Finance Manager

Profile

The Role
We are seeking an experienced Manager who will be responsible for managing our Cashiering and Billing teams for the MDR Group. The role will be responsible for ensuring the efficient and smooth running of the teams, meeting our high standards for delivery and service to our clients and colleagues across the MDR Group.
The ideal candidate will be experienced in leading and managing a team, with excellent people management skills to motivate, support and develop our team members as the firm continues to evolve and grow.
Additionally, the ideal candidate will be forward-thinking and proactive, with the ability to continuously look at how we can improve our processes and 'ways of working', and comfortable with emerging technology to meet the evolving needs of our business.
This role will report into the Head of Finance Operations and will work collaboratively with other teams and Managers across the Finance function to ensure that together we strive to deliver a quality service to the business. Additionally, this role will interact with a wide range of stakeholders across the MDR Group, ranging from colleagues in Business Operations to Partners and our Legal Operations teams. Therefore, the ability to build strong working relationships and collaborate as part of a wider team are essential.
Whilst this role will be supported by the Head of Finance Operations as well as peers across the Finance Department, it is essential that they can independently lead and manage the teams on a daily basis.
Responsibilities
The Manager will be responsible for managing all aspects of the cashiering and billing teams in order to meet internal and external client requirements, ensuring we are complying with all legal and statutory requirements. The cashiering team consists of 2 team leaders and 8 client and office cashiers. The billing team has 1 Supervisor and 4 billers. This is a fast-paced business facing role, dealing with partners/fee earners will be a key part of this role.
This will encompass a wide variety of work including but not limited to.
Reviewing current processes, designing new processes, improving efficiency whilst maintaining a high-quality service.
Review resourcing requirements to ensure the smooth running of both functions.
Minimising risk and efficiency by ensuring adequate controls and procedures are in place and regularly reviewed.
Working with Head of Finance Operations on how we can improve the operational and strategic support we provide the legal departments/business operations.
Ensuring that all financial controls and the firm's policies and procedures are adhered to.
Dealing and resolving complex queries from within the business.
Develop and provide new joiner training.
Provide support and development to the Team Leader/Supervisor as well as the wider team.
Working with and supporting others within the Finance function.
Undertake any other ad hoc tasks as required by the Head of Financial operations.
Cashiering
Responsible for ensuring full compliance with provisions of the SRA Accounts Rules.
Maintaining and monitoring of the breach register.
Reviewing all SRA AR breaches and causes and raising issues to the Head of Financial Operations/COFA/COLP.
Actively contributing to the monthly COFA review of the month end reconciliations. Addressing any points from the review.
Responsible for reviewing the firm's Client and Office bank accounts, ensuring daily (as well as monthly) bank reconciliations are carried out and reconciling items are resolved in a timely manner in line with the SRA AR regulations.
Liaising with the Head of Financial Operations regarding the funding and pooling of these accounts.
Authorisation of transactions on behalf of the finance department, providing corporate governance and financial control.
Overseeing the annual SRA AR audit, liaising with the auditors in preparation of the audit, reviewing findings, challenging where appropriate and collating responses.
Organising the opening of Client/Office bank accounts in accordance with firm requirements.
Monitor/update SRA Accounts Rules test/training, as required.
Billing
Overseeing detailed analysis of the main monthly billing.
Ensuring bills are processed in accordance with VAT & SRA Accounts Rules.
Monitoring monthly billing flow to ensure prompt processing of bills.
Ensure contracts are stored/recorded in line with nest practice, including the monitoring on volume discounts.
Identify areas where efficiencies of the billing function can be improved and work with the billing team/Head of Financial operations to implement changes.
Develop and provide billing training to new joiners.
Be a key contributor on project related work, including the rollout of the firms billing systems.
Excellent technical knowledge of VAT.
Skills/Experience
The ability to meet deadlines and the flexibility to work under pressure at peak times.
Strong people management, communication and interpersonal skills to manage large teams.
Knowledge of cashiering for international branch offices as well as non-legal entities.
Knowledge of Solicitors Accounting Rules and VAT Regulation, preferably supported by qualification.
Experience of internal and external compliance.
Be prepared to take on a wide variety of tasks and adapt to different situations.
Previous experience in a Law firm environment with Legal Cashiering/Billing experience is essential.
Demonstrated experience in the delivery of process change leading to improvements in quality and levels of service.
Demonstrated experience in advising on and successfully applying best practice to SRA Accounts Rules to achieve compliance for the firm.
Excellent Excel skills.
Ability to advise on the functionality of advanced system transactions and to extract relevant data for analysis.
Ability to advise the business on, and ensuring compliance with, the provisions of the Solicitors Accounts Rules.
Experience of Aderant - preferred but not essential.
Billing experience.
Be a committed team player and adapt well to new challenges.
About The Mishcon de Reya Group
The Mishcon de Reya
Group is an independent international professional service business with law at its heart, employing over 1450 people with close to 670 lawyers. It includes the law firm **MEMBERS ONLY**SIGN UP NOW***. and a collection of leading consultancy businesses that complement the firm's legal services. We have grown rapidly in recent years, showing more than 40% revenue growth in the past five years alone.
Based in London, Cambridge, Oxford, and Singapore, with an association with Karas So LLP
in Hong Kong, the firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply. The work we undertake is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, spanning six core practice areas: Corporate
; Dispute Resolution
; Employment
; Innovation
; Private
; and Real Estate
As of 1 January 2023, Mishcon de Reya and Taylor Vinters
merged. The merger delivers on both firms' strategies to support the innovation economy and accelerate our growing share of the technology, media and life-sciences legal and consultancy services market in the UK and in key international innovation hubs globally.
In times of such far-reaching and profound change we want to be the law firm that enables our clients - and our own people - to shape the world's possibilities. We are here to help our clients benefit from new economies, new geographic centres of wealth, the new global movement of people and capital, and the impact of new technologies and new knowledge.
Our purpose remains rooted in our founding values. We take pride in the diverse range of people who make up the firm and are proactive in driving change and continuous improvement across the spectrum of equality, diversity and inclusion. Mishcon Academy
, our in-house place of learning, development and new thinking for our people, clients and contacts and our innovative impact strategy, including a commitment to be a net zero carbon business
, also play a central strategic role in the direction of the firm. In 2020 we launched Mishcon Purpose
, a first-of-its-kind sustainability practice providing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) advice and purpose-driven insight to clients.
The Mishcon de Reya Group
comprises standalone businesses MDR Brand Management
, MDR Cyber
, MDR Discover
, MDR Mayfair
(in London, Singapore and Dubai) and MDRxTECH
. Complementary to Mishcon de Reya's core areas of work, each is led by best in class professionals recruited from a variety of non-legal industries and sectors.
Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.
We strive to create a fully diverse and inclusive workplace where all our people are empowered to fulfil their potential. We are proud of our agile working culture and are always happy to talk flexible working.

Company info

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