Head of Department/Supervisor

£60 Basic – Bonus (£20k OTE) annually
Hybrid (2 days a week ideally)
Liverpool or Manchester

Job Title:  Team Leader Costs Draftsman – Housing Disrepair & Contract Disputes

The firm
Founded in Manchester in 1984, they now have 40 years’ experience of helping the public with their legal claims and have recovered well over £100 million. Specialists in acting for tenants where their landlord has failed to repair their property or protecting deposits as the law requires.

The successful candidate will be responsible for
Supervision, training and mentoring of  4-5 staff ranging in experience from 6 months +
The team is well established and doing well.  You will be the Technical lead for more complex
matters and drive motivation to ensure  targets are met.  The role will be spilt 50% own caseload (dealing with more complex cases) & 50% supervision.

The firm is highly successful and they operate an excellent bonus scheme for their staff as they want
to share their success.  At present they estimate the bonus for this role should be approximately £20k pa (Paid in Nov) – but they believe with the right motivation and training more could be achieved.

Key Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of 4-5 Costs Draftsmen handling housing disrepair and contract dispute cases
• Costs Budgeting & Bill Drafting: Oversee the preparation of cost budgets, bills of costs
• Litigation Support: Provide strategic guidance on costs-related aspects of housing disrepair and contract dispute litigation
• Negotiation & Settlement: Lead negotiations with opposing parties to secure favourable cost settlements, Dealing with Replies
• Compliance & Regulations: Ensure adherence to CPR rules, costs regulations, and best practices in housing disrepair and contract disputes
• Client & Stakeholder Engagement: Maintain strong relationships with solicitors, clients, and external stakeholders
• Performance Monitoring: Track team performance
• Training & Development: Provide guidance and training to junior team members to enhance expertise

Required Skills & Experience:

• Proven experience in legal costs management, particularly in claimant Costs
• Expertise in costs budgeting, bill drafting, and negotiations.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Familiarity with CPR rules and costs-related regulations.
• Ability to handle complex litigation costs assessments.

Essential Skills

• 5 years’ experience in a Senior legal costs role with supervision of juniors
• Management of own case load from instruction to settlement
• Experience drafting points of dispute and replies to points of dispute
• Use of Proclaim and CostsMaster