Legal & Risk Services is a division of the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership which provides a comprehensive legal advisory service to the NHS.
Our Core Values, which are important in how we work with our clients and how we support our colleagues, are:
* Listening and Learning
* Working together
* Taking responsibility
We have an exciting opportunity for a senior experienced lawyer to join our Complex Patient Team with a particular focus on Court of Protection work. We advise and represent the whole of the NHS in Wales. Extensive experience in Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, Mental Health Act, Court of Protection and deprivation of liberty of children is essential.
The types of cases we typically advise on include:
* Consent and capacity for adults and children
* Use of restraint
* Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (soon to transition to the Liberty Protection Safeguards)
* Mental Health
* End of life decision making
* Inquests that have issues of Mental Health or Mental Capacity.
The Team are experts in their field who are regularly instructed in novel and high profile cases. We work closely with our clients' Mental Health, Learning Disability, Paediatric, Nursing, and Intensive Care teams.
The work of Legal & Risk has been recognised in the awards we have won. We aim to push boundaries and continue to develop ways to support the important work of the NHS.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for screening and risk assessing new enquiries; liaising with clients and witnesses to investigate and prepare cases; taking witness statements and supporting witnesses through the court process; attending and undertaking advocacy at hearings at court; providing written advice to clients.
This will include reviewing medical records/reports, drafting letters to obtain evidence and leading in the preparation of client advice, witness statements, court bundles, and instructions to counsel.
As a senior lawyer you will be responsible for the line management, supervision and development of junior lawyers and paralegals. You will play a key strategic role in helping to develop the team and build close client relationships.
The ideal candidate for this position must have good communication skills, a confident approach to work and can demonstrate our core values. There will be a need for empathy and sensitivity due to the very personal nature of the cases we deal with.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; English and/or Welsh speakers are equally welcome to apply.
About us
At NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership we expect everyone to embrace our values of Listening and Learning, Working Together, Taking Responsibility and Innovating. Our organisation encourages an agile working approach and we pride ourselves on being a learning organisation motivated by continuous improvement. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values equality, diversity and inclusion, focusing on the wellbeing and belonging of our people. Excellent customer service is something we strive for, for both our internal and external customers. Offering a comprehensive benefits package, there is something for everyone.
Job responsibilities
You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Law Degree & Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (or equivalent)
* Qualified with litigation and advocacy rights
* Relevant Legal Knowledge
* Higher Degree
* NHS Background
* Structure of NHS
* Mediation Qualification/Training
* Experience in clinical negligence teams
* Higher advocacy qualification
Experience
* Further extensive experience in the relevant field/fields of Law i.e. Medical Law encompassing Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act; Human Rights (in particular Deprivation of Liberty); Court of Protection Rules; Coroner's Inquests.
* Extensive experience of Advocacy in Court of Protection
* Experience of making presentations to non-legal staff.
* Extensive experience of Advocacy in Coroner's Court.
* Advocacy at Mental Health Tribunals.
* Mediation
Aptitude and Abilities
* IT Skills/Computer literate to include the ability to learn new technologies and IT introduced
* Ability to communicate in all formats in plain English, with staff, senior staff, directors, on complex business and clinical negligence processes.
* Ability to negotiate in often difficult or emotional circumstances
* Ability to prioritise and organise own work whilst being an effective leader of the team
* Ability to recognise own capabilities
* Ability and enthusiasm to train, mentor and professionally supervise more junior members of the team
* Ability and enthusiasm to grow the work of the department and to build on and broaden the team's reputation within and outside the NHS
* Conscientious, confident, flexible and professional approach to work
* Experience of writing reports suitable for senior and executive level audiences.
* Experience of using social media to promote individual professional achievements and to enhance the firm's reputation
Values
* Working together
* Taking responsibility
Other
* Willing to undertake further professional development
* Able to travel to undertake the duties of the post at various locations.
* Welsh Speaker
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working
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