Legal Aid Billing Manager in Rishton
Posted by Creideas
Location: Manchester / Hybrid
Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience
The Opportunity
We are working with an established multi-office legal practice with a significant Legal Aid practice across civil and criminal work to recruit an experienced Legal Aid Billing & Compliance Manager. This is a specialist role for someone who understands the Legal Aid environment from within a law firm and can combine detailed technical knowledge with strong billing management, compliance and process improvement skills.
This is not a general finance, credit control or billing role. Candidates must have substantial experience working within a legal practice and strong technical knowledge of Legal Aid billing and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA).
You will work closely with the wider billing function and senior finance stakeholders, with a key focus on improving billing turnaround, cash collection, payments on account and Legal Aid compliance.
Key Responsibilities:
Legal Aid Billing & Cash Collection
- Oversee civil final bills, from case conclusion through CCMS submission and payment.
- Manage Payments on Account (POAs), ensuring claims are accurate, timely and fully tracked.
- Oversee disbursements, controlled work submissions and Legal Help escape claims.
- Review LAA assessments and reductions, supporting appeals where appropriate.
- Manage external costs drafting providers and support bringing suitable work in-house.
- Identify and reduce billing delays, aged WIP and lock-up.
- Act as the technical point of contact for Legal Aid billing and compliance.
- Prepare for and support LAA contract audits across civil and criminal work.
- Manage contract branches, statutory charges, recoupments, file transfers and out-of-time bills.
- Support VHCCs and case plans, ensuring billing and compliance requirements are met.
- Maintain accurate Legal Aid supervision and compliance records.
- Provide technical billing support across civil and criminal Legal Aid work.
- Apply knowledge of hourly rates, fixed fees, FAS, escape cases and graduated fee schemes.
- Advise solicitors and fee earners on Legal Aid billing requirements and submission processes.
- Produce MI covering fees, cash, WIP, live matters and billing performance.
- Monitor LAA remittances, expected income and aged balances.
- Review matter balances, including client balances and office credits.
- Reconcile billing data and maintain accurate billing trackers and reporting.
- Work with the Billing Manager to allocate workloads and improve billing turnaround.
- Train and support costs draftsmen, legal cashiers and administrators on Legal Aid requirements.
- Develop clear procedures covering billing, POAs, new matters and file closure.
- Lead initiatives to clear historic billing backlogs and improve cash collection.
About You:
- Proven experience in a Legal Aid billing management or senior legal billing role within a law firm.
- A legal/law firm background is essential.
- Detailed working knowledge of CCMS and CWA.
- Strong knowledge of Payments on Account, final bills, assessments and LAA billing processes.
- Understanding of civil Legal Aid remuneration, including hourly rates, fixed fees, FAS and escape cases.
- Working knowledge of the SRA Accounts Rules, particularly client money, disbursements and office credits.
- Experience with LAA contract audits and compliance.
- Knowledge of contract branches, statutory charges, recoupments, file transfers and out-of-time bills.
- Strong Excel and reporting skills, including data reconciliation and management information.
- Ability to explain complex Legal Aid billing requirements clearly to solicitors, fee earners and support teams.
- A demonstrable track record of improving billing turnaround, cash collection, lock-up, POA backlogs or LAA compliance.
- Experience of care proceedings and family Legal Aid billing.
- Experience with VHCCs and case plans.
- Knowledge of criminal Legal Aid billing, including crime lower and graduated fee schemes.
- Experience using a legal case management or legal accounts system.
- Experience managing external costs drafting providers or bringing drafting in-house.
- Relevant costs drafting or legal cashiering qualification, such as ACL or ILFM.
- Previous experience supervising, mentoring or training a small team.
Please send your CV to Rosie Hutcheon, or call (phone number removed) via the ‘Apply Now’ option to be considered for the role.
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