Billing Manager/Costs drafts person – Job Description
Introduction
We are a long established and well-respected law firm specialising in Human Rights based in Camden, Northwest London. We believe in putting our clients first.
The role
- We are looking for a competent costs draftsperson to join our team to work alongside the Finance Account Manager to maximise income. The individual will be responsible for designing, implementing and enforcing policies and procedures, as well as stream lining effective billing processes.
Duties will include:
- To ensure bills are produced and dispatched speedily and income is maximised
- Ensure that CWA are produced by the 7th of each month
- All unpaid disbursements and counsel’s fees to be paid and written on blue slips with copies of invoices.
- Orchestrate requests for re-determination of bills which have been reduced
- To work closely with the Practice manager and others, as requested, to assist in accurately forecasting income and provide the Practice Manager with list of all non-CWA bills each month
- Liaison with all staff involved in cost drafting and associated administrative functions
- To assist as requested in helping to design and efficiently implement any future developments in billing e.g. in connection with computerised time recording
- To draft detailed bill of costs on bills as requested to a high standard.
Hours of Work
The post would be permanent over five days a week (Monday to Friday), after a successful three-month probationary period. We are willing to consider a flexible working pattern dependant on experience.
Person Specification
Applicants are required to demonstrate that they possess the following attributes:
Education and Qualifications
- High standard of general education
- Knowledge of Solicitors Account Rules
- Law Cost Draftsman who has extensive experience billing on Legal Aid and Private client matters.
Knowledge and Experience
- Excellent IT skills (Word, Excel and Outlook) are essential.
- Knowledge and understanding of working in a legal environment
- At least 2 years cost drafting experience within a legal firm.
Skills and Abilities – Essential
- Candidates should have 2 years of strong relevant experience.
- Outstanding attention to detail, ensuring accuracy at all times.
- Excellent organisational skills. Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision
- The ability to use their own initiative and to prioritise own work in response to deadlines.
- The successful candidate will be professional, flexible and capable of working independently.
- Excellent verbal communication skills and the ability to deal with a wide range of people.
- Excellent written communication skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly.
- Numerate and confident in working with numbers.
Personal Attributes
- Discretion, professionalism and diplomacy in dealing with confidential information, sensitive issues and high-profile individuals and organisations;
- willingness to work independently but to recognise when this is appropriate, and very importantly when it is not;
- excellent organisational skills;
- excellent written English grammar and spelling;
- consistency and meticulous attention to detail;
- confidence accompanied by a willingness and ability to recognise when necessary to ask questions and/or seek advice from fee earners’ or other relevant colleagues;
- ability to prioritise, manage and negotiate own workload effectively in consultation with fee-earners;
- high level of interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to take clear telephone messages and to liaise patiently and effectively with staff members;
- ability to liaise effectively on fee-earners’ behalf with others within and outside the firm;
- ability and willingness to learn new skills quickly;
- willingness to adopt a flexible and collaborative approach to tasks.
Management of: Billing Assistant
Responsible to: Directors
Equal opportunities monitoring form – Birnberg Peirce
Closing date is 31st July applications to Claire Sibley (C.Sibley@birnbergpeirce.co.uk)