Senior Costs Lawyer

The Senior Costs Lawyer will provide specialist strategic and practical costs expertise across the Firm's UK litigation practices, supporting effective costs management and maximising recoverability.  The role will enhance the Firm's capability and approach in budgeting and cost management and recovery, while also taking direct responsibility for key operational costs work, particularly around cost budgeting and assessment by the Court. Reporting into the Knowledge Lead for the Litigation & Dispute Resolution division, there is opportunity for the Senior Costs Lawyer to make a meaningful impact across the Firm.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Lead on costs budgeting and costs management throughout the lifecycle of contentious matters, providing early strategic input to matter teams to support recoverability, proportionality and effective client cost control.


• Prepare, monitor and update costs estimates and budgets, including advising on variations where required and ensuring legal teams remain aware of key costs milestones, risks and deadlines.


• Prepare, review and manage bills of costs, detailed assessment bills, schedules of costs, costs budgets, statements of costs, points of dispute and replies across a range of litigation matters.


• Support fee earners with internal costs queries, costs disputes, negotiations and the review of opponents’ bills, including assessing reasonableness, proportionality and recoverability.


• Provide strategic advice to partners and fee earners on all aspects of legal costs, including costs management, budgeting, costs recovery, litigation funding and costs risk throughout the lifecycle of contentious matters.


• Work collaboratively with partners, fee earners and business services teams to develop a more sophisticated and commercially focused approach to costs management across the Firm.


• Represent the Firm and clients at Costs and Case Management Conferences, detailed assessments and other costs hearings where appropriate, including conducting advocacy on costs-related issues.


• Where external counsel is instructed, ensure counsel is fully briefed and supported to defend the Firm’s costs budgets, challenge opponents’ budgets and advance the agreed costs strategy.


• Design and deliver costs training for partners, fee earners and business services teams, including best practice in time recording, budgeting, costs recovery and compliance with relevant costs procedures.


• Monitor developments in costs law and practice, providing technical guidance, legal research and practical tools to embed consistent, commercially focused best practice across the Firm.


• Support legal teams with alternative fee arrangements, funding strategies, retainer structures, cost estimates and expenditure monitoring to maximise recoverability and profitability.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Qualified Costs Lawyer, Solicitor or equivalent qualification.


•  Strong experience in all aspects of costs assessment and costs management


• Experience preparing, drafting and progressing bills of costs, statements/schedules of costs, costs claims, cost budgets, estimates, points of dispute.


•  Detailed knowledge and practical application of the Civil Procedure Rules relating to costs.


• Strong technical and legal knowledge of costs law.


• Experience advising fee earners, solicitors, barristers, clients and stakeholders on costs implications, strategy, recovery issues and procedural requirements.


• Excellent negotiation skills.


• Advocacy experience, including attendance at interim applications, costs case management hearings, detailed assessment hearings and other cost-related proceedings.


• Experience preparing and managing cost budgets.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable  

• Flexible and adaptable approach, with the ability to respond to changing priorities and work under pressure.


• Commercial awareness and the ability to understand litigation strategy and achieve the best outcomes for clients, the team and the business.

Hybrid working - We adopt a hybrid and flexible working approach, dependent on the requirements of the role and subject to manager approval.

Charles Russell Speechlys is anEqual Opportunities Employer, and we are committed to developing an increasingly diverse, inclusive and supportive culture where everyone can be themselves, feel valued, and that they can thrive and belong.  Please see here for more information on our employee-led DEI Networks.

For a detailed specification please download the job description in the documents section of this page.

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