Costs Draftsperson

Shakespeare Martineau is a leading law firm that combines creativity, commerciality and clarity. We work with blue-chip companies, leading organisations, high street brands and individuals across the country.

Our multi-disciplinary team delivers a broad range of specialist legal services, and particularly stands out for its expertise across sectors including, but not limited to: energy, education, banking and financial services, investment funds, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. 

We’re proud of our people’s varied backgrounds and expertise. Our different qualities stand out and make us interesting to our clients.

We firmly believe in working hard and being ambitious. We look to recruit and develop talented people to achieve their potential - and who will contribute to achieving ours too.

Here you can fulfil your ambitions, whatever they are and however rapidly you want to achieve them. Together, and individually, we create exceptional results.

Our Litigation & Dispute Resolution group has a long-standing experience of working with some of the most successful and influential businesses in the UK and also internationally. Our specialist teams combine expertise with a sound understanding of the commercial landscape to provide exceptional solutions for every aspect of our clients’ corporate requirements.

Our Costs team handles cost negotiations for a number of clients, dealing with both pre-litigated and litigated matters. We offer a full service including advice and file handling in relation to claims of all sizes, drafting points of dispute or replies, all aspects of cost budgeting, drafting skeleton arguments on technical challenges, drawing bills of costs, negotiating settlements, attending detailed assessment hearings and dealing with part 8 cost procedures. Our team has a wealth of experience in preparing Precedent H cost budgets and attending cost management hearings.

The role:

We are looking for a Fee Earner to join our Costs team in our Birmingham office, part of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution group.

The successful candidates will primarily be based in our Birmingham office but there will be a requirement to work in our Leicester City Centre office for some of the time. Flexibility to work in both locations is not essential but would be advantageous.

Your key duties will be:

At a junior level the role is to provide fee-earning support to the more senior fee earners within the team, no experience is required and full training will be provided. 

Candidates who bring 2+ years experience can expect to manage their own caseload of files and should have experience in one or more of the three areas listed below:

• drafting points of dispute/replies
• drafting form H cost budgets
• advocacy at cost management hearings and/or detailed assessment hearings

Other key duties will be:

• drafting bills and schedules of costs
• formulating offers and negotiating settlements
• providing fee earning and administrative support to a large team
• dealing with general correspondence
• handling telephone calls, and handling queries and enquiries where appropriate

Skills and experience you will have:

• candidates with experience in drafting bill of costs are preferred, though full training will be given for the more junior level roles
• legal qualification not essential but advantageous
• strong numerical ability

Key competencies you will need:

• strong commitment to the principles of good customer service and an interest in this area
• good attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy
• the ability to prioritise your workload
• enthusiasm, commitment and a team player approach with the ability to work in a busy team
• excellent communication skills over the phone and in person
• excellent attention to detail
• an enthusiasm to develop a career in the field of costs work

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. Details of the checks can be found here.

Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.