Cost Specialist

Oculus Legal Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Oculus Legal Group in London is seeking a Senior Costs Draftsperson to join its hybrid team. You will manage a varied costs caseload, with exposure to legal aid, inter partes and private costs, and collaborate with fee earners, counsel and external stakeholders.

The role offers genuine responsibility, with opportunities to develop costs recovery, processes and best practice across the firm, while working closely with colleagues and external advisers.

Qualifications

• 2–4+ years' costs experience.
• Strong experience drafting inter parts bills.
• Experience with legal aid costs and complex matters.
• Understanding Civil Procedure Rules relating to costs.
• Experience negotiating costs and resolving disputes.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and submit legal aid and privately funded bills of costs.
• Work on complex and high-value matters.
• Prepare documentation and submissions for costs assessment.
• Liaise with counsel, fee earners and third parties to maximise recovery.
• Advise on costs recovery and negotiate offers.
• Serve bills and ensure compliance with procedural requirements.
• Manage deadlines and submissions through relevant online systems.
• Prepare interim and final bills.
• Assist with file closure and billing administration.
• Keep up to date with costs legislation and guidance.
• Support colleagues with costs queries and share best practice.

Skills

Costs drafting

Inter parts bills

Legal aid costs

Civil Procedure Rules

Negotiation

Deadline management

MS Office

Costs software

Education

Law degree or equivalent

Tools

Costs/billing software

Job description

Senior Costs Draftsperson | London | Hybrid

A well-established legal practice is looking to appoint an experienced Senior Costs Draftsperson to join its London team.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced costs professional looking for a role with genuine responsibility across legal aid, inter partes and private costs, with the opportunity to work closely with fee earners, counsel and external stakeholders.

The Role

You will take responsibility for a varied costs caseload, including:

• Preparing and submitting legal aid and privately funded bills of costs
• Working on complex and high-value matters
• Preparing documentation and submissions for costs assessment
• Liaising with counsel, fee earners and third parties to maximise costs recovery
• Advising on costs recovery and negotiating costs offers
• Serving bills and ensuring compliance with relevant procedural requirements
• Managing deadlines, notifications and submissions through relevant online systems
• Preparing interim and final bills
• Assisting with file closure and associated billing administration
• Keeping up to date with changes to costs legislation, regulations and guidance
• Supporting colleagues with costs queries and sharing best practice
• Providing guidance and training where appropriate

About You

We are looking for someone with:

• 2–4+ years' relevant costs experience
• Strong experience drafting inter partes bills
• Experience of legal aid costs and/or complex/high-cost matters
• A good understanding of the Civil Procedure Rules relating to costs
• Experience negotiating costs and resolving disputes
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organisational skills
• The ability to manage your own caseload and deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong Microsoft Office and Excel skills
• Experience using costs/billing software
• A professional, approachable and commercially minded attitude

A law degree or equivalent legal background would be advantageous. Advocacy experience and wider commercial/business development skills would also be welcomed.

Salary: £55,000+ depending on experience - higher remuneration available for an exceptional candidate.

Why Consider the Opportunity?

This is a chance to join a professional and collaborative environment where your costs expertise will be valued and where you can play an important role in improving cost recovery, processes and best practice across the organisation.