Job Description

The team and clients

Our well-established Dispute Resolution Team are looking to recruit a Paralegal into the Regulatory and Criminal Defence arm of their team based at our Ipswich hub. There may also be the opportunity to do work from our main offices in Norwich from time to time, as and when required by the needs of the team and our clients.

The Regulatory and Criminal Defence team (comprising of two Partners, a Solicitor and a Trainee Solicitor) offers specialist advice and representation on regulatory and criminal defence matters and acts for a wide range of clients, from individuals to businesses.

The Post and candidate

The successful candidate will work with the team to support them with a wide range of matters. The role involves plenty of client contact, whether on the phone or in person (including at conferences with counsel and at court hearings), and could include attending interviews under caution alongside the solicitor. This is an excellent opportunity for someone either with existing Paralegal experience wishing to progress further in their legal career, or someone wishing to build on existing administrative experience obtained in a Legal Assistant's role.

The main duties of the position include:

Ensuring excellent levels of client service are always maintained to prospective and existing clients; Attending to clients, potential clients, the court, police officers and other investigators, the CPS and other prosecuting organisations, experts and counsel on the phone (and on occasions, face to face); taking messages and arranging appointments as necessary; Assisting with preparation of counsel's and expert's instructions, and of court bundles; Attending court hearings and conferences with counsel; Attending site visits and meetings with witnesses; Monitoring and fielding email enquiries from prospective and existing clients, and passing on to the team, as appropriate; Opening files in accordance with procedure, including obtaining client ID, conducting conflict and anti-money laundering checks; Typing, preparing and formatting correspondence, such as engagement letters; and documents, including preparing invoices, statements of account and assisting with credit control; Maintaining client files, including efficient utilisation of the case management system; and General administrative/office tasks that the Ipswich hub requires, such as supporting with IT / Audio Visual set up.
To be successful within the role, the ideal candidate must have the ability to work to tight deadlines, be prepared to adopt a flexible approach to the working day (as, due to the nature of the work carried out, the team's commitments can change unexpectedly) and be comfortable prioritising tasks from multiple sources. Training will be provided within the team but at least 1 year of previous experience as a Paralegal or Legal Assistant will be essential.

We anticipate this post to be a full-time role fulfilling 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm with one hour for lunch, however, there may be the need to work outside of these hours from time to time, for example if travel is required to a court hearing or a conference with counsel in London

About Leathes Prior

Leathes Prior is a full-service law firm and has four offices in a superb central Norwich location, one in the centre of Tombland and three within the Cathedral Close, with a fifth small office hub in Ipswich. We are a traditional full-service law firm, (established nearly 150 years ago) with a very modern approach to our work, people, and culture. We currently have circa 130 staff.

We pride ourselves on our success at supporting and developing our staff on their chosen career path, actively encouraging progression through the ranks for the mutual benefit of our clients and our staff.

This is an opportunity to join a fantastic team within a leading full-service firm offering excellent prospects, competitive salary and great benefits.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent

Pay: 23,000.00-29,000.00 per year

Expected hours: 35 per week

Benefits:

Additional leave Company events Company pension Employee discount Free or subsidised travel Health & wellbeing programme On-site parking Referral programme Sick pay
Experience:

Administrative: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person