Finance Billing Assistant Apprentice (Southern England Law Centre)

Introduction

Southern England Law Centre is a Legal Services Centre based in Swindon.We specialise in Housing and Welfare Benefits legal advice and representation.

About the Employer

Southern England Law Centre has provided free and low-cost specialist legal services to alleviate poverty and disadvantage for over 40 years. We provide specialist Housing and Welfare Benefits legal advice and representation.

What You'll Do

Responsible to: Senior Billing Co-ordinator

Duties:

1. Legal Help and Help at Court Submissions:

• Ensuring billing deadline dates are met
• Entering correct details to the spreadsheet
• Uploading claims
• Allocating BACs payments from bulk payments to individual matters
• Preparing and submitting (3x over) escape claims
• Monitoring Caseworkers closed and open cases

2. Legal Aid Certificated Matters:

• Reviewing Bills of Costs and Legal Aid Report Bills prepared by the costs draftsman to ensure accuracy
• Uploading claims for costs to the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) via CCMS
• Liaising with the counsel to ensure that their claims are uploaded on the same day
• Preparing and submitting appeals of LAA costs reductions

3. Inter Partes Matters:

• Preparing invoices for opponent party(ies)
• Paying all third parties correctly
• Preparing profit costs bills
• Uploading claims for costs to the LAA via CCMS (preparing Claim 2’s for payment of the LAA costs element)

4. Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme:

• Diarising relevant dates
• Submitting monthly HPCDS court duties for payment from the LAA in a timely manner
• Reconciling payments from LAA for HPCDS
• Preparing and submitting LAA Criminal Claims (CRM Claim 11)
• Allocating BACs payments received from LAA to the correct client matter within case management system
• Petty cash – monthly balance
• Back up for payment of supplier invoices

9. Ensuring the ledgers are correctly allocated and cleared upon closure and storage of the files.

10. Answering incoming telephone calls and completing intake, which often involves managing difficult clients

11. Managing file storage:

• Closing files and ensuring clear ledgers prior to recording file details on case management system (if applicable) ready for off-site storage
• Managing and maintaining any relearnt hard copy files on site in office
• Maintaining the record of archived files and initiating their destruction by the storage company upon the expiry of the relevant periods

12. To attend appropriate training courses in order to maintain and develop professional expertise and to satisfy regulatory requirements.

13. Proficient in Microsoft 365 applications and to be self-servicing.

14. To keep updated with changes in the law within relevant legal areas, as necessary.

15. To undertake any other tasks as may be identified and which are generally compatible with the functions for the post and to support the efficient operation of the Law Centre.

16. To adhere to all Law Centre policies, including the Equality and Diversity policy.

Training Outcome

Potential for a permanent role on completion.

Skills Required

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Excel
• Word
• Numeracy
• Punctuality
• Integrity

Qualifications

• Essential - GCSE - English and Maths - 4/C or above, or equivalent

Course Information

Course: Assistant accountant (level 3)

Level: 3

Route: Legal, finance and accounting

Apprenticeship Level: Advanced

Working Arrangements

Working Week: Monday to Friday, 9 am-5 pm.

Expected Duration: 1 Year 6 Months

Training Provider: BPP PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION LIMITED