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Built on a commitment to legal excellence and a personal commitment to each of our clients, Blethen Berens is proud to foster a culture of collaboration, healthy competition, and support.
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Accountant
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Blethen Berens is looking for a detail-oriented Firm Accountant to join our collaborative team. The Firm Accountant will be responsible for the general oversight and processing of the firm’s financial and daily accounting functions. There are a wide variety of responsibilities including Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and preparation of financial reports for the management team. This is a full-time position that requires multi-tasking and strong attention to detail in a fast-paced and team-based environment.
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Oversee, process, and maintain both Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable.
Responsible for collection of past due accounts, including Conciliation Court.
Maintain and review trust accounts according to IOLTA regulations for firm and clients.
Prepare monthly Work-in-Process reports and process final client statements.
Process daily check requests for staff and monthly expense reports.
Make daily general ledger entries for all accounting functions of the firm.
Maintain vendors for 1099 reporting for the firm.
Conduct monthly review of W-9’s to ensure they are on file for year-end preparation.
Research outstanding AP/AR and handle according to internal policy.
Process and calculate partner draws and contributions.
Track and maintain partner 401k contributions to ensure the IRS limit is not exceeded.
Customize financial reporting to meet the needs of the firm.
Generate, analyze, and distribute monthly financial reports.
Assist with reconciliation of credit cards and several escrow accounts.
Assist with quarterly budget review and annual budget preparation.
Work closely with Tax Accountant to ensure taxes are filed correctly and on time.
Provide mentoring and technical training for staff in both our Mankato and New Ulm offices.
Ability to work on multiple projects and prioritize to meet deadlines.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers.
Follow all office policies and procedures as set forth in the office publications.
Other duties as assigned.
Our ideal candidate will have:
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance preferred or in lieu of B.S. Degree, an Associate’s Degree in Accounting or Finance with 3 years of relevant accounting experience acceptable.
Knowledge of general ledger accounting and principles.
Knowledge of federal and state sales tax laws.
Ability to communicate clearly in writing and verbally.
Knowledge of partnership accounting a plus.
Proficient with computers, Microsoft office and ability to learn our law firm based accounting software.
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Blethen Berens offers a comprehensive benefits package with options including medical, dental, and vision insurance, health-savings account, long-term disability, life insurance, 401 (k) and profit-sharing plan, eight paid holidays and paid-time off. Benefits are subject to eligibility requirements.
Estimated base pay range of $55,000 - $65,000 annually. The compensation offer will be based on factors such as experience, education, and skills.
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At Blethen Berens, we invest in our team in many ways including offering growth opportunities, professional development, comprehensive orientation, hands-on training opportunities and mentorship, annual social and family events, healthy snacks and beverages, some occasional competitive fun and by being good humans both personally and professionally. We care about our team, community, clients and the work that we do – proven by the longevity and commitment of our team.
SUMMER ASSOCIATE PROGRAM
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The Summer Associate Program is 10-12 weeks in length and is designed to provide an encompassing look at what it means to be an attorney at Blethen Berens.
During the program, summer associates are given meaningful research and writing assignments, affording them the opportunity to work with many different lawyers in as many practice areas as possible. The program also incorporates many opportunities for summer associates to observe and participate in events such as trials, depositions, hearings, negotiations and closings.
While the summer associates gain a working knowledge of our law firm, our clients and our expectations for new attorneys, we get to know the summer associates, taking the opportunity to consider each for a position with our firm after they finish law school.
Our goal through this program is to find those individuals who have the potential for outstanding legal careers and that can deliver meaningful contributions to the firm, our clients and the community.
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Summer associates receive a variety of challenging assignments, ranging from client meetings and courtroom exposure, to revising agreements and composing memos. Each experience is designed to enhance reasoning, research, oral presentation and writing skills. Our experience is that varying the assignments enables both the summer associate and us to get a more complete picture upon which to comfortably base an employment decision.
The format for our program exposes our summer associates to a wide range of activities, including:
Contact with firm clients and occasional visits to client facilities;
Exposure to the court system;
Observation of closings, depositions, trials, arbitrations, mediations or oral arguments;
Opportunities to produce various legal documents that are reviewed and actually used for the benefit of clients;
Participation in a wide variety of research projects; and
Exposure to many of the practice areas within the firm.
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An integral part of our summer associate program is the support our participants receive from their Blethen Berens mentors.
Each associate is assigned two mentors – a partner from our litigation team and a partner from our transactional team – whose role it is to help guide the associate through the summer experience.
Each mentor takes a genuine interest in ensuring a well-rounded summer associate experience and helps ensure that our summer associates receive diverse, interesting and challenging assignments while at the firm.
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We believe that receiving feedback is an integral component of the growth process. Summer associates receive both informal and formal feedback from the attorneys in our office.
Informal feedback is delivered through direct, ongoing feedback to the summer associates as they work on current assignments.
When an assignment is completed, the assigning attorney submits a formal evaluation form. These are reviewed with the associate during formal monthly reviews with their mentors. Not only does this review process allow for a greater understanding of the expectations we have for our Blethen Berens associates but allows them the opportunity to get to know our attorneys better and experience each practice’s culture and day-to-day atmosphere.
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Beyond obtaining legal experience, training, mentoring, and building relationships with staff and the community, Blethen Berens Summer Associates earn a weekly salary that is competitive in the marketplace. The firm also provides Summer Associates with a housing stipend.
We also act as a resource assisting Summer Associates with securing housing in our community by utilizing our deep rooted connections and relationships we’ve built within the community.
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Our summer associate program includes many opportunities to meet and get to know our attorneys and staff in both professional and social settings. Networking opportunities are plentiful and include accompanying Blethen Berens attorneys to community group functions and meetings, and attending Chamber functions and other professional networking events.
While we expect the summer associates to work hard and demonstrate their abilities, there is also a social component to the program that provides further opportunities to interact with our attorneys and staff, and to see and experience what the Mankato and New Ulm communities have to offer.
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Blethen Berens participates in the On-Campus Interview process hosted by several law schools in our region. You can apply for our Summer Associate program through that process. If you do not see our posting at your law school, applicants can email their application package to our Director of Office Administration, Lisa Jasperson, at ljasperson@blethenberens.com.
Your application package should include a cover letter, resume, transcript, and writing sample.
Interviews are typically held the summer prior to the summer in which you will work.