The Practice Manager Crime will deliver a high-quality and efficient clerking service to clients and members of Chambers. The role is specifically focussed on Chambers' Crime Team and requires 5 years' experience in a similar role within a criminal barristers' chambers.
Requirements
- Develop and maintain detailed knowledge of the practices of the barristers clerked by the team
- Stay informed of developments and trends within the legal services market, particularly at the Bar, and of regulatory changes affecting clerking services
- Provide proactive advice and support to members, ensure members are fully and gainfully occupied with work aligned to their seniority and expertise
- Attend meetings with current and prospective clients as required
- Conduct practice development meetings within the current protocols and ensure effective follow-up on agreed actions
- Produce and analyse data to support the practice team and the Senior Clerk in decision-making
- Attend practice team meetings as required
- Support PR in collating and providing information for legal directory submissions
- Provide coaching, supervision, and guidance to junior members of the team
- Collaborate with the Senior Clerk and line manager to support strategic business development planning
- Actively contribute to business development initiatives and events as required
- Ensure client care is delivered to the highest standards
- Build and maintain good relationships with staff, members and client solicitors
- Develop, maintain, and strengthen relationships with existing and prospective clients
- Build an understanding of other teams' client bases to support effective cross-selling opportunities
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date data to support business development activities
- Collaborate with PR to contribute to the development and delivery of marketing plans for the team's practices
- Act as a key point of contact for instructing solicitors and prospective clients
- Manage counsel diaries effectively
- Negotiate and agree fees with solicitors for hearings and advisory work
- List, fix, and move cases in accordance with instructions from instructing solicitors
- Proactively fill gaps in counsels' diaries should they arise
- Manage incoming instructions and access to digital case system and common platform
- Ensure that legal aid certificates are in place and all case are entered on the system correctly
- Undertake specialised criminal billing tasks
- Process complex criminal fee notes, including Crown Court Graduated Fee Schemes and legal aid submissions
- Deal with queries regarding bills, invoices and fee notes
- Provide counsel with support and guidance on settlement and negotiations of costs
- Utilise reporting systems as required to support practice management and oversight
- Provide cover and support to colleagues as needed
- Escalate formal and informal complaints or issues of concern to the Senior Clerk in a timely manner
- Support the implementation and continuous improvement of practice management systems
- Comply with the clerks Quality code & Chambers policies and procedures
- Be available at all reasonable times to deal with emergencies faced by either individual members of chambers or solicitors
