Personal Injury Paralegal

NWSSP Legal & Risk Services; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

NWSSP Legal & Risk Services seeks a Paralegal for its Personal Injury and Prosecutions Team in Cardiff. The successful candidate will assist solicitors in managing cases related to personal injury and health and safety issues, making a significant impact on the NHS in Wales. With a focus on communication, empathy, and strong legal knowledge, this role offers a dynamic environment where teamwork and learning are encouraged. Candidates with a Law Degree and an interest in personal injury law are preferred.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

Employee Assistance Programme

Annual Staff Recognition Award ceremony

Qualifications

• Experience of working in a legal office environment.
• Understanding of handling confidential data.
• Willing to undertake further professional development.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the day-to-day management of cases under supervision.
• Open new cases and liaise with clients and witnesses.
• Assist in preparing client advice and court documents.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

IT Skills

Analytical negotiating ability

Prioritization

Education

Law Degree or equivalent

Job description

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

Our “Benefits” video has been created to highlight and showcase some of the benefits of working for the NHS and NWSSP:- https://youtu.be/zX3x046SDhg

The “Tops Tips – Be Yourself” video has been designed to support candidates applying for roles with NWSSP. We have outlined 8 key steps to help candidates articulate their capabilities and experience when completing applications with NWSSP. https://youtu.be/qe3ibY8b6m4

Applicants are invited to apply in Welsh. Any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English

Please be advised that there is a temporary top up for Bands 2 and 3 to reflect the incorporation of the top up to the living wage of £12.60 per hour - £24,638 per annum.

This temporary top up will be in place until the annual pay uplift for 2025/26 is confirmed

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 Paralegal to join our Personal injury and Prosecutions Team with a particular focus on personal injury and health and Safety work. You will be assisting our growing team of solicitors and fellow paralegals who advise and represent the whole of the NHS in Wales.

The Types Of Cases We Typically Advise On Include

• Employers and public liability cases
• Violence and aggression
• Industrial disease
• Work related stress
• Health and Safety prosecutions
  
  

The Team are experts in their field who are regularly instructed in novel and high profile cases. We work closely with our clients’ Health and Safety, Nursing and patient care teams and other directorates at all levels.

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.

Main duties of the job

You will assist in the day-to-day management of cases under close supervision of a Senior Lawyer. You will have opportunities to contribute to the team and wider Legal & Risk family. You will be responsible for opening new cases, liaising with clients and witnesses, attending hearings at court and helping witnesses navigate the court process. This will include reviewing medical records/reports, drafting letters to obtain evidence and assisting in the preparation of client advice, witness statements, court bundles, and instructions to counsel.

The post holder will need to establish and maintain good working relationships with a variety of health care professionals, colleagues within Legal & Risk Services, Court officers, witnesses and experts.

Some experience in Personal injury is desirable but what is important is a genuine interest in this area of work.

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 have high standards and expect everyone to embrace our values of Listening & Learning, Working Together, Taking Responsibility & Innovating, whilst ensuring trust, honesty and compassion are implicit in everything that we do.

We are adaptable, agile and flexible and pride ourselves on being a learning organisation - one where it is safe to make mistakes, where blame is replaced by opportunity, learning and improvement. Innovation is built into everything that we do.

We recognise our people regularly and have an Appreciation Station, to encourage staff to applaud exemplary behaviour in one another, alongside an Annual Staff Recognition Award ceremony aligned to our values.

We respect and value our people and strive for a culture of compassion and inclusivity. We are a bilingual organisation, and we have a team of Change Champions who advocate ‘This is Our NWSSP’ our principal change programme. Similarly, PROUD is our new staff network welcoming LGBT+ colleagues and allies to come together in a safe space for discussions, event planning and the opportunity to build supportive networks.

We have a comprehensive benefits package where there is something for everyone, supporting health, engagement and wellbeing and includes an Employee Assistance Programme. We have over 30 Mental Health First Aiders and work in partnership with local and national organisations to ensure the well-being and resilience of our people.

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

Other

Essential criteria

• Willing to undertake further professional development
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Welsh Language Skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh.
  
  

Values

Essential criteria

• Demonstrate how your personal qualities match against our NWSSP core values: Listening and learning
• Working together
• Taking responsibility
• Innovating
  
  

Aptitude and Abilities

Essential criteria

• IT Skills/Computer literate to include the ability to learn new technologies and IT introduced
• Ability to communicate in all formats, in plain english
• Analytical negotiating ability
• Ability to prioritise and organise own work
• Ability to recognise own capabilities
• Ability to liaise and communicate with both internal and external personnel at all levels confidently.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of excellent client care skills
  
  

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working in a legal office environment
• Experience of dealing with confidential, sensitive data with an understanding of the maintenance and storage of sensitive records.
• Understanding of the need to adhere to office guidelines and procedures
• Working to deadlines
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Defendant/Claimant personal injury or clinical negligence
  
  

Qualifications And/or Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Law Degree (or equivalent) or equivalent CILEX qualifications
  
  

Desirable criteria

• LPC or equivalent
• Knowledge of courts and litigation process
• Structure of the NHS
  
  

We are committed to flexible working and equal opportunities.

If you are short listed 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.

Applicant requirements

Welsh language skills are desirable

Documents to download

• PIP - Paralegal English JD (PDF, 280.0KB)
• PIP - Paralegal Welsh JD (PDF, 250.9KB)
• OH Form PIP (PDF, 656.5KB)
• NWSSP Recruitment Services Privacy Notice (PDF, 696.3KB)
• NWSSP - About Us (PDF, 6.6MB)
• NWSSP - Our Benefits 2023 (PDF, 487.5KB)
• NWSSP - Buddion (PDF, 491.0KB)
• PCGC -Amdanom (PDF, 6.7MB)
• Guidance Notes for Applicants April 2024 (PDF, 278.7KB)
• IMTP Summary 2024-2027 (PDF, 13.7MB)
• IMTP Summary 2024-2027 - Cymraeg (PDF, 13.7MB)
  
  

Further details / informal visits contact

Name Robert Jenkins Job title Head of Personal Injury Email address [e-mail] Additional information

Robert Jenkins

Head of Personal Injury

[e-mail]