Legal Counsel - Health

The Methodist Church in Britain; Grimsby; À distance; GBP 70 000 - 110 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

UHL Group is seeking a Legal Counsel for its Healthcare Legal Services team. The role focuses on complex and urgent healthcare matters, including high-value clinical negligence claims and contentious inquests.

You will supervise Solicitors, deputise for the General Counsel, and contribute to risk management across senior clinical teams. You will advise on civil litigation, mental health law, DoLS and related regulations, with rights of audience in civil and coronial courts.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with extensive post-qualification healthcare law experience, or equivalent pre-qualification experience.
• Current practising certificate or registration.

Responsabilités

• Advise on complex, urgent and sensitive healthcare legal matters, including mental capacity, mental health, deprivation of liberty and complex discharge.
• Manage a portfolio of the most complex, high-risk and high-profile matters.
• Lead contentious inquests, including witness preparation, case strategy, advocacy and submissions to the coroner.
• Provide senior oversight of high-value clinical negligence claims, scrutinising evidence and expert reports.
• Advise senior clinicians, managers and executives on emerging legal and reputational risk.
• Review commercial contracts, SLAs and agreements to identify and advise on risk.
• Build relationships with external stakeholders such as coroners, NHS Resolution, counsel, the Official Solicitor and police.
• Lead, supervise and line manage Healthcare Legal Services lawyers, including workload planning and escalation to General Counsel.

Connaissances

Civil litigation knowledge

Mental Health Act knowledge

Mental Capacity Act knowledge

DoLS knowledge

Line management

Advocacy for inquests

Contract review

Microsoft 365

Excellent communication

Formation

Solicitor or Barrister (qualified)

Current practising certificate

Master's in healthcare/medical law

Outils

Datix

InPhase

Description du poste

This Legal Counsel post sits in the Healthcare Legal Services team of the in-house legal service at UHL Group, which advises the Trusts it represents. The work centres on complex and often urgent legal advice on healthcare matters, including high-value clinical negligence claims and contentious inquests. The role also carries line management of solicitors and deputising for the General Counsel, and offers flexible and home working. Fit depends on a practising certificate and rights of audience in civil and coronial courts.

What the job involves

• Advise on complex, urgent and sensitive healthcare legal matters, including mental capacity, mental health, deprivation of liberty and complex discharge
• Manage a portfolio of the most complex, high-risk and high-profile matters
• Lead contentious inquests, including witness preparation, case strategy, advocacy and submissions to the coroner
• Provide senior oversight of high-value clinical negligence claims, scrutinising evidence and expert reports
• Advise senior clinicians, managers and executives on emerging legal and reputational risk
• Review commercial contracts, SLAs and agreements to identify and advise on risk
• Build relationships with external stakeholders such as coroners, NHS Resolution, counsel, the Official Solicitor and police
• Lead, supervise and line manage Healthcare Legal Services lawyers, including workload planning and escalation to General Counsel
• Learn from claims, inquests and advice, identifying and escalating themes and risks
• Deputise for General Counsel across all matters
• Produce reports for, and attend, senior Trust meetings
• Assist with delivery of legal training across the organisation

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with extensive post-qualification healthcare law experience, or equivalent pre-qualification experience
• Current practising certificate or registration

Experience

• Senior lawyer experience at a large, complex and dynamic healthcare organisation
• Line management and supervision of junior staff, including qualified solicitors
• Experience evaluating commercial contracts and advising on indemnity and contractual risk

Skills & knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of civil litigation, Civil Procedure Rules and coroners' inquest legislation
• Knowledge of Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, DoLS and healthcare legal precedent, including coronial precedent
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications
• Excellent written and verbal communication, adapting style to the audience
• Ability to distil complex medical and legal information for different stakeholders
• Planning workload to meet deadlines amid competing priorities

Other

• Rights of audience in civil and coronial courts
• Enhanced advocacy for difficult and sensitive inquests, including before a jury
• Ability to persuade and negotiate
• Excellent English, expression, spelling and grammar
• Adaptability to the evolving requirements of the role and willingness to learn

Nice to have

• Masters degree in healthcare or medical law
• Experience with risk management systems such as Datix and InPhase

What’s offered

• Home or remote working