Head of Client Money (6m FTC)

Location: London/Hybrid - 3 days per week on-site Salary: £70,000 - £100,000 About Lawhive Our mission is to make the law accessible to everyone. The legal industry is built on technology and processes that haven’t been updated in hundreds of years - that's why we've reinvented the entire model from the ground up with our own bespoke AI operating system at the core. Lawhive is a regulated law firm with an AI-native platform built to amplify expertise and revolutionise the way people practice law, leading to exceptional outcomes for clients and lawyers. Lawhive Labs is how we bring this vision to life. It's our frontier lab that combines top engineering, design, AI and legal talent from around the world, joining forces to build the future of law. We’re backed by top-tier investors, including Google Ventures, Balderton Capital and TQ Ventures, and in December 2024, we secured $40M Series A funding round to facilitate international expansion and to grow our team, representing one of the five largest Series A rounds in Europe for 2024. We’re headquartered in London and in 2025 successfully launched in the US…and we’re just getting started. About the Role We're looking for an interim strategic, detail-oriented Head Legal Cashier to lead and scale our client money function at Lawhive for a six month fixed term contract. Reporting directly to the Head of Compliance you'll take full ownership of all client money processes, manage a growing team, and ensure our systems, policies, and platform meet and exceed regulatory requirements. You'll be a key voice in shaping how we integrate client money into the Lawhive platform, ensuring compliance with SRA regulations, embedding best practices, and driving operational excellence across the business. You'll also play a critical leadership role in mentoring your team and building a high-performing finance function that supports Lawhive's continued growth. Key Responsibilities Team Leadership & Development Manage and grow a high-performing client money team, leading by example and setting clear standards and expectations Oversee team workload and task prioritisation, ensuring timely delivery of business needs with a strong sense of urgency Mentor team members and foster a culture of excellence and continuous improvement Compliance & Regulatory Excellence Ensure full compliance with SRA Accounts Rules, leveraging in-depth knowledge of SRA reconciliations and reporting requirements Develop, implement, and maintain robust financial policies, procedures, and controls Set the benchmark for legal cashiering excellence across Lawhive and roll this out business-wide Maintain oversight of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies and procedures Platform Integration & Process Improvement Act as the key partner in integrating client money processes into the Lawhive platform Identify gaps and clearly communicate platform changes required to ensure compliance and operational efficiency Collaborate closely with product and operations teams to prioritise and implement system improvements Drive continuous enhancement of client money operations through technology and process optimisation What We're Looking For Essential Experience & Qualifications 10+ years of experience in legal finance, client money, or legal cashiering, with demonstrated team leadership Deep knowledge of SRA Accounts Rules, with a proven track record in SRA reconciliations and reporting Strong experience creating and implementing policies and procedures, particularly around AML compliance Skills & Attributes Proven ability to lead teams through periods of growth and change while maintaining operational excellence Comfortable identifying problems and opportunities, and clearly articulating what's needed to improve systems and platforms Highly organised and detail-driven, with the ability to manage multiple priorities with speed and accuracy Strong communication skills with the ability to influence across technical and non-technical stakeholders Growth mindset and genuine enthusiasm for helping to shape the future of legal finance in a tech-enabled environment Collaborative working style with the ability to work effectively across product, operations, and finance teams Interview process Introductory call with our Talent team 1:1 with your hiring manager Technical interview We offer! Benefits 💰 Meaningful early-stage equity at one of Europe’s fastest growing startups ✈️ 33 days’ annual leave (25 + bank holidays) plus your birthday off 🌍 Work from anywhere for a month 💰 Pension contribution via Nest 💻 Top-spec Macbook ⛳️ Regular team building activities and socials! Diversity at Lawhive At Lawhive we know that diversity of thought is critical to delivering outlier outcomes. As such, we’re always working hard to ensure we build a diverse, inclusive team. We’re not yet where we want to be but as we scale we’ll only ever increase the focus we apply to this.