Finance Graduates

Express Solicitors; Manchester; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working pattern

23 days holiday rising to 26

Private medical insurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Gym facilities

Job summary

Express Solicitors invites graduates in Finance to join our Costs Litigation team as a Costs Litigation Assistant in Manchester. The role offers full training and progression within the costs pathway, with a base salary of £28,500 per year and a £200 monthly commission upon meeting targets.

You will learn on the job, work with the costs team and solicitors, and gain exposure to costs preparation, budgets, and schedules while supporting case progression.

Qualifications

• A degree in Finance, Business or a similar field.
• GCSE Maths & English at grade C or above.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Highly accurate work with strong attention to detail.
• Able to assess and analyse numerical and written information.
• Motivated and able to work under pressure and on own initiative.
• Working knowledge of IT systems like Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Prepare costs schedules for trial.
• Draft breakdowns of costs at case conclusion for client charges.
• Liaise with service providers (e.g., barristers) for final fees and estimates.
• Prepare risk assessments.
• Make calls to progress cases regarding costs and payments on account.
• Assist with cost budgets and review client work with chronologies.

Skills

Numerical analysis

Attention to detail

Written and verbal communication

Initiative

Education

Finance/Business degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Title: Finance Graduates 2nd November 2026

Find out exactly what skills, experience, and qualifications you will need to succeed in this role before applying below.

Location: (Apply online only) Palatine Road, Manchester, M22 4HH

Salary: £28,500 per annum, as well as a monthly commission of £200 if targets are achieved

Job type: Full time, Permanent

Start Date: 2nd November 2026

Do you have an interest in law and want to take the next step in your career?

About The Role

We are seeking highly motivated and detail-oriented Finance graduates to join our legal team as a Costs Litigation Assistant. You don't need to have any experience in law - just an eagerness to learn. We believe that degree experience in Finance provides you a great foundation to build on with a lot of room to gain experience in a new sector.

We provide full training on all aspects of the role to ensure you wouldn't fall behind due to lack of experience. Training will be given in new starter groups and one to one at your desk (both in person and over MS Teams). You will have a work Buddy and work closely with your Line Manager.

You Will Get Involved In

• Preparation of costs schedules for trial.
• Counting and drafting breakdowns of costs at case conclusion, to assist with recovery of costs from between the parties to litigation and to assist with calculating client charges.
• Liaising with service providers to our clients such as barristers to ascertain final fees and fee estimates.
• Preparation of risk assessments.
• Making telephone calls to progress cases in terms of costs negotiations and payments on account of cost.
• Assisting with the preparation of cost budgets.
• Reviewing the work done for the client and preparing chronologies and descriptions of the steps taken.

We offer a Salary is £28,500 per annum, as well as a monthly commission of £200 if targets are achieved.

We have a cohort of Costs Litigation Assistants starting on 2nd November 2026. If you are available to start full time from then, we would love to hear from you.

We set you up to succeed

We provide full training through our Costs Training Programme on all aspects of the role. A Costs Litigation Assistant works with the costs team and solicitors to manage the financial side of legal cases. This includes preparing, checking and negotiating costs, bills and schedules (which are lists of expenses). They also help make sure the firm recovers the money it's owed.

Training will be given in new starter groups and one to one at your desk (both in person and over MS Teams).

We are committed to providing our employees with the guidance and resources they need to succeed in their roles and advance their careers.

We deliver on progression

This Role Has Great Career Progression Routes Such As

• Trainee Costs Draftsperson: A tailored in-house training programme rotating throughout the three different costs roles (file handling, technical bill drafting and budgeting)
• Trainee ACL lawyer, which is a formal qualification from the Association of Cost Lawyers for those who haven't completed a law degree.
• Solicitors Training Contract to qualify as a Solicitor for those who have completed a law degree.

What are we looking for?

• A degree such as Finance, Business or other similar degree.
• GCSE Maths & English at C grade or above.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• The ability to produce work that is highly accurate with excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to assess and analyse both numerical and written information.
• Be highly motivated, with the ability to work under pressure.
• The ability to work under your own initiative.
• Have a working knowledge of IT systems like Microsoft Office packages.

About Us

Established in 2000, Express Solicitors is an award-winning, no win no fee law firm specialising exclusively in personal injury claims. Headquartered in Manchester, we support clients nationwide across all areas of personal injury, including employers' liability, serious injury, clinical negligence, occupiers' and public liability, road traffic accidents and industrial disease.

We are ranked 60th in The Lawyer UK Top 200, out of more than 10,000 law firms nationwide, and after achieving a 20% year‑on‑year growth, Express Solicitors are the largest personal injury claimant firm in the UK.

Our commitment to outstanding client care is reflected in our Trustpilot rating of 4.8 (Excellent), placing us among the highest‑rated firms in the sector.

Benefits

• Hybrid Working - 4/1 hybrid working pattern after probation.
• 23 Days Holiday - Rising to 26 days, plus bank/public holidays.
• Extra Holidays - 3 holiday buybacks and an extra birthday day after the required length of service.
• Looking After Your Health - Private medical insurance after two years' service, annual flu jab and Employee Assistance Programme.
• Looking After Your Well-being - 24/7 onsite gym, netball/football team, 10km Manchester team and more.
• Work Life Balance - Active social committee with generous departmental and firm-wide social budgets.
• Summer Socials - Hosted every other year at the CEO's house paid for by James, himself.

Candidates with the relevant experience or job titles of; Graduate Financial Controller, Trainee Finance Assistant, Trainee Accounts Assistant, Accounting Graduate, Junior Costs Litigation may also be considered for this role.