A day in the Life of Lillian Oliveri

Based in South London, working as the sole practitioner of her firm Kale Accountancy Ltd, Lillian sheds some light on her typical day...

"I was always interested in numbers and loved Maths in High School. When I spoke with my Mom about what I loved doing in School, she suggested either an Accountant or Architect as my next favourite subject was Technical drawing. So, I took an accounting class in High School and then went on to do AAT whilst working."

How my day starts:

Working at a law firm as a consultant, I wake up at around 6 am, intending to get out the door by 7 am. I'm not much of a morning person, but I always feel better once I get to my office early, around 8:15 am. At this time in the morning, my cappuccino is a lifesaver (even though I've tried to give up coffee many times!)

As the law firm has outsourced its legal cashiering function, my job is to check that client funds and any bills are recorded on the system, ensure all information is up to date and follow up on any outstanding issues.

My first task (with coffee in hand) is to check and reply to any emails, especially those from the Quill Legal cashier and the Auditors during the SRA audit visits.

If it's payroll time, I will liaise with the payroll company to ensure reports are accurate and available on time so I can process any salary payments via BACS. Plus, upload the relevant information to the pension company.

During the morning, I'll check if any supplier invoices are due for payment and set up the batch information online for review and authorisation by the business owner/practice manager.

After my lunchtime trip to Pret, I then focus on the compliance side of SAR, which includes liaising with fee earners on matters such as residual client balances and old cheques that have not cleared the bank. Plus, I review the Matter balances report to see if it's missing any Client-to-Office transfers that must be recorded.

During the day, I catch up with the practice manager/business owner and a couple of directors. We'll discuss auditor’s feedback, procedures to put in place and follow up with fee earners on unpaid bills or outstanding transactions on the legal accounting software.

My day at this law firm typically ends around 4:30 pm, to dash for the train home, to continue working before and after my keto meal (which, of course, is never really 100% keto, but I like to think it is!)

Lillian Oliveri – AAT Accountant

Check out her recent Podcast – A Conversation with a Black Businesswoman