We’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it’s personal or business, we understand that everyone’s situation is different. But we’re more than just a law firm – we’re a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life’s ups and downs. Working here you’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Costs Team Leader to join our national Costs Team. This is an exciting opportunity to lead, support and develop a team of Trainees, Law Costs Draftsmen and Costs Lawyers, driving high‑quality delivery and strong performance in a fast‑paced and evolving environment.

In this role, you will be the key point of contact for senior stakeholders across your aligned locations, ensuring the service we provide meets agreed standards and supports the wider firm. You’ll oversee the full spectrum of costs work across your aligned area, including supervising the preparation of Bills of Costs and court pleadings, providing technical guidance, and driving best practice across your team.

You will also play a vital role in motivating and engaging colleagues, championing continuous improvement, and supporting operational delivery across the wider Costs function. You may be required to deputise for the Head of Costs Delivery in meetings and represent the team as needed, both internally and externally.

This is an excellent opportunity for a confident leader with strong technical grounding in legal costs to make a real impact in a nationally recognised team.

Essential

• Proven experience in a people leadership or team leader role, ideally within a legal or professional services environment.
• Strong operational leadership skills with the ability to manage, engage and motivate a a hybrid working team.
• Experience as a Law Costs Draftsperson or in an associated role.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, expectations and stakeholder demands with resilience.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
• Confident in attending and contributing to key stakeholder meetings.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to provide clear direction, feedback and technical guidance.
• Ability to analyse information, problem‑solve and identify optimal solutions.
• Working knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules, legal aid regulations and costs processes.
• Knowledge of time‑recording procedures and costs systems.

Desirable

• A costs, legal or financial qualification (e.g., ACL, ILEX, or similar).
• Experience reviewing and improving existing processes and standards

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported.  This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim. 

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks ­with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.