SOLICITOR – COURT OF PROTECTION (WELFARE)
We are a friendly specialist legal aid practice with a national reputation located near London Bridge.
We advise and represent disabled people in welfare and hybrid proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act in the Court of Protection as well as advising in community care law. We are regularly instructed by the Official Solicitor. We have contracts with the Legal Aid Agency in community care and public law and are Lexcel accredited. Our clients are some of the most vulnerable in society, and need the assistance, support and protection of top quality lawyers. You can make a real difference utilising your legal and interpersonal skills within a friendly and highly driven firm with a national reputation for excellence.
We are seeking another full-time solicitor (2 + years PQE) to join our mental capacity team to work alongside Nicola Mackintosh QC (Hon) and our trainees undertaking complex and strategic casework in the Court of Protection. You will preferably have experience in health and welfare cases in the Court of Protection and be a current legal aid supervisor or be eligible to meet the supervisor requirements in either community care or public law or both.
What is most important is your drive and hunger for the work that we do. We will also consider candidates who show they have transferable skills, want a challenge and would like to take their career in a different and exciting direction. We will provide the support to make that happen.
Salary: competitive, according to experience.
All applications are to be made via our applications pack – please email recruitment@macklaw.co.uk or write to Mark Slade, 103 Borough High Street, London SE1 1NL to request a pack.
Closing date: 5pm 24 January 2020.
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PARALEGAL – COURT OF PROTECTION (WELFARE)
The vacancy
We are looking for a paralegal to join our friendly Court of Protection welfare team at London Bridge. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn and develop within a thriving law firm with an interesting and varied workload.
The firm
We are a specialist law firm providing expert legal advice and representation to disabled clients in the niche areas of mental capacity, community care and health care law. Every person has the right to make decisions about their own lives. However if a person does not have the mental capacity to make a particular decision, the Court of Protection may make a decision in their best interests under the Mental Capacity Act. We represent those clients and help develop caselaw for vulnerable people who need assistance in making decisions about key aspects of their lives including their rights to services and possible challenges to unlawful decisions made by public bodies such as local authorities and health organisations.
Our work seeks to raise the profile of the legal rights of people with learning disabilities, people in mental distress and clients with physical disabilities. We hold a contract to undertake legal aid work and remain a staunch campaigner for access to justice issues for disabled people.
About you
We are open to candidates from a variety of backgrounds. What is really important is your attitude, enthusiasm and personality fit. The successful applicant will have the right attitude, aptitude and ability. Excellent legal, verbal, written and analytical skills are required but you will be enthusiastic and know that hard work is needed to succeed.
You will see this role as more than just a job and you will take your responsibilities to our clients very seriously, whether the task is big or small. When it comes to individuals’ lives, every detail matters, so you will be someone who considers the wider implications of what you do.
You will need to thrive in a busy environment, have excellent communication, numeracy and IT skills, be organised and accurate and have a willingness and ability to learn quickly on the job. Enthusiasm, commitment, integrity, professionalism, drive and the ability to work well within a team is vital.
The role
We will provide support and training in a specialist legal environment to develop excellent legal skills, to enable you to succeed in this role and to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable people.
Experience of working in a legal environment and on legally aided cases would be an advantage but is not essential. The post will involve assisting fee earners in progressing cases under close supervision, including (but not exclusively):
• being involved in all stages of the case preparation and strategy
• preparing instructions to counsel, drafting letters
• arranging and attending conferences and hearings with counsel
• reading evidence, records and undertaking legal research
• drafting documents for Court
• all administrative tasks in relation to the above including maintaining files, time recording and following administrative procedures
• meeting with and advising vulnerable clients in the office, hospital, care home or elsewhere, with support and supervision
• attending professional meetings and taking notes
The work is varied and rewarding with a good degree of autonomy and encouragement to develop, under supervision. Whilst there is currently no training contract on offer progression is carefully monitored and rewarded and subject to the firm’s needs and performance a contract may be available in due course. Training contract offers have been made to the firm’s previous paralegals.
Start date: As soon as possible
Salary: Dependent on skills, as a minimum the London living wage
All applications must be made via our application pack by the deadline below.
Please email your request for a pack to recruitment@macklaw.co.uk. Or write to: Mark Slade – Office Manager, Mackintosh Law, 103 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1NL.
CLOSING DATE for applications via the pack: 5pm 24 January 2020
