Client Accounting Assistant

DMH Stallard is an award winning South East law, Legal 100 firm with offices in London, Brighton, Gatwick, Guilford, Horsham and Hassocks. DMH Stallard has grown rapidly since it was established in 1970, and has a headcount of approx 350. Our firm provides a comprehensive range of commercial, dispute resolution and litigation, employment, cyber security and cyber-crime, corporate, intellectual property, real estate and technology, media and telecoms advice to both businesses and individuals. Our clients, our people and our professional networks are the keys to our success.

Job overview

Together with the other Client Accounting Assistants undertaking the more junior responsibilities and duties of the client accounting team, for example by taking responsibility of those practice groups with less complicated financials on their client matters.

Client accounting team responsibilities and duties:

Management of all the financial transactions and balances on client matters (except for those which are the specific responsibility of the cashiering or credit control teams).

Time recording – Ensuring that time is being recorded on a timely and accurate basis, and making any necessary adjustments.

Disbursements – Management of the firm’s disbursement purchase ledger including ensuring that disbursements are recorded on an accurate and timely basis, and payments are made in accordance with the firm’s policies.

Billing – Ensuring that bills are generated on an accurate and timely basis, and fee earners are helped to maximise recovery rates.

Matter housekeeping – working with department / group heads and individual fee earners to ensure:

Work in progress and disbursements are billed on as timely a basis as possible.

Irrecoverable work in progress and disbursements are written off without undue delay.

Client balances are cleared as soon as possible and client money is not held after the reason for doing so has ceased.

Client matters are closed as soon as possible after they are finished.

Ensuring accurate and timely transfers as necessary both between office and client accounts, and between client matters

Ensuring compliance with the SRA Accounts Rules

Ensuring compliance with VAT regulations in respect of client billing and the disbursement purchase ledger

Calculation of amounts due to consultants.

Management of records of undertakings given to other firms of solicitors

Provision of components of the firm’s management information.

Minimisation of the risk of financial losses to the firm, including through fraud.

Efficient and effective co-ordination with the other accounts teams.

Assistance with the firm’s annual audits.

Assistance with development of the firm’s financial systems.

Assistance with any mergers undertaken by the firm

Any other tasks as reasonably required by the Finance Director.

Knowledge, skills and experience:

High level of accuracy and numeracy.

Well organised with good time management and able to work under pressure to deadlines.

Pro-active approach to problems solving.

Good IT skills, including basic level Excel skills

Ability to build good working relationships.

Ideally studying towards the Institute of Legal Finance & Management Diploma qualification.

Willingness to travel to other offices when required.

Working towards:

Experience of client accounting within firms of solicitors.

Knowledge of, and experience in applying, the SRA Accounts Rules.

Experience of solicitor practice management and financial systems.

Experience of minimising fraud risks and fraud awareness.