Cost Enforcer
We are currently recruiting for a Cost Enforcer for an established Merseyside based firm.
Purpose of the Job:
- Deal with all aspects of litigated and non – litigated cost enforcement .
- Liaise with external enforcement agents and /or costs draftsmen as necessary
- Bill clients for outstanding fees as and when necessary
- Monitor and recover where necessary any historical debt and/or outstanding disbursements
- Preparation of MOJ cost calculations and costs schedules as and when needed.
- Keep a note of and monitor any files transferred to alternative solicitors, chase and recover costs when appropriate.
- Have a good working knowledge of the CPR and/or and other relevant case law and/or legislation and progressing claims in a timely manner in accordance with the CPR.
- Have an ability to issue applications for agreed costs, Part 7 enforcement proceedings, and/or Part 8 enforcement proceedings
- Instruct Counsel, to attend conferences, hearings, etc.
- Take a pragmatic commercial approach to recovery of costs and litigation/cost risks.
- Prioritise urgent schedule entries and dealing with remainder of daily tasks on To Do list.
- Achieve and exceed various targets set in relation to fee income, closures and issuing, etc
- Escalate any matters to Head of Costs as and when necessary.
Principal Responsibilities
- Ensure recovery of outstanding costs and damages
- Escalate cost matters as and when necessary.
- Prioritise incoming daily post/emails and dealing with anything needing urgent attention while the remainder of the post is dealt with expeditiously and in order of importance and productivity
- Assist new or less experienced members of the team with any issues in terms of clients, referrers, external agencies and procedure etc.
- Issue proceedings in a timely manner
- Ensure that any relevant costs target is met
- Maintain pro- active communication with clients.
- Liaise with Head of Costs to take more contentious files and deal with them under supervision to expand knowledge and experience
- Where applicable increase caseload numbers to further develop own level of experience
Knowledge, Experience and Skills Required:
- An, ILEX qualified or file handler of at least 2 years’ experience in the are of litigation
- The ability to liaise and build up a rapport by using effective communication with all external agencies during the life of a claim including medical agencies, investigators, barristers etc.
- The ability to create and foster a “can do” culture to raise efficiency and productivity
- Good IT skills with a sound working knowledge of Solcase or a similar case management system and essential MS Office knowledge.
- Excellent time management and organisational skills, with a calm and methodical approach to work, and a flexible and adaptable attitude to resolving issues.
- A proven track record of running a successful caseload of litigated cases
- Excellent client care and analytical skills, to include providing written and oral advice in a clear concise manner.
For more information please contact [email protected]