Lewis Silkin is a UK top-100 commercial law firm with offices in London, Oxford, Cardiff, Dublin and Hong Kong. The firm is recognised by clients and industries alike as being distinct: for its deep understanding, insight and advice to creative, innovative and brand-focused businesses; for its market-leading international practice in employment, immigration and reward; and for delivering pragmatic, commercial advice in a refreshingly human way.
With 59 partners and more than 300 staff, the firm is structured around two key divisions.
The employment, immigration and reward team is consistently top-ranked offering an unrivalled service supporting clients, including many of the world’s leading businesses, on their HR, employment and immigration law needs domestically and internationally.
The creators, makers and innovators team is made up of leading advisers for creative, innovative and brand-focused businesses, offering a deep understanding of the industry sectors in which clients operate combined with real expertise across a wide range of legal services. From start-ups to multinationals, the firm’s comprehensive and commercially focused advice helps clients succeed in an increasingly complex and converged international marketplace. |
The Finance Department supports all aspects of the firm’s financial requirements from the provision of strategic support through to detailed transactional processing, with a key focus on providing excellent customer service to our internal clients. The department is comprised of a central finance team (based in London and Cardiff) plus the London-based operational team covering working capital related activities.
The Billing and Credit Control Team, led by the Working Capital Manager, work closely with the fee-earning departments to ensure client bills are issued in a timely manner, that billing is maximised on a monthly basis and credit control is efficiently managed. In addition, the team works closely with the firm’s cashiers to ensure open lines of communication and work flows are maintained effectively across the department. |
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Be an active member of the Senior Finance Management team; participate in setting the strategy for the function, operational decision making and influencing discussions.
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Work closely with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and monitor service of immediate team in relation to billing / e-billing and credit control to ensure that partners and clients receive a high quality service.
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Identify and jointly develop solutions for possible service enhancements to reduce lock-up days.
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Ensure the team is meeting and participating in group objectives, initiatives, upholding best practice and acting as leader in their areas.
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Respond quickly and efficiently to ad-hoc work requests. This will often involve new areas of analysis which will require planning and development.
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Look for opportunities to improve and instil the Firm’s values in the team.
Working capital management
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Provide strong leadership and have full responsibility for the development and performance of the Working Capital function.
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Set monthly billing and cash collection targets.
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Oversee and monitor the effectiveness of client billing, unticked bills, collection and volume discount processes and initiate improvements to enhance the quality of service.
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Review billing write-offs and ensure any material amounts are brought to the attention of the UK CFO.
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Review unbilled disbursements account balances and disbursements written off on a monthly basis and investigate any significant movements.
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Review monthly bad debt provision and agree next steps in advance of ledger close to ensure it is appropriate.
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Develop and maintain relationships with finance contacts at key clients to ensure prompt and efficient processing of bills and collection of cash.
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Competencies for success
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Five years or more experience in a management role in a leading firm with at least three years’ Working Capital experience.
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Commercial outlook essential - experience of a partnership environment would be very advantageous.
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Must be a pro-active self-starter with drive, enthusiasm and tenacity, possessing excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
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Will need to be visible with the confidence to encourage and challenge partners.
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Demonstrate strong leadership and people management skills and experienced in recruitment.
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Excellent analytical and numeracy skills are a prerequisite for the role.
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Proficiency in using technology required, experience of Elite 3E a distinct advantage but not essential.
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Excellent attention to detail, prioritisation and organisational skills.
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Ability to work under pressure and cope with the high and varied workloads.
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Results driven; having a proactive, goal orientated approach to decision making.
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Able to influence at the highest level as a credible, fast-thinking, collaborative and proactive individual.
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Demonstrate a hands-on approach and success in working in a team based environment.
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May be required to travel to other offices.
Qualifications
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