Paralegal - Costs

Job Introduction

This is an exciting time for the Costs Team as it is poised for further growth. Currently the team has one Partner, one Associate and six experienced supervisors with a range of experienced staff including Solicitors, Costs Lawyers and Paralegals. We are a recognised leader in the market for 3rd party costs negotiations in the insurance sector.

The Costs Team comprises several distinct teams specialising in a specific area of costs including Catastrophic, Claims Portal/PCR, costs budgeting and recoveries. The Costs Team focuses on driving through our insurer clients' costs strategy and building and strengthening client relationships. Team members aim to build strong links and establish good rapport with the clients and claims handlers, which ensures that team members understand the clients businesses and exceed their expectations.

The team has a progressive approach and a market leading reputation for not simply tackling the claims themselves from a litigation perspective, but also for tracking and analysing behaviours and trends with a view to providing insurers with bespoke strategies.

We are currently accepting applications from experienced paralegals looking for an exciting career within a supportive team and ambitious firm. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Emma Colls ecolls@dacbeachcroft.com

Role Responsibility

After initial training, you will have responsibility for your own case load of costs challenges matters including drafting Points of Dispute, drafting and challenging Costs Budgets, setting strategy and negotiating, and running claims to detailed assessment. It is envisaged that as you gain experience you will increase your workload having more responsibility in running more complex and higher value cases.

The successful candidate may also be required to work in the recoveries team, which will entail drafting Schedules/Bill of costs, preparing Replies to Points of Dispute, adopting suitable strategies to negotiate settlement and running claims to detailed assessment.

Specific responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Handle a varied case load of costs challenges or costs recoveries with appropriate levels of supervision
• Supporting more experienced lawyers in the team on more complex or larger costs cases
• Acting as a point of contact for clients, demonstrating a level of knowledge and skill commensurate with experience
• Ensuring full compliance with clients' SLAs and DAC Beachcroft's internal protocols
• Assume responsibility for quality control and benchmark compliance on own caseload, including accuracy and timeliness of management reporting and information 
• Ensure strict and ongoing adherence to benchmark standards in all work undertaken.
• Demonstrating a high level of financial management in respect of own files
• To hit, maintain and apply a consistent approach to all individual targets of chargeable time, financial performance, realisation rates, settlement rates and average claim spend.
• Achieve a minimum budgeted annual target of 1440 chargeable hours per year.
• Exercise full compliance with DAC Beachcroft protocols on billing and credit control and demonstrate a high level of financial management in respect of own files. 
• Supporting marketing and business development activity within the team e.g. attending marketing events and client training 
• Maintain an awareness of the firm's strategies and plans.
• Maintaining and developing technical knowledge through attendance at training sessions, reading appropriate publications 
• Handle confidential information in line with the firm's data security protocol

The Ideal Candidate

An experienced Paralegal, preferably with a strong litigation background but working in costs is not essential. We would also consider strong candidates who have graduated with a degree, or equivalent in; Law, Economics, Business Studies or Mathematics with limited or no litigation experience as training will be provided.

• A degree or equivalent in Law, Economics, Business Studies or Mathematics . We will consider candidates without a degree if they have significant experience of litigation particularly in costs 
• Confident negotiator, who can communicate clearly and concisely both verbally and in written form
• IT literate with a good working knowledge of Excel and Word. Previous knowledge or experience of a case management system would be an advantage but is not essential
• Willingness to follow a process driven system, working within set parameters.
• Ability to work on own initiative without close supervision
• Able to demonstrate strong team working skills and that they are a flexible and self-motivated team player
• Have excellent organisational skills and able to effectively prioritise and organise a workload/tasks
• Experience of working within a pressurised and deadline driven environment 
• Have an ability to adopt a commercial perspective to legal issues rather than a purely academic approach
• Able to produce work to a high standard, with excellent attention to detail
• Flexible with an ability to adapt to rapid change, both internally and in the context of clients' businesses;
• Knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules (academic or practical). 
• Must be able to work under pressure and with a high volume caseload, to meet required deadlines

About the Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,400 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Northern Ireland, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Peru, Central America, Argentina, the USA, Australia and Germany.

We are known for our market-leading presence in sectors such as Insurance, Health and Real Estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for the majority of the top 30 insurance and financial services companies operating in the UK. We are the asset management lawyers for the UK’s largest shopping centres and act for 9 of the UK’s top 10 housebuilders.

We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 155 Chambers UK 2019 practice area and individual lawyer rankings, including 30 rankings at 'Band 1' level. In Legal 500 UK, 2018, the firm received top tier ranking for 32 of its practice areas and 59 practice areas in the top two tiers. In March 2018, we were named as one of Legal Week's Best Legal Advisors for the third year running, achieving category-leading satisfaction scores for our commercial approach, service delivery, quality of legal advice, communication & responsiveness and overall relationships.

Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com.

DAC Beachcroft is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from every sector of the community. We also welcome direct applications. If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV. Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

DAC Beachcroft