Lead Lawyer - Fraud

This role provides an opportunity to develop a technical leadership role, leading a small client-focused virtual team of counter-fraud lawyers. You will be acting as the lead handler for specific clients developing a direct relationship with key client handlers.

Working closely with the Counter-Fraud Strategy Director & Technical Manager, you will handle a caseload of counter-fraud cases and have direct technical responsibility for a team of experienced counter-fraud handlers and assistants. You will be responsible for the technical quality of the work produced by your team, providing mentoring and training and undertaking any supervision and peer reviews required. You will also be responsible for case allocation decisions ensuring right handler receives the right file.

You may also have ownership of linked & organised and KYO strategies and be responsible for the effective deployment of those strategies across both your virtual team and the wider counter-fraud business and be responsible for the technical quality of the work produced under these strategies, again undertaking any supervision or peer reviews required.

Compensation package

Salary discussed & disclosed on application, hybrid working 1 day per week in office remainder remote working, Health Care Cash Plan, Holidays 25 days plus 8 bank holidays (opportunity to buy & sell 3 days) increasing to 26 after 5 years’ service and to 27 after 10 years’ service, Death In Service - after 1 year, Employer Pension Contribution, Cycle to Work Scheme*, Tech Scheme*, Season Ticket Loan*, Gym Flex* (*after successfully completing probation)

Key Accountabilities
Strategic excellence:

• Ensure that all linked & organised and KYO strategies in your control are technically and commercially sound, effectively deployed and provide innovative and market-leading outcomes for our clients.
• Devising and implementing case strategies, ensuring compliance with any KYO or generic strategies, being responsible to strategic and technical leads for the deployment of those strategies.
• Thorough consideration of evidence throughout the life of the case, considering the impact on case strategy.
• Identifying and escalating any opportunities for strategic litigation and any cases appropriate for complex consideration and referral.

Technical Excellence:

• Supervision and peer review of all handlers in your team.
• Make full use of the firm’s Case Management System in progressing files from receipt to closure.
• Delegate appropriate work to team members and ensuring assistants have enough of the appropriate work to achieve chargeable hours targets.
• Undertake file allocation ensuring file are matched with the appropriate handler based upon skills and experience, client relationships and linked files.
• Improve kick out rates
• To ensure compliance with the SRA Code of Conduct 2011

Client excellence:

• Building and developing partnerships with clients to deliver their strategic goals.
• Ensuring maximum customer satisfaction on all cases dealt with in your team
• Ensuring compliance with all internal and client SLA’s
• Ensuring accurate and timely completion of all client and internal MI
• Achieve both client and internal KPIs
• Improve kick out rates
• Working with the Quality Lead and Client PCC to Investigate, establish root cause and implementing solutions for client complaints.

Leadership:

• Leadership, motivation, engagement and technical development of the team to ensure achievement of objectives.
• Taking responsibility for identifying any issues which arise around wellbeing or performance and addressing those issues with support from the Team Leader.
• Regular communication with the team, including but not limited to setting objectives and personal development plans, checking in monthly to confirm they are on track both in terms of performance and technical progress, ongoing conversations and performance reviews.
• As you grow and develop your team, contributing to the recruitment and probation process.

Financial and cultural excellence:

• Achieve objectives and financial targets
• Adhere to Keoghs Values

Working Hours
35 hours per week Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm with 1 unpaid hour for lunch. Primary location for this role is the Bolton office.

Essential Skills and Attributes:

• High level of experience of handling non-delegated counter-fraud cases, with an agreed handling authority matching the requirement of the work
• Ability to analyse trends and devise and implement strategies designed to deliver market-leading results.
• Experience of supervising others, with a strong track record of progressing supervisees.
• Positive, confident and enthusiastic
• Excellent listening, verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent inter-personal and client care skills and experience of building relationships with clients.
• Excellent IT skills
• Ability to prioritise work, keep to deadlines and work under pressure
• Ability to win the trust and confidence of others
• Ability to make decisions
• Ability to maintain concentration and pay attention to detail
• Driven to achieve with a track record of achieving all objectives

Required Soft Skills:

• Ability to lead a team and to ensure those within the team have enough of the appropriate work.
• Ability to motivate those within the team and beyond to achieve their targets and objectives.
• Ability to foster engagement with the Keoghs Shared Values within the team and wider office, leading by example.
• Ability to develop the technical skills of those within the team.
• Excellent communication skills, not only to enable the lead to conduct meaningful, formal reviews of progress against technical and financial metrics but also such that the lead is able to identify any issues as they arise and (with support from the Team Leader) to provide appropriate support to team members either in respect of wellbeing or performance.