Public Inquiry Costs Lawyer: Financial Oversight

TLT; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 111,000 - 148,000; Full time

Job summary

TLT is seeking an experienced Costs Lawyer on a 6-month contract to support a major public inquiry. The role focuses on costs management, budgeting and financial oversight, ensuring spend is compliant and well evidenced. It requires collaboration with solicitors, counsel and the inquiry team, with a hybrid London-based schedule.

The successful candidate will have a background in costs drafting, budgeting, and a proven track record in high-value matters or public inquiries.

Qualifications

• Experience as Costs Lawyer or Costs Draftsperson in complex matters.
• Proven budgeting, monitoring and financial control for costs.
• Experience reviewing solicitors’ and counsel fees and disbursements.
• Knowledge of Civil Procedure Rules and costs budgeting principles.
• Experience preparing Bills of Costs, Points of Dispute and/or assessments.
• Strong analytical skills to identify cost pressures and overspends.
• Excellent attention to detail with complex financial data.
• Ability to work with solicitors, counsel and stakeholders.
• Experience on a public inquiry or large-scale regulatory matters.
• Experience in environments with formal scrutiny of expenditure and costs protocols.

Responsibilities

• Monitor legal spend against budgets and funding arrangements.
• Forecast future spend and flag overspends or cost pressures.
• Review fees and disbursements for reasonableness and compliance.
• Prepare and manage budgets for inquiry work.
• Ensure costs are evidenced and compliant with protocols and funding.
• Prepare and review costs claims, schedules and docs.
• Review invoices including counsel, experts and travel costs.
• Advise teams on recoverability and justification of costs.
• Support discussions on costs with funding bodies.
• Provide clear cost information to solicitors and counsel.

Skills

Costs Lawyer experience

Budgeting & forecasting

Reviewing legal spend

Civil Procedure Rules

Bills of Costs

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Stakeholder collaboration

Public inquiry experience

Funding controls experience

Job description

TLT is seeking an experienced Costs Lawyer on a 6-month contract to support a major public inquiry. The role focuses on costs management, budgeting and financial oversight, ensuring spend is compliant and well evidenced. It requires collaboration with solicitors, counsel and the inquiry team, with a hybrid London-based schedule.

The successful candidate will have a background in costs drafting, budgeting, and a proven track record in high-value matters or public inquiries.