Paralegal
Hybrid / Manchester City Centre
Are you looking to further your Paralegal career?
Come and support our Crime & Regulatory team as a Paralegal
The opportunity:
We have an excellent opportunity for a Paralegal to join the team in the Manchester office supporting our Crime & Regulatory team. The Crime and Regulatory Team is ranked in both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. They undertake a variety of types of regulatory work including inquests, health and safety, licensing, CQC/Ofsted entity regulation and professional discipline work.
The team currently includes a Partner, five solicitors, three paralegals and an administrative assistant. The work is fast-moving, varied and challenging, and the successful candidate will receive full training in our internal practices and procedures.
The company is an independent SRA authorised and regulated legal business offering services to both insured and non-insured clients. Their clients and business partners comprise of businesses, high net worth individuals, and associations across a broad spectrum of industries.
They operate out of offices in Manchester, Leeds, London and Croydon and employ over 60 specialist solicitors. The legal teams guide, support, defend and protect clients through a wide range of key legal services.
What you'll be doing:
* Work predominantly on cases that are funded under insurance policies (both legal expenses insurance and liability insurance), but will also gain exposure to privately funded matters
* Work towards managing a small case load of your own, under supervision - including recommending reserves and setting strategies under the supervision of others - as well as offering day to day support to qualified solicitors within the team by undertaking task-based fee earning work on their cases (such as disclosure, witness statements, instructions to counsel, preparations for hearings etc.)
* Carry out legal research tasks and will enjoy the challenge of expanding their knowledge into new areas of law
* Deliver pragmatic advice based on both the legal and commercial realities of a client's position
* Be able to deliver against tight deadlines and display key time management skills when prioritising tasks to ensure compliance with Court/Tribunal orders
* Work well under pressure when preparing bundles, diarising court dates, drafting letters and paginating documents for the Court and Counsel in readiness for upcoming hearings
* Assist with team billing
* Ensure all files are maintained within required standards and in line with relevant procedure
* Have the opportunity to develop your understanding of the insurance industry and the contribution an insurance panel law firm can make to the success of a large insurance company
Our must haves:
* Have experience of working within the legal sector
* Ideally have previous experience of dealing with business crime, regulatory and/or professional discipline cases
* Have experience of or be working towards running your own caseload under supervision in parallel with supporting other fee earners on their cases
* Demonstrate strong communication and organisational skills with an ability to prioritise workload
* Have good IT skills, certainly with experience in using Microsoft Office 2010 and case management systems (preferably Partner for Windows)
* Have high attention to detail and accuracy in their work
* Demonstrate first-class client care and communication skills across all levels
* Have excellent written communication skills
* Be an effective team mate, demonstrating a positive 'can do' attitude and displaying co-operative interaction with team members
Our nice to have's:
* Previous experience of dealing with insurance claims (in particular, legal expenses insurance claims and / or liability insurance claims) is desirable
What's in it for you:
* A great starting salary plus 10% annual bonus & strong benefits package
* 25 days paid holiday plus Bank Holidays, with the opportunity to buy / sell extra leave
* Fantastic company pension scheme, private medical and dental cover, life assurance, travel insurance cover, income protection, season ticket loan as well as other great benefits on offer
* There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career, and we can provide the support needed to do just that!