Casualty Local GOV Paralegal

Weightmans; Manchester; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Weightmans is seeking a Paralegal to join our Local Government Team, based in Liverpool or Manchester. The role supports fee earners with case management, legal research, drafting of witness statements and client reports, and preparation for court hearings.

You may attend client meetings and court hearings and assist with instructing Counsel and experts, while ensuring deadlines and KPIs are met. Your experience should include EL/PL casualty claims, knowledge of housing and highways law, and the

Qualifications

• Experience assisting EL/PL casualty claims essential.
• Knowledge of PL/EL, Highways, Housing Law, Social Care.
• Experience handling own casualty caseload.
• Experience handling a litigated caseload.
• Good drafting skills, influencing skills, and strong IT ability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and time management.

Responsibilities

• General case management and legal research support.
• Draft witness statements and client reports for fees earners.
• Prepare for court hearings and attend client meetings/hearings when required.
• Assist with instruction of Counsel and experts.
• Respond promptly to correspondence from clients and others.
• Review records and support business development activities.

Skills

Legal drafting

Witness statements

Legal research

Client meetings

Time management

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Job description

About your new role

Our Casualty team provides a full, expert service in defending public (PL) and employers' liability (EL) claims, across the private sector and the public sector. Weightmans' team is second-to-none in providing defendant litigation services in these and other specialist Casualty areas. We operate on a national basis with dedicated commercial insurance and public sector teams and as part of our wider specialism we have a dedicated Casualty Fraud team.

We are currently recruiting for a Paralegal to join our Local Government Team based in Liverpool or Manchester.

As a Paralegal the role will see you assisting fee earners with various tasks including general case management, legal research, drafting of witness statements and reports to clients and preparation for court hearings, attending client meetings and court hearings to support fee earners, assisting with the instruction of Counsel and experts, responding promptly and accurately to correspondence and telephone enquiries from clients and other parties, with and without supervision, and reviewing records, as well as supporting the team’s business development activities.

• Predominantly PI including EL, PL and Highways
• Housing disrepair
• Property damage
• Social Care
• Data Protection/GDPR
• Educational Establishments
• Complete MI procedures as and when required
• Achieve set financial and chargeable targets
• Ensure relevant deadlines, SLAs, quality measures and KPI's are adhered to
• Comply with relevant policies and procedures

The above is not intended to be exhaustive and you will be expected to perform other duties and have other responsibilities that fall within the wider remit of the role. As a Paralegal you will also ensure that you comply with the relevant Weightmans and client policies and procedures, and consistently work in accordance with our values.

About You

You will have previous experience as a Paralegal and a genuine and demonstrable interest in the above area of work. As the role is varied, we are looking for you to have a flexible approach to the work you do and be able to adapt to different tasks. We also require you to have:

• Current experience of assisting EL/PL casualty claims is essential
• Some knowledge of PL, EL, Highways, Housing Law, Social Care
• Experience of handling own casualty caseload
• Experience of handling a litigated caseload
• Good drafting skills
• Good influencing skills.
• Good communication skills.
• Good interpersonal and team working skills
• Good IT skills
• Good written and communication skills
• Good time management and organisation skills
• Good attention to detail and concentration
• Ability to multi-task and prioritise
• Ability to work to strict deadlines
• Ability to work as part of a team and on own initiative
• Knowledge of CPR procedure with proven technical ability.

If you meet our criteria and think this is a job where you could bring enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn, then we look forward to receiving your application.