Accountant

Company Overview

The State Bar of California protects the public by licensing, regulating, and disciplining attorneys, promoting ethical and competent legal practice, and supporting greater access and inclusion in the legal system.

For attorney misconduct complaints, call 800-843-9053. More information is available at www.calbar.ca.gov.

View job openings at http://www.calbar.ca.gov/About-Us/Careers. We have offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Learn about our social media use: http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Social-Media-Policy.

About the Role:

Join the State Bar of California’s Regulation Division – Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) as an Accountant or Senior Accountant. You’ll play a vital role in a new initiative to safeguard client funds held in trust by California attorneys. This involves conducting compliance reviews and complex investigative audits of attorneys’ trust accounting practices to ensure adherence to professional conduct rules and applicable laws. You’ll prepare detailed reports, analyze findings, educate licensees, and recommend corrective actions, while also collaborating with external accountants.

Key Differences:

• Accountant: Focuses on compliance reviews and targeted investigative audits, coordinating with external accountants.
• Senior Accountant: Takes on greater responsibility for more complex investigative audits requiring specialized expertise and independent judgment, and may review the work of Accountants.

Your Impact:

• Perform sensitive compliance reviews and in-depth investigative audits of attorney trust accounts.
• Analyze reports and records, preparing clear written and verbal findings.
• Recommend actions for violations of professional conduct rules.
• Review the work of external accountants to ensure adherence to procedures and policies.
• Collaborate with senior management on policy and procedure recommendations.
• Use professional judgment and guidelines to recommend outcomes, including corrective action plans and disciplinary referrals.
• Efficiently manage the complete compliance review process and collaborate with team members.
• Perform other duties aligned with the job level and responsibilities.

What You’ll Need:

• Knowledge of U.S. GAAP and GAAS.
• Understanding of electronic data processing for auditing financial records.
• Familiarity with computer information systems, including database, report generation, word processing (Microsoft Word), and spreadsheet analysis (Excel).
• Skills in problem identification, analysis, and resolution.
• Proficiency in data analysis and research tools.
• Ability to create effective written and verbal presentations.
• Understanding of public relations/customer service principles.
• Knowledge of organizational behavior and conflict resolution.
• Familiarity with project planning and implementation.
• Ability to quickly learn State Bar functions and the laws governing trust accounts and licensee duties.
• Ability to plan, organize, and conduct compliance reviews and investigative audits using accepted methodologies to identify violations, including potential fraud or unethical activity.
• Strong collaborative problem-solving skills.
• Experience using audit management software.
• Ability to monitor and recommend improvements to standard compliance review procedures.
• Professional judgment to recommend appropriate outcomes and communicate expectations clearly.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to perform under pressure and adopt practical solutions.
• Effective interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
• Proficiency in creating professional work products using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Strong time management and prioritization skills to meet deadlines.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Sound judgment and decision-making abilities.
• Skill in interpreting and analyzing complex documents.
• Commitment to acting with integrity.
• Adaptability to changing environments and critical needs.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, business, or accounting (Master’s preferred).
• Experience: Minimum two (2) years of experience conducting financial or compliance audits.
• License: Active California CPA license (or equivalent), to be maintained throughout employment. Additional certifications (CFE, CFF, CIA) are preferred.

About the State Bar & CTAPP:

The State Bar of California protects the public by regulating attorneys and promoting ethical legal practice. The CTAPP specifically aims to protect client funds by detecting and deterring trust account misconduct. This role is within the Division of Regulation, which ensures licensee compliance and provides resources for ethical practice.

Our Values: Clarity, Investing in Our People, Excellence, Respect, Growth Mindset.

DEI Commitment: We are a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

FLSA: Exempt / Union Represented / This position allows for up to four days of remote work per week. / Position level (Accountant or Senior Accountant) will depend on qualifications and experience.

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