Children Law Paralegals (X2) – Milton Keynes

Duncan Lewis Solicitors; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Supportive team

Job summary

Duncan Lewis Solicitors in Milton Keynes is recruiting a diligent Child Care Paralegal to join its renowned Child Care Law team. You will support senior solicitors on complex cases and work directly with clients in a busy practice that handles public and private child care matters.

The department covers child protection, adoption and guardianship, offering scope for advocacy and professional development within a firm recognised for training and a diverse practice.

Qualifications

• Broad experience in publicly funded Child Care Law.
• Strong academic background with a Law degree.
• Legal experience as a Child Care Paralegal/Advisor.
• Clear understanding of Children Laws and procedures.
• Business acumen and ability to market the Company.
• Excellent communications, analytical and organisational skills.
• Committed team player, self-motivated and professional.
• Excellent IT skills and familiarity with MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Report directly to Department Director.
• Provide pro-active client care with sensitivity to clients' needs.
• Assist with casework including child abduction, protection and adoption matters; undertake advocacy where appropriate.
• Attend clients, take instructions and prepare cases.
• Deal with correspondence and maintain time costing procedures.
• Implement supervisor recommendations after file reviews promptly.
• Ensure compliance with file management and documentation standards.

Skills

Child Care Law experience

Excellent communications

Microsoft Office

Team player

Self-motivated

Education

Law degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Description:

Duncan Lewis Solicitors (Ltd):

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.

Recognised among The Times 200 Best Law Firms, we have been awarded Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards, reflecting our dedication to legal expertise and client service. We hold Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation for over 15 years, showcasing our commitment to professional development. Duncan Lewis is also Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring excellence in practice management and data security.

We are committed to recruiting dedicated and talented professionals and welcome applications from exceptional candidates. At Duncan Lewis, we value training and diversity, and we take pride in our inclusive workforce.

Child Care Department Background:

Applauded by The Legal 500 has 'an extremely knowledgeable and hugely capable child care team', our highly specialised Child Care Department is ranked and recommended by The Legal 500 UK and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories 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.

Setting us apart from other firms, the Child Care Law department consists of members of the Law Society Children and Family Panel Members. The majority are also members of the Association for the Lawyers for Children, and of Resolution (formerly known as the Solicitors Family Law Association). Duncan Lewis is one of few firms in the UK that are on the Lord Chancellor's International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU) referral list. We have acquired a number of kite-marks and accreditations which are testament to the quality of the specialised work our staff undertake. We have had several high profile cases, which have been reported, which include caste, underage marriages and international elements.

Main Responsibilities of the Role:

• Report directly to Department Director
• Professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and a sensitive and sympathetic understanding of clients' needs
• Assisting with casework 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
• Attending clients, taking instructions and preparing cases
• Dealing with correspondence
• Maintaining accurate time costing procedures
• Implementing any recommendations made by your supervisor following monthly file reviews ensuring that these are dealt with promptly
• Ensuring compliance with file management

Key Skills Required:

• Demonstrate passion and experience in a broad range of publicly funded Child Care Law
• A strong academic background with a Law degree
• Legal experience as a Child Care Paralegal/Advisor
• Clear understanding and application of Children Laws
• Business acumen and the ability to market the Company
• Excellent communications skills to work effectively with all types of people
• Excellent analytical and organisational skills and ability to use own initiative but know when to seek guidance
• Committed team player, self -motivated and professional
• Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills

What we offer

• Competitive salary
• A fantastic supportive team
• Excellent progression opportunities
• Support for appropriate legal awards/recognition