Newly Qualified / Junior Inquest Lawyer

NWSSP Legal & Risk Services; St Asaph; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity awaits a junior lawyer to join a dynamic Inquest Team within a leading NHS division. This role involves advising on sensitive cases, including mental health and clinical negligence, while upholding the core values of listening, learning, and innovating. As part of a supportive team, you will engage in meaningful work that directly impacts patient safety and legal standards in healthcare. If you are passionate about making a difference and possess the required qualifications, this position offers a unique chance to grow in a collaborative and inclusive environment.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with litigation and advocacy rights.
• Experience in clinical negligence, personal injury, and Inquests.

Responsibilities

• Review medical records and draft correspondence to obtain evidence.
• Assist in preparing client advice and witness statements.

Skills

Communication Skills

Negotiation Skills

Empathy

Client Care Skills

IT Skills

Education

Law Degree

Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice

Professional Skills Course

Tools

Legal Software

Job description

If you are looking to join NWSSP, please see the additional information below that may be of interest to you:

Job overview

Legal & Risk Services is a division of the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership which provides a comprehensive legal advisory service to the NHS.

Our Core Values, which are important in how we work with our clients and how we support our colleagues, are:
• Listening and Learning
• Working together
• Taking responsibility
• Innovating

We have an exciting opportunity for a junior lawyer to join our Inquest Team. We advise and represent the whole of the NHS in Wales.

The types of cases we typically advise on include:
• Mental Health related
• Prison deaths
• Falls
• Sepsis
• Maternal and neonatal deaths
• Drug/alcohol related
• Peri or post surgical deaths.

The Team are experts in their field who are regularly instructed in novel and high profile cases. We work closely with our clients' clinical and patient safety teams.

The work of Legal & Risk has been recognised in the awards we have won. We aim to push boundaries and continue to develop ways to support the important work of the NHS.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for reviewing medical records/reports, drafting correspondence to obtain evidence and assisting in the preparation of client advice, witness statements, court bundles, and instructions to counsel.
We are committed to the development and well-being of our staff. You will have the support of a Team Manager and a number of other senior lawyers.

The ideal candidate for this position must have good communication skills, a confident approach to work and can demonstrate our core values. There will be a need for empathy and sensitivity due to the very personal nature of the cases we deal with.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Working for our organisation

At NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership we expect everyone to embrace our values of Listening and Learning, Working Together, Taking Responsibility and Innovating.

Our organisation encourages an agile working approach and we pride ourselves on being a learning organisation motivated by continuous improvement.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values equality, diversity and inclusion, focussing on the wellbeing and belonging of our people. Excellent customer service is something we strive for, for both our internal and external customers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click “Apply now” to view in Trac.

Person specification

Qualifications/Knowledge

• Law Degree & Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (or equivalent)
• Qualified with litigation and advocacy rights. • Qualified solicitor admitted to the roll of solicitors of England and Wales • CILEx Litigator and Advocate (Civil) • Qualified barrister admitted to the bar in England and Wales
• Professional Skills Course or equivalent
• Academic modules in Medical Law (Mental Capacity and Mental Health)

Experience

• Experience gained through training within the relevant field
• Experience of the relevant field/fields of Law i.e. clinical negligence/personal injury and Inquests
• Advocacy in Coroner’s Court
• Experience of making presentations to non-legal staff

Aptitude and Abilities

• IT Skills/Computer literate to include the ability to learn new technologies and IT introduced.
• Ability to communicate in all formats in plain English
• Ability to negotiate in often difficult or emotional circumstances
• Conscientious, confident, flexible and professional approach to work
• Ability to prioritise and organise own work
• Ability to recognise own capabilities
• Evidence of excellent client care skills.
• Welsh Language Skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh.

Other

• Demonstrate how your personal qualities match against our NWSSP core values: Listening and learning • Working together • Taking responsibility • Innovating
• Willing to undertake further professional development
• Able to travel to undertake the duties of the post at various locations
• Deliver excellent customer service to our internal and external customers, helping us to maintain the customer service excellence standard.

We are committed to flexible working and equal opportunities.

If you are shortlisted for interview you will be contacted by email using the email address with which you registered. Please ensure that you check your email account regularly.

Prior consideration for this vacancy will be given to staff awaiting redeployment. We therefore reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any stage.

When applying for this post it is essential that you read the Job Description and Person Specification (where available) and demonstrate how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements of the person specification. Only candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted.

To work in the UK, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa, unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply should self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship by visiting Work in the UK. If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.