Accounts Assistant

This Accounts Assistant role is based in Old Milverton at a leading legal firm, reporting to the Finance Manager and working alongside one other colleague in a friendly, supportive accounts department. Duties include answering incoming departmental calls promptly and directing them accurately, maintaining confidentiality and security of all Practice and Client documentation and information, using the Bankline system to check receipts daily, writing up direct to bank receipts in the log book, checking ALB for electronic slips, and informing fee earners and secretaries when monies are received and posted. The salary is £28,000 to £30,000 per annum.

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