Accounts Assistant

Description:

A superb new opportunity has arisen to join a leading legal firm in their accounts department.  Reporting to the Finance Manager, the successful candidate will work with another colleague un a friendly and supportive environment.

Main duties:

• To ensure incoming calls to the department are answered promptly and directed accurately without any delay
• To communicate at all times in a pleasant manner with other staff and third parties
• To convey messages clearly, accurately and promptly
• To ensure the confidentiality and security of all Practice and Client’s documentation and /or information is maintained at all times

Accounts

• To use Bankline system to check for receipts on a daily basis
• Write up all direct to bank receipts in the log book
• To check on ALB if electronic slips have been sent for incoming amounts, cash, cheques, and direct to bank, making sure amounts correspond to what has been received
• Inform fee earners and secretaries when monies are received and posted
• Write up unclaimed receipts

• Prepare bank paying-in books as and when required with any cash or cheques received, ensuring that cheques have been logged in the Cheques Received book from the Post room

• Thoroughly check and authorise outgoing CHAPS & BACS payment, ensuring sufficient funds are held on Client ledgers to cover the payments and any outstanding monies due to the firm
• To use NatWest Bankline system to input correctly authorised CHAPS & BACS payments, ensuring compliance with SARs and other safeguards against mis-appliance of clients’ funds
• To use NatWest Bankline to double check and authorise CHAPS & BACS payments
• Accurately posting authorised and sent CHAPS & BACS payments to the correct clients’ ledger
• Prepare cheque payments ensuring slips are correctly authorised, and that sufficient cleared funds are available on client ledgers
• Transfer monies between client and office and deposit accounts in accordance with SARs and in house policies
• Check and post client journals in accordance with SARs and in house policies
• Post client invoices, checking for correct addition, allocation of profit costs to fee earner and, bill payer and address
• Update and post Office a/c direct debits/standing order spreadsheet daily.
• To finalise bank reconciliations at the end of every month and file all resulting paperwork. To do a consolidated client accounts reconciliation for DRL to check and authorise.
• To calculate and add interest as requested to Client monies and make necessary transfers on NW Bankline.
• Allocate expenses to nominal headers and cost centres/departments and ensure correct double entry in Nominal account.
• Produce cheques through the Nominal Ledger for urgently required supplies/services and for non-standard suppliers.
• To get all cheques produced signed in accordance with Practice rules and distributed to the correct fee earner or secretary
• Process card payments through online service provider from completed forms, printing the receipts and filing. Occasionally it may be necessary to take card details from a client, either in
person or by telephone, where a fee earner and secretary are both unavailable.
• Use NW Bankline and ALB software to reconcile bank accounts every day to ensure correct postings, especially checking that all the previous days’ receipts are accounted for
• Ensure completed postings are filed on a daily basis, including bills in strict numeric order
• Give out and receive petty cash monies, ensuring slips are correctly authorized, and then posting the payments or receipts.
• Reconciling the petty cash tin on a weekly basis.
• Printing various reports as and when necessary.
• To shred confidential information no longer required
• To bag and label posting slips at month end ready for audit and filing 

• Input supplier invoices promptly into the purchase ledger in accordance with firm rules

• Produce cheques through the Purchase Ledger, or send BACS, when invoices become due for

payment.
• Liaise with suppliers over missing invoices or queried amounts.
Job Requirements
• Numerate and accurate
• Ideally, experience of working with figures/accounts environment
• Able to work with minimum supervision
• Capable of coping with peaks of work; resilient under pressure
• A team player
• Approachable and easy to work with

INDL