Job Description

Costs Negotiator

Application Deadline: 30 October 2026

Department: Legal

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Southampton

Reporting To: Team Leader

Description

Costs Negotiator - Complex Injury

📍 Southampton | Full-time, 35 hours per week | Hybrid Working

We’re looking for an experienced Costs Negotiator to join our supportive Costs team in Southampton, working closely with colleagues across the wider Complex Injury Division.

This is a great opportunity to develop your technical ability through a varied caseload involving costs arising from high-value and complex injury claims, including Employers’ Liability (EL), Public Liability (PL) and Road Traffic Accident (RTA) matters. Your caseload will include a mixture of fixed recoverable costs and hourly-rate work, providing plenty of variety and scope to develop your experience.

What You’ll Be Doing

🔎You’ll manage your own caseload, taking costs matters through to settlement or assessment, while working collaboratively with colleagues across the wider team. Key responsibilities will include:

• Reviewing, assessing and negotiating costs claims
• Preparing Points of Dispute and considering and responding to replies
• Progressing cases through provisional and detailed assessment
• Drafting costs budgets, Budget Discussion Reports and Precedent Ts
• Conducting costs budget negotiations
• Reviewing files, setting strategy and identifying key strengths and weaknesses
• Preparing and maintaining costs strategy reports throughout the life of a case
• Providing clear and accurate advice and updates to clients
• Negotiating positive and commercially effective outcomes for clients
• Managing your caseload effectively to meet deadlines and service-level agreements
• Drafting or opposing relevant applications and, where appropriate, supporting matters through detailed assessment

What we're looking for

👤We’re looking for someone with previous costs negotiation experience who is comfortable managing their own caseload. You’ll ideally have:

✅ Experience preparing Points of Dispute and considering replies

✅ Experience progressing matters towards provisional and detailed assessment

✅ Strong written and verbal communication skills

✅ Previous client liaison experience

✅ Confident telephone negotiation skills

✅ The ability to organise and prioritise a busy workload

✅ Good decision-making skills and the ability to use your own initiative

✅ A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively as part of a team

A degree, LPC, ALCD or equivalent qualification would be advantageous, as would previous advocacy experience.

🌟 Why join us?

This role offers a real opportunity to continue building your career within costs, with:

🔹 High-value, complex work – develop your technical ability through costs arising from complex EL, PL and RTA injury claims.

🔹 A varied caseload – work across a mixture of fixed recoverable costs and hourly-rate matters.

🔹 Wider team exposure – collaborate with colleagues across the Costs team and wider Complex Injury Division.

🔹 Technical development – continue building your knowledge and confidence when dealing with higher-value costs matters.

🔹 Client exposure – strengthen your experience of client liaison, providing clear advice and maintaining positive client relationships.

🔹 A supportive team – work alongside experienced colleagues in an environment where knowledge and expertise can be shared.

At Keoghs, our values are at the heart of how we work: we are connected, we are dynamic, we are innovative and we succeed together.

👣 Ready for your next step in Costs?

If you’re an experienced Costs Negotiator looking to broaden your exposure to complex, high-value work while developing your technical expertise within a supportive team, we’d love to hear from you.

Job Benefits

Working at Keoghs as part of The Davies Group, you will receive a host of benefits that can be flexed to suit your needs:

• Hybrid working
• Entry into the Davies Incentive Plan
• Private medical insurance
• Permanent health insurance
• Critical illness cover
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Holidays 25 days plus 8 bank holidays (opportunity to buy & sell 3 days), holidays rise to 26 days after 5 years’ service and 27 days after 10 years’ service
• Death In Service – after 1 year
• Employer Pension Contribution
• Cycle to Work Scheme, Tech Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Gym Flex