Meet our Head of Onboarding

For Katie Wilson, a career in legal finance has been built through years of experience supporting law firms. Katie joined Cashroom in 2015 and has held several roles across the business. She is now Head of Onboarding, where she leads the transition of new clients to Cashroom services.  

Her role extends beyond onboarding. Katie also manages client projects, process design and efficiency improvements, supporting firms with everything from financial migrations and system changes to resolving account issues and clearing backlogs.  With extensive experience of legal accounting, multiple practice management and accounting systems, banking platforms and the SRA and CLC Accounts Rules, Katie brings a practical understanding of the challenges law firms face when managing their finance functions. 

 Q. How did you come to join Cashroom, and how has your role developed since then?

A. I had spent more than 15 years working in-house as a Legal Cashier and Senior Legal Cashier within a couple of large law firms, when I was approached by a former colleague who had recently joined Cashroom and asked if I would be interested in a new challenge.

After learning more about Cashroom and the opportunities the role could offer, it was an easy decision. The initial learning curve was steep, but I relished the challenge and quickly became invested in Cashroom’s vision and wanted to take on more responsibility. 

Within a couple of months, I moved into the role of Onboarding Manager, where I was able to use the experience, I had built throughout my legal cashiering career to develop and improve processes. 

As Cashroom continued to grow, so did my knowledge and experience. I progressed into senior management and became Head of Onboarding, a role that continues to challenge me and give me the opportunity to work with a wide range of law firms.

Q. How does building a strong relationship with a client help during the onboarding process

A. When onboarding a new client, it is important to put them at ease and make the transition to Cashroom as smooth as possible. For some clients, this can be their first experience with outsourcing, so it is important to understand their concerns, explain how the process will work and show them the benefits of having access to a wider pool of legal accounting experience.

Personally, this is one of my favourite parts of the role. I enjoy talking to clients about their requirements and working with them to agree the right approach to support their business. Building that relationship from the outset helps us understand what the client needs and gives us a strong foundation for the relationship going forward. 

Q. How does your experience help when providing advice and support to law firms joining Cashroom?

A. Recently, we have seen an increase in enquiries from law firms that have experienced issues with their previous finance arrangements, including poor accounts or record keeping, or firms looking to migrate to a new accounting or practice management platform.

Our experience over many years means we can provide specialist advice and practical support to help address these challenges. This can include identifying issues with existing processes, supporting system migrations and helping firms establish effective ways of working from the outset. 

Our clients benefit from the depth of experience we have built across Cashroom, with hundreds of legal accounting professionals, experience communicating with regulators, knowledge of more than 40 accounting systems and experience working with a wide range of banking platforms. 

That breadth of experience means we can often draw on knowledge from across the business to help find the right approach for each client. 

Q. What is your favourite aspect of the job?

A. Helping our clients find a better way! I really enjoy discussing their needs and looking at how we can help them. I’m naturally driven by finding ways to make things more efficient and straightforward.

For me, it’s about making sure our clients have the best and most user-friendly experience possible, while ensuring the way we work is tailored to their individual business. 

Q. What are some of the challenges involved in helping law firms change the way they manage their finance function

A. One of the biggest challenges can be supporting clients through change. People can naturally be cautious about changing processes they are familiar with, even when there are clear benefits to doing things differently. Part of my role is helping clients understand the changes we are proposing, communicating how we will support their staff through the transition and showing how the changes can benefit the firm and its staff.

Ultimately, it is about making sure the changes we introduce improve the client experience, strengthen regulatory compliance and make their finance operations more efficient. 

Katie’s role highlights the importance of getting the transition to outsourced finance right from the beginning. By combining her legal cashiering experience with her knowledge of processes, systems and change management, she helps law firms navigate the move to Cashroom and find ways of working that suit their individual needs. 

For Katie, the focus remains simple: understanding what each client needs and finding a better way to support them.