C2350 Team Leader/Solicitor - Birmingham
- Recruiter
- Plexus Law
- Location
- Birmingham, West Midlands
- Salary
- Competitive
- Posted
- 28 Jan 2019
- Closes
- 25 Feb 2019
- Ref
- C2350
- Job Title
- Solicitor
- Practice Area
- Insurance, Litigation, Personal Injury
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
Role Purpose
As Team Leader (Solicitor), you will be working within the Client office and will be responsible for a team consisting of Motor Injury Claims Handlers and Legally Experienced staff. You will drive the team’s performance through coaching and development as well as monitoring MI on a daily basis in order to deliver a customer focused and cost efficient claims handling service. Whilst you will not have a caseload of your own, as a qualified solicitor, you will be your team’s point of contact for escalated files and technical queries in relation to both pre and post litigation.
Key Accountabilities
- Team Management
- Performance manage the team through one to ones and regular verbal communications
- To coach and develop the team to deliver the agreed KPIs
- To work closely with the DLG management team
- Communicate and motivate the team to maximise performance and embed an environment that establishes personal accountability and responsibility from all staff who are empowered to share their ideas to improve the running of the team
- Act as a technical referral point for the team and be a constant communicator of information
- To supervise Solicitors within the SRA framework and ensure all litigation within the team meets regulatory requirements.
- To ensure the team is adequately resourced and has the required skills to achieve the team scorecard targets all staff performing at a consistent and optimum level
- Embed use of the agreed Balanced Scorecard for the team, and for individuals, in order to be able to constantly improve upon the Team Performance
- To agree performance objectives and development plans for team members; identify development opportunities to meet these plans and develop potential within the team
- Carry out appraisals/reviews in accordance with Performance Management Process with the intention of developing the teams learning skills through monitoring, coaching, leading and mentoring as needed to ensure optimum performance from all team members.
- Identify and address any performance issues with team members in a timely fashion
- Manage performance using the suite of management information. Assess team performance against Key Performance Targets (KPTs), motivating team to continually improve on results and implement improvement plans where necessary
- Effectively manage and monitor the level and flow of work within the team
- Communication / Develop Relationships
- Develop relationships with key internal/external stakeholders, including suppliers, with the intention of enhancing the reputation of DLG as a first class motor claims service provider
- To influence decisions and participate in projects relating to the implementation of strategy so that relevant issues are considered and business opportunities maximised
- Assist and support the Site Manager on an ongoing basis with tasks essential to the proactive running of the unit as and when necessary
- Management Information / Procedural Requirements
- Use the MI suite to pull client and team reporting
- To follow agreed internal and external processes, policies and procedures to ensure quality and service standards are met and leakage minimised
- Promote adherence to best practice guidelines. Ensure that claims are pro-actively reserved and accurately assessed within specified service level agreements whilst maintaining claims integrity in accordance with best practice requirements
- Ensure the Team operates within, and consistently achieves its legislative, regulatory and governance requirements by ensuring there is full knowledge and understanding of how this affects the day to day working of the claims function
- Ensure that the Team complies with a robust approach to fraud screening without compromising the integrity of the claims handling service
- To be fully aware of the DLG Complaints Handling Protocols and handle any such claims accordingly and to ensure appropriate licensing coverage within team
- Carry out all accountabilities and objectives within the framework of the RBS TCF policy
- Learning and Development
- Embed a culture of continual improvement as appropriate to enhance customer care philosophy while identifying improved work practices
- Best equip all team members to be able to carry out their roles by ensuring training needs are identified and addressed and that knowledge gaps are rectified
- Support the team through technical skills coaching / and support on complex Team 2 claims handling and where necessary handle and resolve technical or complex cases referrals and/or complaints within own authority limit
- Take ownership for making sure competencies and knowledge are kept current to effectively operate in the role
Knowledge and Skills
- Qualified Solicitor with proven experience in an insurance or legal based environment. Used to being point of contact for technical queries for the team
- Managerial experience
- Excellent people skills with the ability to manage and improve other people’s performance and the ability to lead change and motivate others
- Able to deal with conflict in a robust and challenging manner and takes the initiative to ensure that problems are resolved quickly
- Demonstrates emotional control effectively by managing feelings and behavior if faced with a pressurised situation and remains focused on priorities when dealing with conflicting demands
- Able to explain relevant information clearly to internal and external customers and thus can best influence and manage relationships with key stakeholders
- Ability to lead and motivate a team to be ever striving to reach past any set goal by demonstrating dedication and commitment to the role
- Knows when to use past experiences to identify and proportionally manage issues
- Takes ownership and follows through on agreed commitments and will take the initiative to overcome problems and implement solutions swiftly
- Takes ownership and follows through on agreed commitments and will take the initiative to overcome problems and implement solutions swiftly
- Proven ability to build relationships with others
- The ability to take a proactive and results orientated approach to claims leading in order to deliver optimum savings whilst reducing the lifecycles of claims
- Proven ability to make the right decisions on legal liability; damage assessment and assessing the need for investigation or rehabilitation and commercially skilled to advance cases to settlement by taking into account all aspects e.g. litigation risk
- Knowledge of damages awards and research tools and understanding of Third Part cost drivers, ATE products and CFA processes
- Comprehensive understanding of claims procedures, products and services and the understanding of downstream consequences of actions and how the team can be apply these for the most effective results
- Fully versed in the pre-accident protocols; court processes and terminology and good understanding of the MOJ requirements and the cost implications thereof.