RICHARD L. BUCKNER
Indianapolis, IN • 202-573-8047 • Rick@RichardBuckner.NET
Finance and Information Technology –– Strategic Planning
A creative, collaborative, and results-driven IT and Finance leader, with a proven record for implementing new systems and driving consistent improvement. A passionate change agent and problem-solver focused on understanding the big picture and delivering results. Adept at collaborating with practice leaders and executives to provide strategic direction. Exceptional leadership and team-building skills.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Paul Hastings LLP, Los Angeles, CA Feb. 2016–present
Managing Director, Finance Systems
Oversaw all aspects of time and billing, accounting, HRIS, and related systems running 24 hours per day, including integrity of financial information, architecture, integrations, security, development, customization, reporting, training, operational policies, performance benchmarks, and socialization. Managed and delivered multiple large-scale projects on time and within budget.
- Led and advised Finance, IT, Practice Innovation, Talent Management, and operations initiatives.
- Served as financial and strategic advisor to Chairman, Managing Partners; office, department, and practice group leaders; Unit Committee; Policy Committee, Business Development; IT; Office of the General Counsel; Practice Innovation; Talent Management; and various firmwide operations initiatives.
- Sponsored project for initial implementation of Matter Management (now Practice Innovation). Served as strategic advisor to Practice Innovation for proposed initiatives and ongoing follow-ups.
- Initiated implementation and rollout of Time Builder, which facilitated the capture of approximately 5% more billable hours ($50M) across user population.
- Served as project sponsor for installation and rollout of various applications, such as Star Collect, Star Cash, DTE, and customized portals to improve time capture, collections, and real-time information.
- Collaborated with Managing Partners and Unit Committee. Led effort to redesign Unit Committee Portal, which deepened compensation discussions and reduced time needed for deliberations by two days.
- Reengineered finance department to reduce head count by approximately 50% while improving customer service.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, San Francisco, CA Aug. 2001–Dec. 2013
Director of Business Systems
Responsible for all aspects of time and billing, accounting, HRIS and related systems, including the integrity of financial information, architecture, integration, security, development, customization, reporting, training, operational policies, performance benchmarks, and socialization.Systems in production 24 hours a day. Manage and deliver multiple large scale projects on time and within budget.
- Identified opportunity and created enterprise reporting system, consolidating and automating reporting for all business units, practices, geographies.
- Implemented and integrated new Firmwide HRIS, Profitability, Business Intelligence software platforms. Negotiated contract terms.
- Established 11 of the Firm’s 13 offices in Europe and
- Identified opportunities for and created market- and role-specific key performance indicators, actionable reporting, and personal incentives by collaborating with practices and business units.Increased profit per equity partner 52% in four years.
- Established rapport and credibility with department heads.
- Hired and managed diverse staff and organized them in to teams.
- Effectively introduced new technologies and increased productivity through applications development and deployment: TimeBuilder, TimeKM, Redwood, P-Ship, workflow automation
- Managed global relationships with key vendors, consultants.
- Consultant on technology to senior management team.
Accounting Solutions,
Senior Business Systems Consultant
McKesson Pharmaceuticals
- Developed and implemented a strategy and automated mechanism for consolidation of billing data in electronic format; automated electronic allocation to cost centers; saved $300,000 annually.
- Established proper accounting treatment for complex, multimillion-dollar contractual credits.
- Wells Fargo Bank
- Systematically reconciled charts of accounts and merged First Interstate and Wells Fargo General Ledgers at 13 levels of consolidation.
- Created interactive absence-tracking mechanism, replacing corporate and departmental calculations, paper forms, and staff procedures; eliminated all secondary data entry manual reporting.
- Created interactive financial results reporting mechanism; automated and consolidated several thousand pages of manual reporting from directors of business lines.
Bank of
- Created comprehensive package for investment portfolio management reporting, reducing time spent on this activity from 80 hours per month to 30 minutes per month.
SeaFirst Bank
- Automated entire real estate portfolio management in
BARING SECURITIES INC,
- Created interactive mechanism for more efficient input, analysis, reporting of daily financials to NY and
- Designed and implemented automated upload of monthly revenue data from proprietary
- Initiated and prioritized audit control mechanisms and procedures to identify and prevent potential fraud
- Automated revenue reporting; developed multi-currency market reports; formulated and mapped new General Ledger account structure; designed tools for better analysis of GL data.
FIN ACCT & COMPUTER SYS, INTL.
- Researched and recovered $5 million in escheated stock dividend, bond interest, and other payments on a company-commission basis by
- Heading task force on the recovery of funds escheated as a result of bank-related transactions.
- Creating database to organize and manipulate large volumes of information.
- Designing unit cost analysis mechanism to prioritize effort, maximize commission.
The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A.
Funds availability
- Oversaw the clearing and processing of domestic monetary transactions.
- Monitored and reported check clearance and availability at the Federal Reserve Bank of
- Supervised the processing of 500-1000 transactions with average daily balances of $700 million in correspondent banks and $500 million at the FRB.
- Managed the evaluation, negotiation, implementation, and maintenance of transportation and clearance of domestic financial instruments at 72 correspondent banks and at FRB Branches nationwide.
- Generated volume statistics and allocated domestic check clearing costs to Chase markets worldwide and to domestic institutional and corporate customer billing.
- Represented Chase on the Transportation Committee,
International Customer Correspondence Services
- Prepared production analyses, efficiency studies, trend analyses, volume forecasts, unit cost analyses for international money transfer activity and products world-wide.
- Analysis of, responsibility for $9 million budget, strategic planning, major purchases.
- Coordinated, advised as to salary planning, promotions, disciplinary actions, evaluation of potential and efficiency for a staff of 300 in
EDUCATION:
Philosophy.
Gonville and
English Literature and Poetry
Missouri State University. Springfield, MO.
Business Ethics.