Contract Lawyer - Costs (Public Inquiries)

Tlt Llp; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 83,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

TLT LLP is seeking an experienced Costs Lawyer to support a major public inquiry on a contract basis. The role focuses on costs management, financial oversight and ensuring expenditures are properly evidenced and compliant with inquiry protocols.

Working with solicitors, counsel and the inquiry team, you will monitor spend, forecast budgets and scrutinise fees, disbursements and other costs, with an initial 6‑month contract and hybrid London office attendance.

Qualifications

• Experience in costs budgeting, monitoring and forecasting in complex or high‑value matters.
• Ability to review and scrutinise solicitors' fees, counsel fees and disbursements.
• Knowledge of Civil Procedure Rules and costs budgeting principles.
• Experience preparing Bills of Costs, Points of Dispute and/or detailed assessments.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail in financial data.

Responsibilities

• Monitor legal spend against budgets and funding arrangements.
• Forecast future spend and identify overspends or cost pressures.
• Review and scrutinise solicitors' fees, counsel fees and disbursements.
• Prepare and manage costs budgets for inquiry work.
• Ensure costs are evidenced and compliant with costs protocols and funding.
• Prepare and review costs claims, schedules and supporting documentation.
• Review invoices and disbursements, including counsel and travel costs.
• Advise legal teams on recoverability and justification of expenditure.
• Support discussions around costs with the inquiry team or funding body.
• Provide clear costs information to solicitors and counsel.

Skills

Costs budgeting

Spend analysis

Forecasting

Financial control

Civil Procedure Rules

Bills of Costs

Points of Dispute

Legal spend review

Team collaboration

Job description

TLT is looking for an experienced Costs Lawyer to support a major public inquiry on a contract basis.

Working closely with solicitors, counsel and the wider inquiry team, you will play a key role in the financial management, scrutiny and justification of legal spend, ensuring costs are reasonable, proportionate, properly evidenced and compliant with the relevant inquiry costs protocols, funding arrangements and approved rates.

This role is primarily focused on costs management and financial oversight, rather than substantive legal work such as witness handling, evidence gathering or advocacy.

This role is an initial 6-month contract, with the potential for extension, and will be paid on a competitive day rate via an Umbrella company. This is a full-time, hybird role, requiring attendance at our London office throughout the duration of the assignment.

Key responsibilities

• Monitoring legal spend against agreed budgets and approved funding arrangements.
• Forecasting future spend and identifying potential overspends or emerging cost pressures.
• Reviewing and scrutinising solicitors' fees, counsel fees, disbursements and other legal expenditure.
• Preparing and managing legal budgets for inquiry work.
• Ensuring costs are properly evidenced and compliant with applicable inquiry costs protocols, approved rates and funding arrangements.
• Preparing and reviewing costs claims, schedules and supporting documentation.
• Reviewing invoices and disbursements, including counsel, experts, travel and document review costs.
• Advising legal teams on the recoverability and justification of expenditure.
• Supporting discussions or negotiations around costs with the inquiry team or relevant funding body.
• Providing clear costs information and advice to solicitors and counsel throughout the inquiry.

Skills and experience

• We are looking for someone with:
• Previous experience as a Costs Lawyer or Costs Draftsperson, ideally within complex or high-value legal matters.
• Strong experience of costs budgeting, monitoring, forecasting and financial control.
• Experience reviewing and scrutinising legal spend, including solicitors' fees, counsel fees and disbursements.
• Knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules and costs budgeting principles.
• Experience preparing Bills of Costs, Points of Dispute and/or detailed assessments.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to identify potential cost pressures or overspends.
• Excellent attention to detail and confidence working with complex financial information.
• The ability to work collaboratively with solicitors, counsel and other stakeholders.

Desirable

• Previous experience working on a public inquiry, large-scale investigation, regulatory matter or group litigation.
• Experience working in an environment where significant legal expenditure is subject to formal scrutiny, funding controls or costs protocols.

The Team

The Public Inquiries Inquests and Public Law Team at TLT has a wide breadth of experience on all aspects of inquiry work. We represent central government, non-departmental public bodies, local government, high-profile individuals, blue light services and the private sector.

The team provide a full legal service. This includes advising individual key witnesses representing public bodies, private individuals and acting on behalf of inquiries themselves.

This breadth of experience and knowledge allows the team to deal with all aspects of public inquiries and provides a unique perspective. On top of our legal advice, we are able to provide support to an inquiry secretariat. We can provide project management, budget advice and administrative support.

About TLT

Fast paced, fast growing and forward thinking, TLT is the law firm that helps clients stay one step ahead, and we do the same for our people.

With local, national and international reach, we have over 1,800 people in offices across the UK and a network of partner firms across Europe, India and the US. Over the last few years TLT's successful growth, delivery of high-quality work and support for colleagues has been consistently recognised by The Times and at the Legal Business, The Lawyer and British Legal Awards.

Our ambition is to create opportunities for what comes next for our clients, recognised as their 1st tier adviser and being valued for their values. We do this in our unique way by creating social value and a dynamic environment where our people are curious, creative and ambitious for their success.

In our open and collaborative culture, we encourage everyone to be their whole self, to have a voice and to contribute to the success of TLT.