Helen Walker12 St Michael’s Court

Moss LaneManchester

M27 9RQTel: 07960568972

Email: helenmwalker88@gmail.com

CAREER HISTORY:

December 2014 – present Propus Law ManchesterLaw Costs Draftsman

All skills as previous roles.

Dealing with scheduling, billing, budgeting, negotiations, replies and all sequential action relating to mid to high value cases mainly comprising of medical negligence and catastrophic injury, also including work related stress; professional negligence claims and recently reparation work preparing amended bills following the incorrect drafting and service by another firm.

Additionally, achieved notable outcomes at provisional assessment, including beating own P36 offers and thus achieving additional uplift.

March 2014 – November 2014 Antony Hodari (Paul Rooney) Solicitors Manchester

Law Costs Draftsman

Own case load of fast track and Multi track (both litigated and non-litigated) RTA, Employers Liability, Occupiers Liability and Medical Negligence files. Responsible for the preparation of schedules for Listing and Trial, standard Bills and Budgets. Undertaking negotiation with Defendants and settlement of aforementioned files either amicably or by way of Court Proceedings if required.

All skills as below, with now additional experience of preparing and agreeing Costs Budgets.

Advocacy experienceAttendance to London Clerkenwell & Shoreditch County Court with Counsel on ¾ million CMC and Budget Hearing, before the case being allocated to London High Court.

November 2010 – March 2014 Graysons with Watson Esam Solicitors SheffieldLaw Costs Draftsman

Own case load of fast track and Multi track (both litigated and non-litigated) personal injury and medical negligence files. Responsible for the negotiation with Defendants and settlement of aforementioned files either amicably or by way of Court Proceedings if required.

- Wide experience in negotiating costs and mediating final settlements

- Operational knowledge of drafting bills of costs and crucial aspects of replies and applications

- Skilled at creating schedules of bills of costs, costs litigation and costs negotiations

- Ability to work independently in stressed situations yet attain given deadlines

- Dealt effectively with Defendant's points of dispute and associated replies

- Undertook negotiations and final costs settlements- Issued proceedings in cases of unsuccessful negotiation

settlements- Attained best probable solutions for company- Complied with all IT, accounting, word processing and digital

dictation associated office processes.- Provided assistance for cost related matters as reasonable- Developed preliminary costing schedules and statements for

pre-bill evaluation.- Settlement of technical and complex cost associated

matters- Provided Notice of Commencement and related support

documents as required.- Created detailed assessment requests to Court as required

lodging apposite documents.- Submitting claims for costs and dealing with subsequent

negotiations with Insurance companies and their appointed costs negotiators.

April 2008 – October 2010 Wake Smith & Tofields Solicitors SheffieldParalegal Industrial Disease/Costs Assistant

Solely responsible for the running of premedical Industrial Disease files. Also for the last 23 months solely responsible for the setup of all claims direct files (subsequent to the claim being accepted up until the Letter of Claim).

- Initial contact with Client- Setting up initial entity and paper files for Clients- Editing case type questionnaires and sending to Clients for

completion- Reviewing and considering returned Client questionnaires

and providing advice on acceptance taking into account liability, limitation and causation

- Undertaking searches on Companies House to establish employer/defendant company status i.e. live/dissolved

- Undertaking ABI searches for dissolved employers/defendants to establish insurer details

- Creating matters for accepted entity Clients including inputting all information onto the Case Manager Database

- Requesting Employment Schedules from Inland Revenue

Costs Work

- Costing files and drafting Past Cost Schedules for Allocation and Court

- Listing- Costing files and drafting Cost Settlement Schedules- Completing N251 forms- N258 Bundles- Preparing Bundles for Detailed Assessment

Dealing with all preliminary funding and contract issues

- Undertaking enquiries with Clients re any pre-existing (BTE) insurance

- Reviewing and considering Clients’ pre-existing insurance schedules and policy documents to establish possible legal expenses cover for claim

- Liaising with (BTE) insurers to establish possible legal expenses cover for Clients’ claims

- Processing complex No Win No Fee Documentation (CFA packs) and explaining to Clients either over the telephone or in person including discussing complaints procedures, alternative funding options, fee liability, pre-existing and after the event insurances, success fees and Client responsibilities

- Receipting CFA documentation from the Clients and checking to ensure all completed correctly

- Issuing ATE insurance policies using online system with insurer LAMP

Other Skills (Networking)

- Attending Fee Earner and Departmental and Marketing Meetings, taking on board relevant issues and providing input or feedback on issues where required

- Attendance to events such as:The British Tinnitus Association Conference for Tinnitus information seminars, networking with Audiologists, Hearing Therapists and other Hearing Specialists and obtaining possible contacts and referrersWake Smith Christmas Luncheon Club, a grand multicourse dinner event hosted for our business/professional Clients and Referrers to maintain good relations Events e.g. Deafness Awareness Week in conjunction with Hidden Hearing

Feb 2006 - April 2007 Wake Smith Solicitors SheffieldAdmin Assistant

- Arranging meetings- Delivering documents to Court- Preparing and dispatching all firms mail- General office duties- Ordering stock- Managing the unreferenced post system

Feb 2006 April – 2007 Blue Arrow SheffieldRecruitment Administrator

- Answering the telephone and greeting Clients- Registering candidates on the in house database system inc

testing and taking IDs and obtaining references- Taking messages and liaising with Clients regarding any new

work or suitable candidates for positions- General office duties

EDUCATION: Notre Dame High School, Fulwood Road, Sheffield S10 3BT

QUALIFICATIONS:

2005 GCSE O Levels Maths - CScience - CCEnglish - CCFrench - CHistory - CSports Studies - CReligious Education - BTextiles - B

Additional CoursesOCR Level 2 Nationals ICT PassTime Management CourseManual Handling Awareness Training

REFERENCES:

Chris FryFormer President of Sheffield Law Society and also former Supervisor and Partner at Wake Smith SolicitorsUnity LawFountain PrecinctBalm Green Floor 8SheffieldS1 2JA

Tel: 0114 3610000

Mark WalmsleyDirectorPropus LawManchester Business Park3000 Aviator WayManchesterM22 5TG

Tel: 0161 2661019