Tabassum Hoque shares her thoughts on what it’s like to be a consultant costs lawyer at Kain Knight
Tabassum Hoque joined Kain Knight as a Costs Draftsperson in 2020. After graduating with a degree in Economics in 2006 Tabassum spent two and a half years working as a litigator at several leading law firms, before finally settling on a career in costs law in 2009. She subsequently qualified as a solicitor in 2016, and in this article, she shares what it’s like to “be your own boss” as a consultant costs draftsperson at Kain Knight.
“There is no doubt that one legacy of the Pandemic is that the traditional model of working 9 to 5 in an office has been flipped on its head. There is now not only an appetite for people wanting to work differently, but a willingness on the part of employers to embrace new ways of working” explains Tabassum.
Work life Balance
As the mum of two young children (aged 1 and 6), working for Kain Knight as a costs consultant has enabled Tabassum to not only flourish professionally and financially, but to balance this with her responsibilities as a parent. “I tend to get up early, before the house wakes up and breakfast chaos ensues! Having some quiet time to focus on drafting or getting my head around more complex matters that cross my desk, means that I can get a head start on work before taking a short break to do the nursery and school run. I also feel that as a family orientated business, Kain Knight are hugely supportive of me.”
Targets
Kain Knight operate a generous fee-sharing arrangement with their consultants. All consultants are supported by a wider team comprising other consultants and client liaison managers. This creates a culture of teamwork who are on hand to share advice and industry know-how as part of a close network of costs lawyers.
Costs lawyers are given hours and financial targets. “You do have to be disciplined, but the rewards are worth it” says Tabassum. “The way I see it, as lawyers we will always have targets, so being disciplined goes with the territory. I’m trusted to do the job. What I like about working as a consultant for Kain Knight is that there is a degree of flexibility over those targets. For example, if I have an urgent family matter or if I need to take an extended family holiday abroad (which I sometimes need to do), I can speak with them to alter my target for that month. I’m given a degree of control that I might not otherwise get elsewhere which is quite liberating.”
Working as part of team
Tabassum is directly supported by 3 client liaison managers and CEO, Matthew Kain. There is an active WhatsApp Group, weekly Zoom meetings and Google Sheets that are accessible by everyone. The firm also has an active Knowledge Group, supported by Deputy Costs Judge, Colin Campbell. The Group is used to share best practice and bounce ideas off which unties everyone working remotely. “There is a very big support network available to me which I wasn’t really expecting when I joined. Another advantage of being part of such an experienced team is that if you don’t particularly like doing your own advocacy, you can always find someone in the business who will jump on the chance to do it for you! I rarely need to instruct Counsel because Kain night have such exceptional advocates in-house that we can look after everything internally.”
Whilst Kain Knight costs lawyers generally work from home, consultants can also work out of offices in London, Manchester, Stansted (Essex) and Cornwall.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a Kain Knight Costs Consultant, contact us matthew.kain@kain-knight.co.uk or call and speak with him, in confidence, on 01279 715676
