Job Description

We're looking for two individuals to join our Norwich Litigation Services Team as Apprentice Paralegals, gaining hands?on legal experience, structured training and a strong start to your legal career.###

The role

We are seeking 2 full time apprentice paralegals to work in the Norwich office.



The team provides high-quality and efficient paralegal support, including in the following areas;


General litigation support, including disclosure, document review and locating and instructing experts, mediators and counsel Costs support, including preparation of statements of costs, precedent H budgets; costs assessment and negotiation Document and information preparation, organisation and review - preparation of chronologies and bundles; pagination and indexing of documents; review of documents for relevance to a particular matter and redaction of disclosable documents Debt recovery and insolvency support, principally undefended Data Subject Access Requests, including document review, redaction and extraction Court of Protection applications

This is a good opportunity for anyone seeking to gain experience in a prestigious national law firm, working in a busy and demanding environment.


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Training

Sufficient time will be given, namely one day each working week, for the apprentice to attend training sessions both provided by the firm and external providers. Mills & Reeve's training provider for the apprentice paralegal position is BPP University with travel expenses being met to attend any training required to meet the standards required by the course or M&R.



The programme will last two years and involve completing a Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship.


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Apprenticeship Overview

The Level 3 paralegal apprenticeship is designed to equip the apprentice to work competently within the ethical and regulatory framework required for practice as a paralegal.



The apprentice will develop problem solving skills and sound working practices, including the ability to establish and maintain effective professional relationships and to plan, prioritise and manage your work.



The paralegal apprenticeship is designed to help the apprentice exercise technical skills and expertise including legal research, drafting documents, communicating clearly, both orally and in writing, and analysing and assessing information.



The apprentice will gain sufficient knowledge of one area of legal practice to enable them to conduct relevant paralegal work under supervision.


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The person

Essential


Our education provider, BPP University has a minimum requirement for this course; three A levels equivalent to 96 UCAS points, and five GCSEs with grades 9 to 4 (A to C), including English and maths.
Excellent IT Literacy, including familiarity with MS Office Excellent written English Methodical approach to work, well organised, neat and an efficient worker Strong attention to detail and accuracy Enthusiastic and proactive attitude to work Flexible in approach Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure A confident personality and good sense of humour Friendly with good communication skills Professional, proactive and able to work well in a team Willingness to work in a growing, dedicated team Positive team player willing to tackle any task
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The activities

On a day-to day basis, when working 4 days in the Norwich Office, the apprentice paralegal will support the LST and fee earners with a broad range of legal and administrative tasks. This role combines hands-on experience working on live disputes with structured apprenticeship learning. The apprentice will develop skills in case management, document handling, legal drafting, and client service, working under the supervision of experienced lawyers.



Typical tasks include the following.


Attend weekly team meetings Attend internal legal training sessions and seminars Conduct disclosure document reviews for litigious matters and Investigatory matters. Conducting document reviews for Data Subject Access Requests and client file requests Conducting legal research on case law, procedural rules, relevant legislation and other legal matters. Prepare concise research summaries to support litigation strategy Liaise with courts, counsel chambers, experts and other third parties Preparing a variety of Bundles, including Trial Bundles and Bundles prepared for the purposes of Counsel Preparing witness statements for proceedings / contentious matters Producing chronology's and lists of documents Detailed reviews of medical records Drafting applications Reviewing medical evidence and providing case law Note taking for meetings and hearings Prepare and send pre-litigation letters Accurately time recording for each task conducted Preparing N260 /Statements of Costs Reviewing client papers and preparing Court of Protection applications Insolvency investigations and bank statement analysis Take on increasing levels of responsibility as skills and confidence grow

On the apprentice's study day, the apprentice will participate in apprenticeship learning and complete required coursework.


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The team

This is an innovative team primarily based in the Norwich office but with a developing base in the Birmingham office. The team provides general litigation support to the whole firm for all contentious work and also offers more specialist support in some specific areas. The team is managed by a local manager but is overseen by the Head of Legal Operations and also has support from the Senior Costs Manager. The team is currently 13 strong with mixed levels of seniority.


We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.


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The benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits.

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Pre employment screening

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three year employment history and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre-screening employment process are available upon request.

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The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.



We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don't offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,450 plus people and over 850 lawyers share one vision - achieving more for clients.



By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. We're also ranked in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and have been awarded Platinum Investors in People. Our mantra is "Achieve more. Together.", which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase!



Our values are the principles that help us fulfil our purpose. Our people shaped them and live them every day.

We're ambitious

- We aim high, we embrace new ideas and we're passionate about our work

We're open

- We communicate openly and honestly to build trust, and we do what's right

We care

- We're committed to each other, our clients, our communities and the planet

We collaborate

- We're easy to work with, we offer help willingly and we get things done - together ###

And finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.