General Roles Jobs

About Hempsons

With 250 staff and lawyers working across our five offices nationwide, Hempsons is a leading law firm for the health and social care, charity, education and social enterprise sectors.  We help clients overcome a constantly evolving list of challenges.  This is a time of change and opportunity for our clients, as highlighted by recent investment into the NHS and the sharpening focus on innovation, technology, integration, new ways of working and efficiency.

Our aim is to provide outstanding legal services that deliver the best possible client outcomes whilst nurturing a culture that makes us a “great place to work.

Main Responsibilities:

The primary responsibilities of the Legal Accounts Assistant (Client/Office Accounting):

• to ensure daily cashiering functions are fulfilled by dealing with the firm’s office and client monies in accordance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority Solicitors Accounts Rules together with the firm’s policies and procedures.
• to ensure that supplier invoices and staff expense claims are processed accurately and efficiently and in accordance with the firm’s policies and procedures;

More specifically, duties will include the following:

Client/Office Accounting:

• Assist with opening and distributing the inwards correspondence to the Finance Department;
• Ensure cheques received for banking are properly logged, authorised, posted to the ledgers, and lodged with the bank in accordance the Solicitors Accounts Rules and the firm’s policies and procedures;
• Ensure cheques requisitions received are properly authorised, posted to the ledgers, and provided to the requisitioning department in accordance the SRA Accounts Rules and policies and procedures;
• Ensure that BACS and CHAPS receipts and payments appearing on the bank statements are properly authorised and posted to the ledgers in accordance the SRA Accounts Rules and the firm’s policies and procedures;
• Maintain a petty cash float that is regularly balanced and posted to the ledgers and ensuring that all payments have been properly authorised;
• Deputise for the other Legal Accounts Assistants in peak periods.

Counsel & Expert Ledger:

• Ensure that supplier invoices are appropriately authorised and coded;
• Ensure that all supplier invoices are processed accurately and efficiently;
• Organise production of payment runs for authorised signature in accordance with payment deadlines and remit payments to payees;
• Ensure that all queries and requests are dealt with efficiently and professionally;

Purchase Ledger:

• Ensure that supplier invoices are appropriately authorised and coded;
• Ensure that staff expense claims are appropriately authorised and coded;
• Ensure that all supplier invoices and staff expense claims are processed accurately and efficiently;
• Organise production of the weekly payment run for authorised signature in accordance with payment deadlines and remit payments to the payees;
• Ensure that all queries and requests are dealt with efficiently and professionally;

General Duties:

• Deal with client queries;
• Deal with staff queries;
• Assist with filing and archiving;
• Assist as required with general accounting tasks performed by the Finance Team;
• Perform other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager.
•  The Post holder will demonstrate a commitment to quality in their work at all times and adhere to the firm’s quality policies, protocols and standards
• The Post holder will, at all times, adhere to the firm‘s Equality and Diversity policy.
• The Post holder will, at all times, adhere to the firm’s Information Security policy.

Preferred experience

• Prior accounts payable experience
• IT literate
• Prior experience at firm of solicitors and awareness of the Solicitors Accounts Rules
• Knowledge of Aderant would be advantageous

Hempsons is an equal opportunities employer. 

Hempsons is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and to encouraging diversity through recruitment. Applications are welcome from all sections of the community and decisions to progress will be made with reference to entirely objective criteria only.

Hempsons is an agile firm and is open to conversations about flexible/hybrid working