Job Description

Legal Costs Manager
Sheffield
Salary \xc2\xa329,321
Full Time, Permanent

Who we are:

CRA Consulting are a specialist legal recruiter, operating across the UK. CRA works in partnership with reputable law firms with either local, regional, national or international presence. We recruit at all levels from board, director and partnership level through to support staff.

For additional information on how we can assist you with your next career move, visit the CRA Consulting Website at www.craconsultants.com.

About the business:

CRA Consul are recruiting on behalf of a reputable law firm with a national presence. Our client is looking to hire an experienced costs professional with a background in legal costs to join their renowned team, in their Sheffield Office.

If successful, you will perform the following role as a Legal Costs Manager:

• To monitor, guide, mentor and be accountable for performance of the team including appropriate team development.
• To provide support, guidance and technical assistance to individuals in the team.
• To be responsible for the allocation of new cases within the team.
• Assist in recruitment including managing headcount within prescribed budgets
• To resource plan to ensure cover at all times within the team.
• Participate in the departments performance management framework, including conducting appraisals, 121s, and \'Welcome Back\' interviews
• Work within a framework of objectives and target setting
• Attend and participate in all management team meetings as required
• To ensure the Senior management are provided with required daily, weekly and monthly reports
• Undertake non-chargeable work, including practice development for the benefit of the firm, which may be outside of office hours
• To effectively utilise and promote the use of the Case Management IT system.
• To be responsible for the updating of Cost Team data on the business Intranet Site.
• To effectively utilise and promote Department Best Practice.
• To work within the cross department management team to constantly review team, department, and business processes and procedures to maximise efficiencies and effectiveness.
• To audit files and ensure that costs, client damages and outlays have been distributed correctly before file closure.
• To liaise with the Enforcement Team Manager to ensure the effective transfer of cases from the costs team for enforcement action to be taken.
• To effectively utilise, promote, and to ensure Department wide processes and procedures are followed within the team.
• To effectively use Management Information to monitor performance and caseloads.
• Undertake or deliver appropriate training as required
• Identify, resolve and escalate risks to Senior Management as appropriate.
• Any other tasks necessary for the effective operation of the team.
• Preparing costs schedules on personal injury files, which include RTA and EL/PL claims, including Time-costed, Portal and FRC matters
• Negotiating with medical agencies and Counsel to lower amount of fees where appropriate
• Reviewing accounts to identify payments which have been made \'up front\' to ensure recovered from third party
• Negotiating settlement of costs with third party
• Dealing with the banking of costs and clients settlement cheques
• Dealing with in-coming post and e-mails, filing, scanning and photocopying
• Preparing and managing files which are sent to and returned from Cost Draftsman.
• Dealing with any queries from Costs Draftsman to assist in progressing cases towards settlement
• Dealing with queries and disputes with professional suppliers
• Reviewing the aged debt listing from the primary medical supplier to ensure issues are dealt with proactively
• To follow and comply with Best Practice Guide
• To appropriately involve the Team Manager where input on technical matters and operational issues are warranted.
• Plan workload in order to anticipate and balance priorities
• Maintain an awareness of changes in legislation, practice and procedure, and to share that knowledge with other members of the department.
• Ensure that all correspondence and messages are dealt with appropriately, within prescribed SLAs, providing excellent client service
• Work hard as a team player; being a committed and confident litigator.
• To oversee, and authorise as appropriate, the settlement of costs, closure, and write-off of disbursements on files within a prescribed framework.
• Managing the write off facility with the primary medical agency
• To monitor, guide, mentor and be accountable for performance of the team including appropriate team development.
• To handle Stage 1 complaints and expressions of dissatisfaction for cases being handled within the Costs Team, and for other teams in the absence of their manager, as required.
• To appropriately involve The Head of PI where input on technical matters and operational issues is warranted.
• Plan individual and team workloads in order to anticipate and balance priorities
• Maintain an awareness of changes in legislation, practice and procedure
• Ensure that all correspondence and messages are dealt with appropriately, within prescribed SLAs, providing excellent client service
• Ensure that all clients, on all occasions, are treated with courtesy and dealt with expeditiously

The organisation will offer you the following employment benefits package:

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Life insurance
• Company sick pay
• Pension scheme
• Free parking
• Hybrid working

To apply, you will be required to meet the following criteria:

• It is vital you have experience in Legal Costs
• It is vital you have experience in a supervisory, team leadership or team managerial role

How to apply:

If this Legal Costs Manager vacancy is of interest, please click the apply button. Alternatively, if you would like to discuss with Rob Addy who is managing this vacancy, call 0114 241 8030 for a confidential discussion.

The Lawyer