Paralegal (Litigation & Education)

Staffordshire County Council; England; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority is seeking a dedicated paralegal to join its Litigation and Education teams. The role involves providing comprehensive administrative support, preparing court bundles, and liaising with external providers. Ideal candidates will possess strong organizational skills, effective communication abilities, and a basic understanding of laws related to Litigation and Education. The position offers substantial benefits, including hybrid work options and generous holiday entitlements, emphasizing a strong work-life balance.

Benefits

Generous holiday entitlement

Flexible working options

Local government pension scheme

Family friendly policies

Qualifications

• Strong organizational skills to manage workflows and maintain records.
• Ability to communicate clearly and confidently in various situations.
• Meticulous attention to detail in documentation and planning.
• Effective time management skills for prioritizing tasks.
• Experience in legal administration, particularly in Litigation and Education.
• Basic understanding of relevant laws in Litigation and Education.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to Litigation and Education teams.
• Prepare court bundles and liaise with external providers.
• Support debt collection and manage case files.
• Adhere to quality standards set by the Legal Services Unit.
• Handle confidential information sensitively and securely.

Skills

Organizational skills

Effective communication

Attention to detail

Time management

Legal administration experience

Understanding of Litigation and Education law

Job description

Are you passionate about making a difference in the community and would you thrive in a committed, friendly and supportive team? We are seeking a dedicated and proactive paralegal to work within our Litigation and Education legal teams. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of local government, supporting vital services that protect and support local communities including Trading Standards and SEND teams. The role involves supporting on a wide variety of matters across both teams; including Court bundle preparation, liaison with external providers including Chambers, arranging panels and organising attendance, supporting with debt collection work and case administration and support. The role offers an opportunity to work on challenging and rewarding cases directly impacting our people and communities in Staffordshire. You will be part of a wider Legal Services team committed to delivering high‑quality legal services in the public sector. You will also have the opportunity of developing your knowledge and experience in two different areas of law within the wider contentious team.

Responsibilities

• Providing full administrative and practical support on a mixed caseload across primarily two different teams (Litigation and Education) including Court bundle preparation
• Liaison with external providers including Chambers, arranging panels and organising attendance
• Supporting with debt collection work and file administration and support
• Adherence to the Legal Services Unit's quality standards (Lexcel) including time‑recording to maintain professional standards
• Handling confidential data sensitively and securely in accordance with policy

Qualifications

• Strong organisational skills and a proficiency to record and monitor progress on existing excel spreadsheets
• An ability to clearly, confidently, and effectively communicate
• Meticulous attention to detail and ability to use own initiative
• Effective time management, prioritisation skills and an ability to work under the demands of competing pressures
• Experience of legal administration in respect of Litigation and/or Education work
• A basic understanding of law relating to Litigation and/or Education

Benefits

Staffordshire County Council genuinely recognise the benefit of achieving the right work‑life balance and our extensive package of benefits support this. We genuinely invest in our employees and our package includes a generous holiday entitlement, increasing significantly with service, and an additional annual leave purchase scheme. Flexible and hybrid working (in an appropriate job role), employee travel and entertainment discounts, a local government pension scheme, optional car lease scheme and a staff parking discount scheme. We also offer family friendly policies such as maternity, adoption, paternity, and parental leave.

Our values

Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. The core of who we are as an organisation. We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy.