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.
Choosing a career with Duncan Lewis is choosing a law firm that is the largest provider of publicly funded (legal aid) legal services in the country and has a growing private client practice. We have been Investors in People Gold Standard accredited for over 15 years and are continuously applauded nationally for the work that we do.
Child Care Department:
Applauded by The Legal 500, our highly specialised Child Care Department is ranked and recommended for its expertise in all aspects of child care law.
Our Child Care Law department approaches each case with a level of understanding only achievable through specializing in Child Care law. The key aspect of our work is assisting guardians to represent a child and representing parents. We act for children, parents and family members to provide expert advice to adopted parents and the birth parents who are considering adoption. The department also advises same-sex couples on child care matters, including child care arrangements following divorce, separation or dissolution of a civil partnership, adoption, co-parenting and surrogacy.
Main Responsibilities of the Role
* Report directly to Department Director
* Responsible for all aspects of Child Care work including providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members
* Ability to manage and supervise Solicitors, Trainee Solicitors and Caseworkers to manage appropriate caseload types and complexities
* Assisting with delivery of appropriate training and development in the department
* Variety of duties including dealing with a range of public and private children cases including child abduction, child protection issues, special guardianship and adoption matters as well as undertaking your own advocacy
* You will have a professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and be interested in Business Development and Marketing to supplement the substantial work volumes brought in by the company.
Key Skills Required:
* Newly Qualified as a Solicitor
* Must have a clean, valid Practising Certificate at the time of applying
* Registered with the Law Society and Children Panel Membership is desirable
* Committed team player with ability to approach team concerns fairly, foster culture of positive change and encourage cross referrals
* Previous proven supervisory experience and working to key performance indicators
* Professional with a pro-active approach; excellent client care skills and ability to deal with vulnerable clients and resolve complicated practicalities involved in child care issues
* Excellent networking and communication skills with the ability to successfully market the Company and generate new business
* Working knowledge of the publicly funded Child Care work and have the ability to service privately funded cases
* Have extensive experience in dealing with all Child Care work related work and some expertise on adoption matters
* Experience in own advocacy is an advantage
* Excellent IT Skills - familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills
What we offer
* A fantastic supportive team
* Excellent progression opportunities
* Support for appropriate legal awards/recognition
Law Society Children/Family Accreditation/Resolution: The Company will support your career progression if you decide to pursue Children, Family or Family Advanced Panel accreditation with the Law Society or Resolution. We will cover the cost of:
* Attending the mandatory training course £1100 (Children Law Accreditation)
* Children Law Reaccreditation every 3 years (approx. £618)
* Family Law Reaccreditation every 5 years (approx. £556)
The total cost of progressing onto the Children panel is approximately £1700. Children/Family Law Accreditation Salary: Moving forward we are looking to offer all new Children, Family, Family Advanced and Resolution Panel members a base salary of:
* £48,000 in London and within the M25.
This salary will apply from the date you are registered as a panel member/accredited with the Law Society. Advancement of the above fees will be subject to our terms and conditions in the contract of employment/accreditation agreement.
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.
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.
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