Job Description

Job Overview

Reeds Solicitors is looking for a paralegal to join our busy and highly regarded Court of Protection team based in our Bristol office. This is an exciting opportunity to join our fast growing and supportive team across England and Wales with flexible and hybrid work available.

We are looking for a keen and hardworking paralegal, who is interested in Court of Protection work. No previous CoP or paralegal experience is needed, but we do need someone who will be confident getting stuck in from the outset, drafting documents and statements for the court, liaising with other professionals, and communicating with our clients. If anyone has any personal or professional experience supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, dementia or mental health diagnoses then we'd be particularly interested to hear from them.

More information about the work that we do can be found here: https://reeds.co.uk/court-of-protection-solicitors/

We are a very progressive company and offer development opportunities to all employees. We run an annual trainee solicitor recruitment process, and all internal candidates are automatically offered a first stage interview. Therefore, this role may be suitable to someone who is looking to progress as a solicitor.

Roles and Responsibilities

Our work is both challenging and varied and we are looking for someone to join our busy team, working closely with the Bristol Team Leader.

The right candidate would:

Assist with diary management and administrative duties such as preparing court bundles; Prepare applications for and liaise with the Legal Aid Agency; Assist solicitors throughout all stages of case preparation, including:
Attending court hearings and meetings with solicitors and/or counsel;

Drafting court documents including applications, witness statements, briefs to counsel and letters of instruction to experts;

Considering disclosure and evidence and preparing notes of the same;

Attending client visits in hospitals, care homes and other care settings;

Any other duties as directed by the Team Leader.

Person Specification

Essential:

Must hold an undergraduate degree or equivalent; Must be an excellent communicator and have a good understanding of the needs of our clients to achieve the best possible outcomes; Must have a genuine passion for this area of practice and emotional intelligence given the nature of our work; Must have a good understanding of client care requirements and a commitment to legal aid; Must be enthusiastic about expanding their skills and knowledge and keen to keep abreast of developments in case law and practice and procedure; Must be a keen team player; Must have excellent time management and organisational skills and confidence working in a fast-paced environment.
Desirable:

Have some paralegal or CoP/public law/human rights legal experience. Have a full UK driving licence.

Why work for Reeds?

Internally, the Reeds Way governs our culture, the Reeds working environment, and the working life and career that we offer to all Reeds people - https://reeds.co.uk/about/

So, what does all this look like when put into practice? Here is what you can expect from us if you join our team:

We safeguard a non-negotiable culture of respect for and between colleagues; We offer a transparent and fair career development structure with opportunities for all lawyers and fee-earners to progress through the stages and become an Associate, Senior Associate and hopefully Partner; All our people - and that means all our people - constantly undergo training and development via The 'Reeds Academy' which helps everyone achieve their career goals and get to where they want to be professionally, and to enhance their business skills and knowledge; We encourage all our staff to think about business development and look for growth opportunities. We are always willing to listen to, and potentially invest in, new ideas; We offer competitive salary and benefit packages and have a transparent annual review process which considers your whole contribution to your team and the Firm, not just billing figures; We offer to all staff a discretionary bonus scheme for exceptional performance as well as performance related bonuses; We offer flexible working schemes which include compressed 4 day weeks, 9 day fortnights and TOIL (time off in lieu), as well as a true commitment to hybrid working; You will enjoy the ability to earn up to 30 days of holiday with years of service (standard holiday packages start at 21 days plus all bank holidays); There is an additional paid celebration day for you to use as you would like (such as a birthday, anniversary or other key event); You will have the ability to buy a further 5 days of holiday, and sell surplus holiday, each year; Discretionary additional holiday days are given at Christmas (up to a maximum of 2 days); We give you private medical health care with the option to upgrade and add optical and dental care; Discounted gym membership is available, through private medical insurance; We offer an employee assistance programme with access to physical, mental and emotional health advice & webinars, wellbeing videos and programmes, online counselling & mini health checks; The Cycle To Work scheme is available, including e-bikes; Fresh fruit baskets are placed in each office on a weekly basis.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 24,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Additional leave Cycle to work scheme Employee discount Health & wellbeing programme Private medical insurance Referral programme Work from home
Schedule:

Flexitime Monday to Friday
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Bristol BS2 8QF