Paralegal

Information Commissioner's Office; London; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

The ICO is looking for a Paralegal to provide professional support within its Legal Service. The role involves assisting lawyers with legal matters, conducting research, and maintaining accurate records. This position offers a flexible working environment with opportunities for development and progression in a data-driven field.

Benefits

Pay progression scheme

Hybrid and flexible working options

25 days paid holiday per year

Flexi leave

Pension with employer contribution

Health Cash Plan

Online discount scheme

Development opportunities

Qualifications

• Law Degree or ILEX level 3 required.
• Relevant work experience showing graduate ability.
• Proven ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Assist lawyers with ongoing legal matters and projects.
• Conduct legal research on specified points.
• Maintain team records and databases accurately.

Skills

Attention to detail

Judgement

Research skills

Communication skills

Education

Law Degree / ILEX level 3 Professional Diploma in Law

Tools

MS Excel

Microsoft Office

SharePoint

Job description

Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Wilmslow

Job Summary

Paralegal – Data Privacy Advice team – Fixed term contract up to 12 months.

Full time / Part time

Salary: £33,273 - £37,692 per annum

Location: Flexible

Contracted to our Wilmslow, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office, however, through hybrid working we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities. There will be times when you will be expected to attend the office to collaborate with colleagues or travel due to business need.

Please note that our Head Office will be relocating from Wilmslow to central Manchester in the near future. This move marks an exciting step forward, offering enhanced opportunities for collaboration, both within our internal teams and with external partners, through a more flexible, connected, and dynamic working environment.

Why work for the ICO?

• Pay progression scheme.
• Hybrid and flexible working options.
• 25 days paid holiday per year, plus privilege and public holidays.
• Flexi leave (up to 24 additional days leave per year).
• Pension (employer contribution around 28.9%).
• Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more.
• Health Cash Plan.
• Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress.
  
  

Further details can be found on the benefits section of our website .

About Us

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the independent regulator of information rights. In a data-driven world, we provide advice, guidance, and support to organisations enabling compliance with their obligations, as well as protecting individuals and their personal data.

As an employer, we are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives and careers of our people, and we empower you to be curious, impactful, collaborative and respectful.

Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity to join the ICO Legal Service. As a Paralegal, you will provide a comprehensive and professional paralegal and administrative service to support lawyers in the ICO Legal Service.

The Legal Service works with teams across the ICO to provide legal advice on key policy, enforcement, advisory and compliance issues. It supports the Commissioner to determine the appropriate legal lines to take on a variety of matters and makes recommendations to manage the ICO’s legal risks.

Key Responsibilities

• To provide input into the mentoring, oversight and training of administrative staff in the department, if required.
• Using initiative and judgement assist lawyers at all levels with on-going legal matters, cases and/or projects, ensuring that they are dealt with in line with ICO standards, policy and regulatory priorities.
• Use initiative to undertake legal research on specified legal points, when required to do so by a lawyer or when a given case demands it.
• Assess incoming correspondence (e.g. requests for advice) using judgement, intellectual ability and initiative, and assist other team members in flagging any potential issues before it is allocated.
• Administration of the team records and databases including, when required, ensuring that MS Excel spreadsheets and other reporting mechanisms are accurately maintained across the team to provide statistics for management reports and annual reports.
• To attend, or arrange attendance at, internal and external meetings, in order to ensure that minutes are taken and a record of meetings is maintained as specified by others in legal service.
  
  

This is an exciting opportunity to join the ICO Legal Service. As a Paralegal, you will provide a comprehensive and professional paralegal and administrative service to support lawyers in the ICO Legal Service.

The Legal Service works with teams across the ICO to provide legal advice on key policy, enforcement, advisory and compliance issues. It supports the Commissioner to determine the appropriate legal lines to take on a variety of matters and makes recommendations to manage the ICO’s legal risks.

Key Responsibilities

• To provide input into the mentoring, oversight and training of administrative staff in the department, if required.
• Using initiative and judgement assist lawyers at all levels with on-going legal matters, cases and/or projects, ensuring that they are dealt with in line with ICO standards, policy and regulatory priorities.
• Use initiative to undertake legal research on specified legal points, when required to do so by a lawyer or when a given case demands it.
• Assess incoming correspondence (e.g. requests for advice) using judgement, intellectual ability and initiative, and assist other team members in flagging any potential issues before it is allocated.
• Administration of the team records and databases including, when required, ensuring that MS Excel spreadsheets and other reporting mechanisms are accurately maintained across the team to provide statistics for management reports and annual reports.
• To attend, or arrange attendance at, internal and external meetings, in order to ensure that minutes are taken and a record of meetings is maintained as specified by others in legal service.
  
  

Person specification

Essential Criteria Assessed At Application Stage

• Candidates must have Law Degree / ILEX level 3 Professional Diploma in Law or a successful completion of a solicitors qualifying exam
• Relevant work experience at a level demonstrating graduate ability.
• Proven ability of working on own initiative and dealing with individual case variations confidently.
• Excellent accuracy and strong attention to detail.
  
  

Essential Criteria Assessed At Interview Stage

• Good intellectual and analytical ability. Demonstrable ability to apply knowledge of relevant legislation in variety of circumstances.
• Very good written and verbal communication together with strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to cope with tight deadlines, work flexibly and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Experience of using computerised databases/ record management systems, ideally including SharePoint, and very good working knowledge of Microsoft Office Excel and Word.
  
  

Alongside your salary of £33,273, Information Commissioner's Office contributes £9,639 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Please visit ico.jobs for full details, including salary and benefits.

Selection process details

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

The ICO is committed to promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are focused on developing a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and together we are building an inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference. We are championing this through our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board together with a number of staff networks. Read more about our commitment on our website.

If you have a disability or impairment and have difficulty using our online application system, please email the HR team at [e-mail] who can arrange for you to submit an application via an alternative method.

Closing Date

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59 on Sunday 20th July 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before this date should we receive sufficient applications. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : [e-mail]
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]