Legal Cost Litigator

The Legal Costs Team sits in the NICERS (National Minimum Wage, Insolvency, Costs, Enforcement, Readiness and Support) Team. The Costs Team is a busy team that undertakes the assessment of legal costs, both in Adverse Costs and Costs Recovery for HMRC and the Valuation Office Agency as well as work in relation to Costs Budgets. The work includes various types of costs recovery and adverse, including Tax related litigation, and general civil litigation including judicial reviews and personal injury. Our work is split in the various jurisdictions in the various tax and valuation Tribunals as well as the civil Courts at all levels. Members of the Team will often provide costs related advice and/or training to lawyers and case workers within the HMRC Legal Group.

You must be able to grasp complex or technical matters quickly and possesses a keen eye for detail while maintaining a comprehensive overview. The role requires a good working knowledge of costs legislation, relevant case law, the Civil Procedure Rules, Tribunal costs procedure, Supreme Court costs rules, and associated Practice Directions. The successful candidate will be required to work under minimal supervision and can work well under pressure. Your work will be predominantly with lawyers, paralegals, and other litigators but you will also work with panel counsel, panel costs lawyers and other stakeholders.

Specific duties include:

• Maximising costs recovery through negotiation, detailed assessment proceedings, and costs litigation.
• Assessing and challenging adverse bills of costs through negotiation and detailed assessment proceedings.
• Drafting and responding to Points of Dispute and Replies.
• Reviewing and analysing complex litigation files to assess recoverable costs both in adverse and recovery cases.
• Instructing Costs Panel or Costs Counsel where applicable.
• Advising lawyers, litigators and clients on costs recovery and costs liabilities.
• Occasionally attend and/or assist Costs Counsel at costs hearings.
• Occasionally preparing costs budgets, budget discussion reports and advising on any variations.
• Providing strategic advice on costs consequences arising from litigation, settlement offers, and procedural applications.
• Ensuring compliance with the Civil Procedure Rules; its Practice Directions, the various Tribunal costs rules, Supreme Court costs rules and relevant costs authorities.
• Provide Costs Training within the Costs Team and the wider HMRC Legal Group.
• Report to Finance monthly.
• Manage a small number of team members.

Person specification

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Ability to manage and prioritise a caseload efficiently as well as work well under pressure.
• Experience and an ability to assess claims which are high value and/or complex.
• Excellent negotiation and analytical skills to secure the best outcomes.
• A working knowledge of costs budgeting.
• Strong communication skills to liaise effectively with all levels of stakeholders.
• Excellent technical skills in the relevant area, and strong teamwork and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient IT skills including using Microsoft 365 packages including Office, Teams and SharePoint.
  
• Please note there is no requirement for any applicants to be a Costs Lawyer and does not require a Costs Lawyer’s qualification.

Essential Criteria:

• Candidates must have significant experience in direct costs litigation with minimal supervision. This includes, assessing bills of costs, drafting Points of Dispute, drafting Replies, negotiating settlements, attending Detailed Assessment hearings, drafting schedules of costs and drafting costs budgets.
• Candidates must also have significant experience of using Microsoft 365 packages.