Claims Against Public Authorities and Inquest Paralegal

Duncan Lewis Solicitors:

Regulated by the Solicitor's Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of our key practice areas - "a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients". A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice - that is our ethos.

Recognised among The Times 200 Best Law Firms, we have been awarded Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards, reflecting our dedication to legal expertise and client service. We hold Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation for over 15 years, showcasing our commitment to professional development. Duncan Lewis is also Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring excellence in practice management and data security.

We are committed to recruiting dedicated and talented professionals and welcome applications from exceptional candidates. At Duncan Lewis, we value training and diversity, and we take pride in our inclusive workforce.

About the role:

Duncan Lewis Solicitors is seeking a talented and experienced paralegals to join its Claims Against Public Authorities and Inquest department

The successful candidate will conduct supervised casework and also support other lawyers in the department. You will be involved with case preparation generally and, as part of that role, will be expected to conduct legal research, take proofs of evidence from clients and witnesses, attend both court hearings and conferences

Experience of Legal Aid Agency (LAA) funded casework is highly desirable. Previous CAPA and/or Inquest experience is advantageous.

It is imperative that you can demonstrate an unwavering commitment to protecting individual citizens' civil liberties and a preparedness to fight hard to enforce their human rights. While experience in CAPA work is advantageous, applications from candidates with relevant legal experience and a genuine interest in civil liberties and human rights work will also be considered.

Main Responsibilities of the Role:

• Reporting to Supervising Solicitor and when necessary to Departmental Director
• Working cohesively within a team but also prepared to take responsibility for individual work.
• Attending clients, taking instructions and briefing and liaising with counsel, negotiating with defendant solicitors, the PPO, IOPC and other legal professionals.
• Drafting legal documents.
• Exercising financial control over work carried out, with particular regard to the conversion of work in progress and ensuring that billing targets are met.
• Ensuring Quality Control compliance as defined in the Office Manual in regard to Lexcel, Investors in People and any other quality mark implemented by the firm, dealing with noncompliance matters in an efficient and timely fashion.
• Supporting the successful development of the firm, in line with its Business Plan, this will require participation in marketing events to ensure the continuous growth of the Department, and that the turnover target set for your department is achieved.
• Dealing with any complaints received on your cases.
• Assisting with audit enquiries, when applicable
• Carrying out any other reasonable and relevant task required by Management

Key Skills Required:

• Minimum 1 year of paralegal practice required; experience in a claims against public authorities department is highly desirable.
• Intelligence and demonstrable experience relevant to this role
• Experience working on Legal Aid cases and Litigation is essential (Ideally within Inquests/CAPA)
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks and manage time effectively
• Familiarity with the Legal Aid Agency's online CCMS system would be an advantage
• Legal skills and knowledge, Negotiation skills and Analytical skills
• You must be a good administrator, capable of ordering documents, dealing with new telephone and email enquiries and completing legal aid/controlled work documentation.

What we offer:

• Competitive salary
• The opportunity to join a heavyweight civil liberties firm which promotes a healthy collegiate environment in which to do great work, grow, be supported and be yourself
• Work within a friendly, collaborative and cohesive team
• Excellent progression opportunities
• Support for appropriate legal awards/recognition

The recruitment process will fully comply with GDPR and other applicable laws. Background checks including CRB / DBS checks will establish your eligibility to work in the UK and suitability to the role.

Equal Opportunities:

Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce.

We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter if this applies.

APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY AGENCIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THE ABOVE VACANCY