Junior Costs Negotiator

Davies; Royton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Davies Incentive Plan

25 days holiday per year (increasing)

Simply Health Care Cash Plan

WeCare – 24/7 online GP and wellbeing

Pension Contribution 5% Employee / 3%

Cycle to Work Scheme

Tech Scheme

Season Ticket Loan

Gym Flex

Discounts at Merlin Attractions

Job summary

Davies is seeking a Junior Costs Negotiator to manage a caseload and push for early settlement of costs across multiple MOD disease claims. You will craft initial strategies, liaise with insurers, and negotiate settlements by phone while maintaining strong client relationships.

You’ll be supported by our Costs team and have opportunities for professional development. The role involves attending conferences and hearings and delivering against client SLAs and KPIs.

Qualifications

• Ideally has performed a junior costs negotiator role or similar.
• Degree and/or LPC and/or ALCD qualification.
• Experience in client/customer liaison—taking instructions and providing advice.

Responsibilities

• Proactively review cases to formulate initial costs strategy and settlement parameters.
• Prepare points of dispute and consider replies.
• Negotiate settlement of costs via telephone with opponents.
• Update clients on progress and manage SLAs and KPIs.
• Instruct counsel and attend conferences, hearings, and mediations, remotely or in person.

Skills

Costs negotiation

Client liaison

Telephone negotiation

Case management

Team collaboration

Education

Degree and/or LPC and/or ALCD

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Description

To pursue the settlement of legal costs as soon as practicably possible on a range of MOD disease claims.

A Junior Costs Negotiator should be able to proactively review cases; formulate an initial costs strategy and settlement parameters; provide comprehensive advice to clients; commence early telephone negotiations with opponents; and liaise, as required, with Insurers throughout the life of the file.

The Junior Costs Negotiator should be able to establish strong working relationships within the Costs team; the wider Keoghs business; and with our clients through use of excellent oral skills and succinct written communications.

The Junior Costs Negotiator will be expected to attain their Objectives as well as Client SLAs and KPIs. Support and mentoring with their Personal Development Plan will be provided to enable technical development and career progression.

The Head of Costs is Howard Dean; Technical Director is Elaine Pitt; and Business Unit Director is Amanda Nuttall. This role is in the Legacy team managed by Darren Lee with support from Lead Lawyer, Paul Edwards.

Key Accountabilities

You will be responsible for your own caseload, progressing each file from receipt of papers from Legacy team to resolution of costs. The role will include:

• Proactively reviewing cases to formulate an initial costs strategy and settlement parameters
• Preparing points of dispute and considering replies
• Identifying and documenting strengths and weaknesses of own case and opponent’s costs claimed
• Using the telephone to discuss; put forward meritorious arguments; and negotiate settlement of costs
• Updating reports to clients of progress made in resolving costs claimed
• Dealing with correspondence and telephone calls received within SLAs
• Undertaking periodic reviews of files in line with client requirements
• Settlement of costs within agreed negotiation parameters
• Instructing counsel and attending conferences; detailed assessment hearings; and mediations, remotely and in person.
• Attending court for application hearings; detailed assessment hearings and mediations remotely and in person to conduct own advocacy
• Delivery of agreed performance targets; Keoghs quality standards; and client’s SLAs, KPIs and MI requirements
• Delegate assigned tasks to a Paralegal and be fully engaged in their development in terms of technical ability and achievement of objectives
• To ensure compliance with the SRA Standards & Regulations

Working Hours

• 28 - 35 hours per week.
• Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm with 1 unpaid hour for lunch.
• Primary location for this role is Birmingham, Liverpool or Bolton Office.

Experience, Skills and Qualifications

• Ideally will have performed a similar junior costs negotiator role, either for claimant or defendant, handling own caseload. Full training and supervision will be provided to any candidate without this experience.
• Degree and/or LPC and/or ALCD
• Previous experience of client/customer liaison - taking instructions and providing advice both verbally and in writing
• Knowledge of the Detailed Assessment process and the relevant CPR provisions relating to costs.
• Good telephone negotiation skills
• An understanding of current cost case law and insurance litigation practice and process.
• Ability to use own initiative and make decisions
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads and to remain calm under pressure
• Excellent listening and verbal communication skills
• Ability to act as part of a team
• Proficient IT skills in Microsoft packages

Benefits

• Davies Incentive Plan
• 25 days holiday per year which increases with level of service (opportunity to buy & sell 3 days)
• Simply Health Care Cash Plan
• WeCare – 24/7 online GP, mental health support and virtual wellbeing covering a whole host of topics to do with health, mental health, wellbeing & healthy living and financial & legal wellbeing
• Death In Service – after 1 years’ service
• Pension Contribution based 5% Employee / 3% Employer
• Employee Resource Groups
• Employee Volunteering Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme*
• Tech Scheme*
• Season Ticket Loan*
• Gym Flex*
• Access to Online Discount Sites
• Discounted Gourmet Society Membership
• Discounted Tickets for Merlin Attractions nationwide
• Discounts at local retail outlets

*after successfully completing probation

We are a specialist professional services and technology firm, working in partnership with leading insurance, highly regulated and global businesses. We help our clients to manage risk, operate their core business processes, transform and grow. We deliver professional services and technology solutions across the risk and insurance value chain, including excellence in claims, underwriting, distribution, regulation & risk, customer experience, human capital, digital transformation & change management. Our global team of more than 8,000 professionals operate across ten countries, including the UK & the U.S. Over the past ten years Davies has grown its annual revenues more than 20-fold, investing heavily in research & development, innovation & automation, colleague development, and client service. Today the group serves more than 1,500 insurance, financial services, public sector, and other highly regulated clients.