Legal Assistant (Child Care)

Nottingham City Council; Leicester; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Leicestershire County Council is seeking an experienced Family/Childcare Law paralegal to join our childcare team at County Hall, Leicestershire. The role supports friendly, busy childcare lawyers and offers mentoring as you work towards qualification.

The successful candidate will have a recent law degree with a family law option (or LPC/BPTC or equivalent) and experience drafting legal documents. A driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential.

Qualifications

• Recent law degree with family law option or LPC/BPTC (or equivalent).
• Experience in legal environments including drafting documents.
• Knowledge of Children Act 1989.
• Strong drafting, communication and organisational skills.
• Computer literacy with MS Word, Excel and case management systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide one-to-one legal support to childcare lawyers.
• Undertake quality case management and Public Law Outline work.
• Attend local courts as part of duties; driving licence essential.
• Draft standard and non-standard legal documents clearly.
• Work with mentors and supervision to progress toward qualification.

Skills

Legal drafting

Communication

Time management

Autonomy

Teamwork

MS Word/Excel/Outlook

Education

Law degree with family law option

LPC/BPTC or equivalent

Legal Executive qualification

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Outlook

Case management systems

Job description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, Leicestershire. LE3 8RA

Salary: £28,605 - £34,359 per annum (pay award pending)

Working Hours:37 Hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent x1, 12 Months Fixed Term x 1

Closing Date: 4th October 2026

Interview Date(s): TBC

Are you an experienced Family/Childcare Law paralegal?

Are you a Law Graduate and/or have recently completed your LPC or BPTC or equivalent?

Are you looking to gain experience whilst working towards the SQE?

Are you a recent CILEX Graduate Member looking to build experience ahead of an application for Fellowship of CILEX?

Are you interested in pursuing a career in Family/Childcare Law?

If so, Leicestershire County Council would very much welcome an application from you. The successful applicant will be joining a team of Paralegals each providing one to one legal support to friendly, busy and experienced childcare lawyers.

About the Role

At Leicestershire County Council we have a highly-regarded Childcare section with positive working relationships with the local judiciary and wider legal community. We very much value the role Paralegals play in supporting our work and in continuing to enhance our reputation, so you will be closely supported, mentored and supervised but also be given the opportunities to undertake a wide range of quality case management/Public Law Outline related work. Our approach is to equip our Paralegals with the skills and experience necessary to go on to become fully qualified lawyers should you wish to do so.

The postholder will be required to attend local courts as part of their duties. Therefore possession of a valid driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential.

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

• Have a recent Law degree including a family law Option and/or recently completed the LPC/BPTC including a family law option or recently completed the equivalent Legal Executive qualification.
• Considerable and recent experience of working within a legal environment such as a firm of solicitors, in – house legal department, law centre or citizens advice bureau to include experience of drafting legal documentation.
• Knowledge of Children Act 1989.
• Good drafting skills and ability to draft both standard and non-standard legal documents using and applying knowledge of legal matters as appropriate. Ability to assimilate information rapidly and to present it orally or in writing in a clear unambiguous and concise way. Ability to communicate effectively with customers and stakeholders
• Planning and organisation skills and able to prioritise work effectively. Working autonomously and as part of a team.
• Evidence of self-motivation and able to work on own initiative with limited supervision. Approachable, co-operative, tactful, diplomatic as appropriate to the confidentiality required
• Must be computer literate with experience of MSWord, Excel, Outlook and computerised case management systems.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion,please contact:

Clare Bianchina or Kathryn Reeves

Telephone: [phone] or 0116 305 6008

Email: [e-mail] or [e-mail]