing processes and team ensuring prompt professional service to billing attorneys and clients, while minimizing professional staff administrative burdens, including but not limited to development and refinement of workflows, bill rate oversight, client and matter maintenance, conflict checks, collections, realization rate monitoring, firm KPIs, and monitor matter-level profitability analysis to optimize revenue cycles.
  • Manage day-to-day cash flow, banking relationships, capital contributions, partner draws/compensation, and debt/covenant compliance (LOCs) where applicable.
  • Ensure compliance with GAAP, tax regulations, state bar rules (including IOLTA/trust accounting), and other regulatory requirements. Coordinate accounting, tax and compliance, partnership governance management, external auditors, and tax preparers.
  • Provide strategic financial analysis on practice group performance, pricing decisions, occasional due diligence with lateral hires and mergers/acquisitions, and business development initiatives.
  • Lead, mentor, and develop the finance team, including recruitment, performance management, process improvements, and fostering a collaborative solutions-oriented culture.
  • Implement and optimize financial systems (e.g., Aderant, Elite 3E, LMS /SurePoint or similar) and internal controls to enhance efficiency and data integrity.
  • Support firm leadership on special projects, including profitability modeling, compensation planning, and long-term financial strategy. 

Experience Expectations

  • 10+ years of progressive experience in accounting or finance, with at least 5–7 years in a leadership or managerial role. 
  • Prior experience in a law firm or professional services environment is strongly preferred, ideally in a midsized firm ($50M–$150M+ revenue range). Experience in multi-office regional firms is advantageous.
  • Demonstrated success managing financial operations for organizations, preferably professional services, of comparable complexity, including billing/collections, and profitability analysis.
  • Hands-on experience with law firm-specific financial metrics (e.g., realization, utilization, aged AR and WIP, profitability, and direct/indirect overhead analysis) and systems.

Qualifications and Requirements

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field (required). MBA or master’s in finance/accounting is preferred. 
  • Certifications: CPA (Certified Public Accountant) is preferred but not required, assuming appropriate operational accounting experience demonstrated; other credentials (e.g., CMA) are a plus.
  • Technical Skills: Proficiency with law firm financial software (e.g., Aderant, Elite, SurePoint LMS or equivalent), advanced Microsoft Excel/financial modeling, and financial reporting tools. Familiarity with GAAP and tax compliance.
  • Leadership and Soft Skills: Proven team leadership, excellent communication and presentation skills (particularly explaining complex financial data to non-financial attorneys), strategic thinking, attention to detail, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. Ability to lead change management initiatives by driving process improvements, implementing new systems, and supporting adoption across teams in various roles and across offices.

Other: Impeccable ethical standards, confidentiality, and client-service orientation.

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to Maria Gaetani at mgaetani@pierceatwood.com.

The target salary range for this position varies by location and is commensurate with relevant experience: $150,000-$225,000.

Job Summary

We are seeking a real estate paralegal to join our busy, high-volume Real Estate Practice Group, which includes four attorneys, two paralegals, and additional support staff. The team primarily represents lenders in commercial real estate transactions and closings. Key responsibilities include ordering title examinations, municipal lien certificates, plot plans, and zoning reports for new matters; managing monthly billing, conducting online title examinations, and preparing title policies. 

Position Summary and Responsibilities

The real estate paralegal responsibilities include the following in connection with commercial real estate closings:

  • Drafting deeds and loan documents
  • Schedule closings
  • Monitoring calendars to ensure deadlines are met
  • Obtain MLCs, plot plans, zoning information, corporate documents from the Secretary of State's office
  • Ordering outside diligence searches and title reports
  • Contacting tax collector/assessor offices regarding parcel and tax information
  • Using title company website to locate title policies
  • Using Registry of Deeds website to find recorded documents
  • Conducting construction title rundowns
  • Filing UCCs
  • Obtaining missing discharges and assignments and other corrective title matters from lenders or pertinent parties
  • Drafting closing statements, or review if prepared by other parties
  • Assembling closing binders and any other additional tasks in connection with the purchase, sale and financing of commercial real estate
  • Assisting with post-closing matters including preparing title policies, title endorsements, attention to recording of documents, and preparing and administering closing binders

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

  • Minimum of 2+ years of experience as a real estate paralegal in a law firm or in-house legal department
  • Thorough understanding of commercial loan documentation, title examinations, and title policies
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and experience preferred
  • Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
  • Ability to multitask
  • Excellent follow-up capabilities
  • Ability to prioritize and work independently
  • Ability to succeed and thrive in a fast-paced environment
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to Maria Gaetani at mgaetani@pierceatwood.com.

The target salary range for this position varies by location and is commensurate with relevant experience: Boston $75,000-$120,000. 

Job Summary

Our Providence Trusts and Estates practice group is looking for a paralegal to assist attorneys and other paralegals with all aspects of estate planning and trust administration work. 

Responsibilities

Administer estates, including:

  • Daily contact with clients and client meetings
  • Prepare and file probate and other estate documents
  • Collect all asset information with banks, investment advisors, appraisers, etc.,  
  • Administer estate funds and property, following through until closing, including corresponding with client and attorney 
  • Prepare accountings
  • Gather asset and expense information and prepare federal and state estate tax returns

Draft estate plans, including: 

  • Draft simple wills, health care proxies, powers of attorneys, and revocable trusts
  • Prepare and record deeds and other trust funding instruments
  • Work directly with clients to gather information related to estate planning and trust funding

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

  • 3+ years of trusts and estates experience. 
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team to organize and prioritize numerous tasks, completing them under time constraints. 

  • Strong multitask abilities to organize and maintain multiple ongoing cases.

  • Creative and innovative approaches to problem solving.

  • Communicate effectively with a diverse group of attorneys, staff and clients.

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

  • Demonstrate a high degree of professionalism and interpersonal skills.

  • Proofread material for contextual, grammatical, typographical, and spelling errors.

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to Maria Gaetani at mgaetani@pierceatwood.com.

Job Summary

We’re looking for a proactive, detail-oriented legal administrative assistant to support our Business Practice Group in Portland, Maine. In this role, you'll be an essential part of our legal team—keeping things organized, ensuring deadlines are met, and helping our attorneys and clients stay on track. You’ll work closely with great people and handle a variety of tasks that keep our deals and daily work moving smoothly.

Responsibilities

  • Proof and polish documents to make sure they’re error-free and ready to go
  • Help manage timelines and keep track of important transactional documents
  • Finalize and send documents to clients, attorneys, and internal teams
  • Prepare closing binders and help wrap up deals
  • Answer and route calls, and assist when attorneys are unavailable
  • Handle mail—scanning, sorting, distributing, and filing throughout the day
  • Edit and draft correspondence and legal documents
  • Set up meetings and coordinate schedules for attorneys and clients
  • Assist with planning travel, seminars, and events
  • Keep track of attorneys’ continuing education requirements
  • Maintain calendars and remind attorneys about upcoming commitments
  • Review and finalize client billing
  • Help with conflict checks for new clients
  • Organize and manage both paper and electronic files
  • Handle other admin tasks, such as expense reports and matter reports

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

  • 3–5 years of administrative experience (law firm experience a plus)
  • Bachelor’s degree preferred
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
  • A positive, can-do attitude and team-oriented mindset
  • Excellent communication and people skills—you enjoy working with others
  • Solid problem-solving abilities and the foresight to anticipate needs
  • Strong technical skills—Microsoft Word (intermediate to advanced), Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and general database experience
  • Discretion and professionalism—you know how to handle confidential info

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to Maria Gaetani at mgaetani@pierceatwood.com.

Position Summary
This role supports the members of the Litigation Practice Group and coordinates all aspects of litigation matters from initial intake through final disposition. This position is based in the Portland, Maine office.     

Responsibilities

  • Assist with presentations at trials, depositions, hearings, and other court proceedings.
  • Attend client meetings and phone calls and prepare summaries
  • Draft, proofread, and edit documents for grammatical, typographical, and spelling errors. Ability to create a Table of Contents and/or Table of Authorities as needed.
  • Manage schedules, including maintaining calendar of meetings and business trips, gathering and preparing necessary materials in advance of commitments, and otherwise coordinating schedule obligations. 
  • Receive, screen, and route incoming telephone calls, conference calls, and messages to attorneys, clients, and staff promptly.
  • Sort, scan, and distribute incoming and outgoing mail promptly upon receipt. Open, review, and calendar pleadings and materials as directed.
  • Coordinate conferences, meetings, appointments, and depositions for attorneys and clients including conference room scheduling, meals, beverages, preparing materials, and greeting clients.
  • Prepare bills monthly and distribute to other attorneys for review as needed. Edit and finalize bills to ensure accuracy.
  • Set up, organize, and maintain firm files in electronic and/or paper form.
  • Perform a variety of administrative functions, including submitting conflict checks, processing new matter reports, drafting engagement letters, calendaring deadlines on firm’s electronic database, preparing attorney expense reimbursements, tracking attorney CLE credits and bar registrations, etc.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional work experience.
  • 2+ years of administrative assistant work experience preferred.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Ability to demonstrate a high degree of professionalism and interpersonal skills, including, maintaining positive contact with clients, attorneys, and coworkers.
  • Strong technical aptitude. Intermediate Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe, Teams, and PowerPoint skills required, with advanced skills preferred.
  • Strong multitasking skills. Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints.
  • Ability to perform online research (for the background of a case, parties involved, individuals’ addresses, etc.).

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to Maria Gaetani at mgaetani@pierceatwood.com.