Legal cashiers never get the billing they deserve, which is ironic given that’s how they spend their days.
They don’t pop up on TV dramas or the big screen. Ben Affleck hasn’t played one yet, favouring the role of a gun-toting accountant instead.
Yet their backroom role belies their importance in the smooth-running of any legal operation. Even the job title is a bit misleading, conjuring up images of a checkout operator adding up the cost of mountains of legal notepads, High Court robes or those wheelie cases so beloved by lawyers.
Legal cashier isn’t the role’s only moniker either; other titles include legal account manager, client account cashier and legal book-keeper. What they all have in common is they’re number one number crunchers working within a legal setting.
While most legal cashiers work for lawyers, barristers, chambers and courts, other employers include legal departments of big commercial firms and public sector organisations.
With Glasgow and Edinburgh being epicentres for legal employment, there’s a big demand for legal cashiers with vacancies frequently appearing on s1jobs.
Managing the day-to-day finances of a business is one thing but throw in the complexities of the legal profession and you’ve a job that demands a cool head.
Typically, a legal cashier is responsible for billing clients, paying invoices, banking, data entry, producing financial reports for management and meeting compliance requirements. And when you consider the types of transactions involved – house sales, estate settlements, legal bills – you can be looking at some seriously big sums.
This means having a good head for numbers and fine attention to detail. Get a decimal point in the wrong place and it can spell big trouble.
As well as knowledge of general accounting principles, legal cashiers also need a thorough understanding of Law Society of Scotland Accounts Rules.
It also helps if you’re a good organiser, work well under pressure and have strong IT skills. Experience of Microsoft Excel or spreadsheet software also comes in handy.
The really good news is there are no set entry qualifications to become a legal cashier. It’s possible to enter as an office junior and train on the job or join a legal firm after taking a legal cashier course such as those run by the Society of Law Accountants in Scotland (SOLAS). Others may come to the job with book-keeping experience or other financial qualifications. With further training, you can progress to head cashier or become a legal accountant.
If you think becoming a legal cashier sounds a pretty good number, check out the vacancies at s1jobs.