Lead Legal Cashier

A leading UK law firm with a network of offices from the South Coast to Scotland, working together as one national team. An innovative practice and the first top 100 law firm to achieve “Gold Standard” Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm. The lack of barriers between departments, a real lack of hierarchy, zero tolerance for arrogance and pomposity makes Shoosmiths a fantastic place to work.

Our finance team are committed to providing an efficient and accurate service to our legal advisors and to other support functions.  At the centre of this is ensuring that the client and office accounts are kept up to date and invoices are produced accurately and in a timely manner.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Lead Legal Cashier to join our Finance team in Northampton on a permanent basis. You will be working as part of a local team and a larger firm wide department, supplying an efficient, accurate & helpful financial service for the Legal Advisers and other support functions. This will also include assisting the Finance Manager in various duties and responsibilities.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with previous experience within a legal finance environment, to broaden their knowledge and gain new skills. You will need to have excellent communication skills, a keen eye for detail, flexibility, able to manage your own workload within tight deadlines, help and support your finance manager.

General:

• To understand and ensure compliance with the Accounts Rules in relation to all tasks.
• To avoid any breaches of the Accounts Rules.
• To ensure that client and office accounts are kept up to date accurately.
• To be approachable/flexible and keen to learn

Key areas:

Support:

• To support and liaise with the Finance Manager in ensuring deadlines are met and that work is completed in an accurate and efficient manner.
• To build on an existing understanding of, and to ensure compliance with, the Accounts Rules in relation to all tasks.
• To ensure all procedures are adhered to and correctly processed (according to the Accounts Rules and HMRC regulations/rules)
• To assist the FM in the supervision of the legal cashiers within your office (first line queries), this will also include cross office work as required.

Key Tasks:

Transactions:

• Daily and weekly Accounts Rules reports
• Maintain the charity suspense accounts
• To make sure all breaches are logged
• Monthly Reconciliation and top up of the Petty Cash
• A good understanding of Finance terminology
• Process request for payments when required
• Dealing with Foreign currency exchanges with our bank
• To help out LA’s & PA’s with reporting when required
• Process Interest calculations when needed and post to the accounting system
• To make rate changes for clients and matters
• To process any Direct Debit Invoices when received
• To check and process Counsels/Agents fees onto the accounting system
• To understand and process daily billing, cancellations, credit notes, write offs and foreign invoices with a full understanding of the VAT treatment.
• To review funds received and ensure post LA approval that the accounting system is updated on a timely and accurate basis. 
• To establish and open separate joint accounts or designated deposit accounts as per our internal policies.
• To ensure that funds are available for payments out of our bank accounts.
• To use the firms banking system to approve the transmission of funds to both UK and international bank accounts, including inter-account transfers.
• To liaise with other members of the Finance team with regarding other inter-dependant transactions.
• To respond to accounting queries from our LA’s, PA’s, support staff and external parties, in a professional and timely manner.
• To process client to client, matter to matter transfers in accordance with the Accounts Rules.
• Ensure that on a daily basis all bank accounts for your office i.e. Client, Trust and Office balance back to the days postings.
• Ensure that any problems arising are appropriately communicated to the Finance Manager and/or LA’s and escalated where appropriate.
• To provide cover for the Finance Manager in their absence.

General Duties:

• To support with general cashiering duties.
• To have a good knowledge and understanding to ensure compliance is met with the Accounts Rules & HMRC regulations/rules in relation to all tasks.
• Be proactive within the Finance directorate, taking initiative and be willing to make suggestions where they feel they will make the Finance team more efficient.
• To cover other members of the team with holidays/absence with a broad understanding of the activities within the Finance directorate required.
• Demonstrating Shoosmiths values and continue to support the overall Finance strategy including leading roadmap activities.
• Be part of testing new processes within the Finance accounting system.
• This list is not exhaustive and duties include various other tasks as directed by the Finance Manager

• Provide an excellent and accurate client service
• Be confident in dealing with high value payments
• Ability to deal with difficult situations in a respectful, calm and helpful manner
• Positive with ‘can do’ attitude
• A friendly and helpful approach
• Ability to work as part of a local team and the wider Finance directorate
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to work to and maintain high standards
• Have the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Have a flexible approach to working practices
• Good level of IT literacy i.e. Excel, Outlook etc.
• Organised, with a neat and tidy approach to working practices
• Flexibility of working hours in peak times ie month ends, quarter ends and year end.

Background Checks

Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. These checks will include employment references covering the last 5 years, proof of ID, proof of address covering the last 5 years. Personal vetting credit search (which will only highlight Insolvency or County Court Judgements – Should any adverse data show on the Personal Vetting search them any offer of employment made be withdrawn). Terrorism check (against data supplied by the Bank of England) and a basic DBS check previously known as a Criminal Records check.

Shoosmiths is a committed Equal Opportunities employer promoting equality of opportunity. This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.