Drafting Team Leader

Fletchers Solicitors; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

35 hours working week

Bonus scheme

35 days holiday + options to buy more

Pension scheme with salary sacrifice

Life Assurance Policy

Medicash policy

Company sick pay

Enhanced maternity/paternity/IVF

Flexible working environment

Social events & vouchers

Supportive culture

Training & development opportunities

Job summary

Fletchers Solicitors seeks an experienced Drafting Team Leader to manage the Costs Department. Reporting to the Head of Costs Litigation, you will drive performance, maintain high drafting standards, mentor staff, and maximise profitability while upholding client care in a collaborative, hybrid environment.

The role requires leadership in cost drafting, strong organisation, and the ability to develop team members.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a costs drafting team with strong mentoring skills.
• Proven drafting of detailed costs bills and schedules to high standards.
• Excellent organisational and planning capabilities and able to manage competing priorities.
• Strong client service focus and communication with fee earners.

Responsibilities

• Leading the team to maximise objectives and deliver high standards of performance.
• Allocating cases within the team and ensuring up-to-date MI.
• Liaising with fee earners on questions/queries and conducting annual PDMRs.
• Conducting monthly one-to-one meetings and monitoring chargeability.
• Preparation of detailed bills of costs and costs estimates; review of opponent's disputes.
• Maintain deadlines, service levels, and regular client updates; support Dean/Head with duties.

Skills

Leadership experience

People management

Organisational skills

Planning

Communication skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Customer service

Teamwork

Initiative

Education

Costs Lawyer or Solicitor qualification

Tools

Proclaim

Cost Master

Job description

Office Locations: Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bolton, Southport, Newcastle, Reading, Birmingham, Northampton, and Cambridge

Hybrid working available – with the flexibility to work from home and collaborate in-office when needed. We believe we offer our colleagues the best hybrid and flexible working practices, balancing working from home with time collaborating and socialising with colleagues in our modern offices.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Drafting Team Leader to join our Costs Department. Reporting directly to the Head of Costs Litigation, this is a key leadership role responsible for the day-to-day management of the Drafting Team and for ensuring the consistent delivery of a first-class costs drafting service across the business.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical expertise in costs drafting with proven leadership and organisational skills. You will play a pivotal role in driving performance, maintaining exceptional quality standards, supporting and developing team members, and maximising profitability while upholding the highest levels of client care. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced costs professional looking to take the next step in their management career within a forward-thinking and collaborative environment.

In Return Fletchers Offers

• 35 hours working week
• Bonus scheme (subject to targets being met)
• 35 days holiday a year including bank holidays and Christmas Closure, you also have an option to purchase up to 3 extra days’ holiday per year, until you long service award the 3 days after your 5th, 7th, and 9th full year of employment
• Pension scheme with tax-efficient salary sacrifice option
• Life Assurance Policy
• Medicash policy to cover some dental, optical and other medical expenses
• Company sick pay
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and IVF schemes
• Flexible, agile working environment with a positive work-life balance
• Varied calendar of funded company social events (check out Fletchers Group on LinkedIn)
• Monthly voucher awards for winning nominees
• A genuinely supportive and friendly culture
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities

Main Responsibilities

• Leading the team to maximise its objectives and deliver excellent standards of performance.
• Allocating cases appropriately within the team
• Ensuring MI is up to date and accurate
• Liaising with fee earners regarding any questions/queries
• Conduct annual PDMRs
• Conduct monthly one to one meetings
• Monitoring chargeability
• Preparation of detailed bills of costs, costs schedules and costs estimates.
• Review of opponent’s points of dispute and preparation of replies.
• Ensuring that the quality of work produced is to the highest standard.
• Monitor daily workloads, as well as ensuring team achieve their service level agreements.
• Be able to work to deadlines and prioritise matters to ensure targets are delivered.
• Ensuring that the Client is regularly updated as to the current situation on matters.
• Ensuring that care is taken to ensure good working relationships with internal colleagues.
• Being responsible for maximising the firms profitability whilst maintaining the highest Client care standard.
• Mentoring, developing and identifying knowledge gaps of team members
• Support the Head of Department with any other duties as required
• Attending team meetings with fellow team leaders/HODs/Director
• Maintain a case load
• Adhering to the firm’s policies
• Any other duties as reasonably required by the business

Essential Skills And Experience

• Costs Lawyer or Solicitor qualification
• Experience of management of people
• Proven experience of drafting bills of costs
• Experience of Proclaim
• Experience of Cost Master
• Organisational, planning and communication skills
• Excellent customer service skills
• Good general IT skills
• Time management
• Ability to use initiative
• Working effectively within a team.
• Attention to detail and the ability to meet tight deadlines

We reserve the right to close this role before the date specified depending on the calibre and volume of candidates.

About Fletchers Solicitors

Fletchers is a fast-growing, dynamic law firm specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence law, with outstanding rankings in both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. Following several strategic acquisitions, we’ve evolved into the Fletchers Group, with ambitious plans for continued growth and innovation.

We aspire to be the best place to work in the legal sector.

Our workplace culture is inclusive, informal, and supportive, with a strong focus on colleague wellbeing and happiness. We are proud to offer some of the best hybrid and flexible working arrangements in the industry — because we understand that balance drives performance.

At Fletchers, we also value connection and collaboration. We create exciting opportunities for teams to come together and thrive. Whether you’re starting your career or aiming for leadership, you’ll find a clear path to progress and development here – from apprenticeships and professional qualifications to senior roles and Partnership.

We seek out a broad range of challenging, high-quality legal work, enabling our people to build meaningful and progressive careers. And we don’t just talk about development — we invest in it, with a significant proportion of our colleagues working towards relevant qualifications at any given time.

We reward those who help build our success and live our values. Our benefits package is designed to grow with you, offering real opportunities to share in our long‑term strength. Our base pay and bonus structure is built to recognise and reward high performance.

Join us and be part of a law firm that’s not only growing but redefining what it means to work in legal services.

Fletchers Solicitors is an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce: we welcome applications from any and all backgrounds. We’re committed to providing a culture and environment where everyone can thrive, understanding and celebrating that no colleague is the same. We’re proud of our work on the Disability Confident scheme, signed up to BITC's Race at Work charter, and working towards Henpicked's Menopause and Menstrual Friendly accreditations.