If you are interested in a role within the Law Costs sector, please don't hesitate to send your CV to * candidates must have prior experience in UK Law Costs
Job title:
Costs Lawyer
Department:
Business Services
Location:
London or Cardiff – with hybrid working
Reporting to:
Senior Associate Solicitor
The role
Working in our Costs Team, you will provide a complete costs service to our fee earners. To include assisting with costs budgeting, preparation of costs claims, costs negotiations; advocacy at costs hearings, and providing general costs advice, guidance, and assistance.
Main duties and responsibilities:
Caseloads and collaboration
- Ensure the highest quality of costs recovery service is always provided
- Supporting fee-earners with client costs estimates and budgeting
- Advice on fee arrangements with clients
- Advice to fee earners on levels and prospects of costs recovery
- Provide other technical costs guidance
- Manage a costs caseload of claimant costs files
- Provide update reports on caseloads and progress
- Build and maintain good working relationships with the fee earners, the finance and accounts teams, and all other staff
Document preparation
- Budgets (Precedent H/T)
- Statements of Costs (N260) for summary assessment
- Electronic Bills of Costs (Precedent S)
- Prepare documents for provisional and detailed assessment proceedings
- Draft Points of Dispute and Replies
Hearings and settlement
- Attend Costs Management Hearings
- Attend Interlocutory Costs Hearings
- Attend Detailed Assessment Hearings
- Negotiate and settle claims for costs, maximising costs recovery
Professional development
- Actively keep up to date with developments on all areas of costs law
- Attend necessary training, seminars, and events
Personal Specification
Essential
- Genuine interest to work with a leading claimant law firm and passionate about providing access to justice to all
- Minimum 4 years' experience of working in civil litigation costs recovery
- Knowledge of funding agreements and associated rules and case law
- Experience of drafting bills and dealing with negotiations, costs proceedings and costs advocacy, with minimal supervision
- Up to date knowledge of Costs Assessment Guidance, Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) and legislation
- Excellent negotiation and influencing skills
- Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail
- Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
- Professional approach, able to deal with fee-earners, clients, other professionals and court services
- Can work both independently, and as part of a team
- Ability to prioritise and manage multiple cases to strict deadlines
- Experienced user of IT packages (e.g. Costsmaster, Outlook, Word and Excel)
Desirable
- Knowledge of Legal Aid Costs/Claims
- Experience of using case management systems
- Experience of handling own costs caseloads from start to finish
- Experience of working in house within a law firm
- Professionally qualified or working towards a qualification e.g., Costs Lawyer, Solicitor or Legal Executive