Financial Controller

📋 Description

• • Lawhive is at the forefront of legal innovation, leveraging a proprietary AI operating system to revolutionize the legal industry. Having recently secured $60 million in Series B funding at a $685 million valuation, we are poised for significant global expansion, including our successful launch in the US in 2025. Our mission is to make legal services accessible to everyone by transforming outdated processes with cutting-edge technology. Lawhive Labs, our frontier research and development hub, brings together top engineering, design, AI, and legal talent to build the future of law.
• • The Finance team at Lawhive operates as a lean, high-impact engine, crucial for navigating the complexities of our UK and US group structure. We are the backbone supporting our hyper-growth and international ambitions, ensuring precision and efficiency as we scale a first-of-its-kind AI-native law firm. Our function is deeply integrated across all business units, including product, engineering, legal operations, HR, talent, and executive leadership. Our core mandate is to establish world-class, audit-ready, and scalable financial architecture capable of supporting rapid expansion and global reach.
• • The upcoming 12-18 months represent a period of intense and rewarding work, focusing on critical initiatives. These include designing and embedding robust financial systems, controls, and reporting infrastructure for a multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction group (UK, US) on the path to audit and global scale. We are committed to building real-time, decision-grade data analytics, covering everything from cash flow and margins to unit economics, empowering the business to make swift, high-quality decisions amidst revenue growth and capital deployment.
• • A key focus will be transforming acquired entities into a unified finance ecosystem, characterized by stringent working capital discipline and deep operational control. We will implement automation and intelligent workflows across payables, payroll, client money compliance, tax, FP&A, and revenue accounting to unlock significant leverage and efficiency gains. Furthermore, we will partner closely with business leaders to shape strategic direction, investment decisions, and the ongoing evolution of AI-enabled legal services.
• • This role offers a unique opportunity for a finance professional seeking a challenging environment with high standards, complex problems, and visible impact across the entire organization. As Lawhive scales rapidly, we are seeking an experienced Financial Controller to play a pivotal role in managing our financial operations. Reporting directly to the VP of Finance, you will oversee critical functions including payroll, treasury management, bookkeeping, and consolidated financial reporting.
• • You will lead a team of two management accountants and one finance associate, fostering their development and ensuring high performance. Collaboration will be key, working closely with our broader finance function which encompasses FP&A, M&A, investor reporting, and client money operations. The ideal candidate will possess a strong blend of technical accounting expertise, a collaborative spirit, and a passion for technology-driven solutions, with a particular emphasis on building and maintaining robust accounting reconciliation and control processes.
• • Key responsibilities include owning and managing core finance operations such as management accounts, consolidated reporting, tax, payroll, treasury management, and invoice management, in close partnership with the VP of Finance. You will lead the monthly financial close process, ensuring all accounting entries and reconciliations are completed accurately and within deadlines. Developing detailed flux analysis for variance monitoring and accurate cash flow forecasting will be essential for proactive financial management.
• • A significant part of the role involves preparing the company for its upcoming audit and consolidated statutory reporting for the year ending December 2026. This includes ensuring audit readiness through meticulous documentation and the implementation of robust internal control processes. You will also be responsible for reviewing and implementing additional financial reporting requirements, such as share-based payment accounting, acquisition accounting, and refining revenue recognition policies and associated assets.
• • Continuous process improvement is a cornerstone of this role. You will identify and implement enhancements to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our accounting, reconciliation, and control processes, leveraging technology and best practices. Team leadership is also paramount; you will coordinate and develop a team of two management accountants and one finance associate, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment. You will also champion collaboration across the entire finance function, ensuring seamless integration and information flow.
• • This is an exciting opportunity to shape the financial future of a rapidly growing, innovative company at the intersection of law and technology. Your contributions will directly impact our ability to scale efficiently, make informed strategic decisions, and achieve our ambitious global growth objectives.