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CFO, Legal Administrator, HR Director

Location:
Wernersville, PA
Posted:
February 22, 2024

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Resume:

OBJECTIVE

KERRI L. CASSEL

** ********** ****

Wernersville, PA 19565

Cell: 610-***-****

Email: ad3tzy@r.postjobfree.com

To fully utilize my education, skills and experience in managing a team of legal professionals. To affiliate with a well- managed, profitable legal enterprise organization with a solid track record and interest in growth and excellence, and with an outstanding work environment. To serve in a management position with opportunities to contribute to the overall success of the organization.

SUMMARY

A self-motivated MBA and Certified Cash Manager with a strong educational background and finance and accounting expertise, varied management experience, proven analytical capabilities in legal firm system design and implementation

(time and billing system, financial system and practice management system), and computer network administration. A team player with exemplary negotiating, sales and interpersonal skills relating to clients/customers, co-workers and employees. Responded to a law firm’s need for strong financial skills to improve the budgeting process and manage the accounting function in a mid-sized and growing Berks County legal enterprise. EXPERIENCE PROFILE

CGA Law Firm, York, PA November 2014-present–Firm Administrator CGA is a 35-attorney general practice law firm. Assumed immediate responsibility for all operations following a two-month vacancy resulting from an unexpected retirement. Challenges included past due performance evaluations, completion of office renovations and new, additional office space, year-end accounting and financial issues, 401(k) administration reporting. On-going responsibilities include all aspects of daily operations (financial management, benefits and human resources, facilities and IT administration). Hartman Shurr Valeriano (formerly Hartman, Hartman, Howe & Allerton and Hartman Shurr), Wyomissing, PA February 2004-November 2014–Firm Administrator Hartman et al is a ten-attorney general practice law firm. Served as the Firm Administrator with direct responsibility for finance/accounting, human resources, network administration and facilities management. Accomplishments include:

- Completed the consolidation of operations of Hartman Shurr and Essig Valeriano in September 2014.

- Completed from planning to implementation the upgrade to our 20-workstation Windows Small Business Server and Windows XP network, including the procurement of new technology, including a time and billing and accounting system (Time Matters); continued to upgrade and improve system as new releases are made available.

- Installed a 22-phone network based telephone system.

- Coordinated the physical office relocation, including construction of offices in 8,400 sq. feet in new location. Duden Neiman, Portland, OR October 2002-December 2003–Firm Administrator Duden Neiman is a medium-sized law firm (11 attorneys) specializing in civil litigation and insurance defense, with several large national insurance companies as its major clients. Serve as the Firm Administrator with direct responsibility for human resources and finance/accounting, and indirect responsibility for network administration and facilities management.

Kozloff Stoudt (formerly Kozloff, Diener, Payne & Fegley), Reading, PA December 1994-July 2002 – Firm Administrator

Kozloff Stoudt is the second largest law firm serving Berks and surrounding counties. Firm Administrator with direct responsibility for finance and accounting, human resources, network administration and facilities management.

- Recruited, hired and trained replacement, vacancy resulting from family relocation.

- Served as the merger coordinator for finance, human resources and network administration.

- Implemented a merit based performance evaluation system for all professional and nonprofessional staff.

- Planned, directed and managed the upgrade to our 40-workstation Windows network, including the procurement of new technology such as a communication server and desktop faxing. Two years later planned and implemented the Y2K upgrades to all hardware and software.

- Improved accounts receivable collection and cash flow by an average of 30 days through the implementation of a collection system for past due receivables and in some instances, took billing responsibility away from delinquent billing attorneys.

Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, Brussels, Belgium May 1992 - March 1994 – Financial Coordinator

CGS&H, headquartered in New York, is a multinational legal firm operating in major commercial centers throughout Europe and the Far East. Financial coordinator drafting narrative bills, monitoring the billing process, monitoring cash receipts and acting as the partners' liaison with the New York office.

- Improved unbilled time by 17% on average.

- Reduced financial errors on the New York accounting system.

- Improved the collection of accounts receivable.

- Enhanced the relationship between the accounting department and the legal staff as well as the accounting department and the New York accounting department.

- Improved timeliness of bill preparation and transmission to clients. VF Corporation, Reading, PA October 1990-December 1991 – Senior Treasury Analyst VF Corporation is the world's largest publicly held apparel manufacturer. Senior Treasury Analyst responsible for the daily cash operation of the centralized treasury department for 13 operating companies.

- Reduced the commercial paper portfolio over a period of six months and increased the investment portfolios to in excess of $100MM.

- Enhanced financial reporting to the Board of Directors.

- Improved cash collections by streamlining the collection network.

- Instigated an accounts payable review resulting in significant revisions to subsidiaries' systems.

- Formulated a centralized bank compensation system which resulted in cost savings and eliminated redundancies in bank services.

- Maintained the treasury workstation with no system downtime. Union Pacific Corporation, Bethlehem, PA 1989-1990 - Assistant Manager of Cash Management Union Pacific is one of the United States' leading transportation companies, involved in railroad and trucking.

Assistant Manager of Cash Management and Banking with treasury management responsibilities.

- Installed the ADS treasury workstation creating a more efficient treasury system.

- Included all debt and investment monitoring on the treasury workstation reducing interest errors and improving response time on internal reporting.

- Maintained bank relationships, and reduced inactive accounts nationwide. Meridian Bank, Reading, PA June 1984 - December 1989 Meridian Bank is a regional bank holding company with in excess of $12 billion in assets ('89). Between 1984 and 1989, progressed from a management trainee to a Loan Administration Officer via cash management and product management, with ultimate responsibility as Assistant Credit Manager. British Petroleum, p.l.c. Spring 1983

Intern as an assistant to the division manager of Corporate Control. Compiled monthly and quarterly financial reports, and the corresponding presentations to the Board of Directors. EDUCATION

St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA MBA - Finance December 1989, GPA = 3.86 BA - Business Administration and Management May 1984, GPA = 3.53

City of London Polytechnic, London, England

Internship at British Petroleum, p.l.c. requiring a thesis on planning and control. Leadership Berks - A nationally-affiliated community development program for emerging community leaders. Graduated June 1988.

Executive Program at Kellogg (Northwestern University) for Advanced Credit Analysis (1989). HONORS/PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

Legal Excellence Award, Law Firm Administrator, Central Penn Business Journal, 2021 Certified Cash Manager - July 1991; achieved "Level I" competency in all five categories Phi Beta Kappa (National Honors Society)

Pi Gamma Mu (National Social Science Honors Society) AFFILIATIONS

Association for Financial Professionals (formerly Treasury Management Association of America) REFERENCES References are available upon request.



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