Berry & Lamberts Solicitors
Finance Manager
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About the Firm
Berry & Lamberts is a three-office firm of solicitors based in Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, and Paddock Wood. The firm provides private client, commercial property, litigation, family, residential property, and company commercial services to individuals and businesses across West Kent, East Sussex, and beyond. As the firm continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Finance Manager to take ownership of the firm's finance function.
Location
Tunbridge Wells based, with occasional travel between offices in Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood, Kent.
Role Overview
The Finance Manager will lead the firm's finance function, reporting directly to the Managing Partner and managing a small team of one full-time and one part-time finance/cashiering staff. This is a hands-on role combining day-to-day legal cashiering and SRA Accounts Rules compliance with broader financial management, reporting, and control responsibilities, alongside line management of the finance team. The successful candidate will need to be comfortable both handling technical finance work personally and delegating, supervising, and reviewing the work of others.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership
- Manage, supervise, and develop finance/cashiering staff, allocating work to ensure adequate cover and continuity (including during holidays and absence).
- Set and review workloads, conduct regular one-to-ones and appraisals, and support training and development of the team.
- Review and check work completed by the team to ensure accuracy and compliance before finalisation.
- Act as the escalation point for queries or issues raised by the finance team.
Legal Cashiering & Compliance
- Oversee all client and office account transactions, ensuring strict compliance with the SRA Accounts Rules 2019 across both offices, whether processed personally or by the finance team.
- Perform or review daily bank reconciliations for client and office accounts.
- Oversee client money receipts and payments, transfers between client and office account, and inter-client transfers.
- Maintain oversight of client ledgers and ensure no breaches of the Accounts Rules; identify, report, and remedy any breaches promptly in line with firm policy.
- Act as the firm's main point of contact for SRA Accounts Rules compliance matters, including liaison with the COFA (Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration).
- Prepare for and support the firm's annual accountant's report (SRA Accounts Rules Report).
- Monitor and control aged client balances, dormant balances, and residual balances.
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Financial Management & Reporting
- Prepare monthly management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow reporting, for the Managing Partner and partners.
- Manage billing, work-in-progress (WIP), and debtor control, working with fee earners to support timely billing and cash collection.
- Prepare and monitor the annual budget and forecasts; report variances to the Managing Partner.
- Oversee VAT returns and ensure compliance with HMRC requirements.
- Manage the firm's payroll, including partner drawings, PAYE, and pension auto-enrolment obligations.
- Manage supplier payments, expenses, and general office account transactions.
- Maintain the firm's fixed asset register and oversee insurance renewals relevant to finance (PII run-off considerations, etc., as applicable).
- Support the Managing Partner with financial input for partnership/LLP matters, including profit-sharing calculations where relevant.
- Act as principal liaison with the firm's external accountants and auditors.
- Maintain robust financial controls and internal processes across both offices, ensuring consistency of practice.
- Support wider firm initiatives, including practice management system administration relating to finance (billing, ledgers, reporting modules).
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Person Specification
Essential
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA).
- Proven experience working within a law firm or other SRA-regulated environment, with hands-on knowledge of the SRA Accounts Rules 2019.
- Experience of legal cashiering and client account management.
- Proven experience managing or supervising staff, ideally within a finance or cashiering function.
- Strong working knowledge of practice management/accounting software commonly used in law firms (e.g., Actionstep, Advanced Legal).
- Ability to balance hands-on technical finance work with effective delegation and oversight of a small team.
- Strong Excel skills and comfort working with financial reporting tools.
- Excellent attention to detail, particularly given the compliance-critical nature of client account work.
- Confident communicator, comfortable liaising directly with the Managing Partner, partners, and fee earners.
- Willingness and ability to work across all office locations as required.
Desirable
- Prior experience acting as, or working closely with, a COFA.
- Experience with partnership/LLP accounting.
- Experience implementing or improving financial processes and controls.
What the Firm Offers
- Competitive Salary
- Hours – Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. and Friday 9 – 5 p.m.
- Auto enrolment pension scheme
- 25 days holiday a year plus bank holidays, plus additional time off at Christmas
- Birthday off work
- Private Health Care
- Death in Service cover
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Local shop discount card (currently TN card)
- Social Events
- Charity Events
- The opportunity to take ownership of and shape the finance function of a growing firm.
How to Apply
Please send a CV and covering letter to Mandy Kettle at mkettle@berryandlamberts.co.uk
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