Job Description

Paralegal

36,000 per annum, 37 Hours per week

Permanent

Cirencester/Witney or Coleford

Proud, passionate, ambitious - it couldn't be a more exciting time to work for Cotswold District Council. We're searching for the very best people to join us.


The Cotswold District is a great place and we are rightly proud of our businesses, communities and residents. We're busy recreating a council that's pro-active and responsive to the needs of our residents and businesses in a fast-changing environment. That means we need to be 'fleet of foot' and look for innovative and creative ways to deliver against our Corporate Plan priorities.


The Council has an ambitious Council Plan focussed on a range of important priorities including climate action, strong local communities, and a vibrant district economy.

About the role...

As a Paralegal, you will support solicitors and senior lawyers in delivering high-quality legal services to Cotswold, Forest of Dean, and West Oxfordshire District Councils. You will assist with casework, conduct legal research, and provide advice to Council Officers and Members on a variety of matters.


Under supervision, you will manage a small caseload of non-contentious legal work, ensuring tasks are handled efficiently and in line with best legal practices. You will also help prepare legal documents, draft reports, and contribute to the smooth running of the legal team.


This role offers an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on legal experience in a local government setting and can serve as a stepping stone towards qualifying as a solicitor or CILEX lawyer.


This is a new role which can be located at any of the offices of our partner councils. This is a new role which will cover West Oxfordshire, Cotswold District Council and the Forest of Dean District Council. There are plenty of places to see and visit whether you love hiking or cycling.

You will need...

Qualified Paralegal, L3 Paralegal certificate or Legal Practice Course completed Experience working within local government legal team /public sector legal team/regulatory team A command of written and spoken English which is appropriate for the effective performance of the role, ability to produce high quality, accurate work to deadlines. Demonstrate good organisational skills and to manage and prioritise own workload producing and administering correspondence and documentation to a high standard.

Special Conditions...

Ability to travel BPSS/DBS There may be a requirement to work at other locations to meet the needs of the business. Expected to work reasonable additional hours in line with the needs of the service

For more information about this role please see the /Person Specification.

What can we do for you...

Agile working allowing a mix of home and office working Flexible working arrangements (depending on the role)*
27 days paid annual leave (pro rata if you are working part time) plus bank holidays, which increases to 30 days after five years of service In addition you will have an extra two volunteering days a year for you to support a charity of your choice Renewed again for another year there is a Health cash plan giving you cash back on health, dental and eye care Generous contributory local government pension scheme Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, providing positive, preventative and supportive advice and counselling to deal with everyday events and issues Cycle to work scheme Salary sacrifice car lease scheme with significant tax and NI savings to be made on electric cars Generous sickness cover above statutory entitlements

Terms and conditions apply


These are just a handful of the benefits that you can enjoy when you join us!


To apply for this position please click on "apply now" within this page to complete an application form and supporting statement together with your CV. Please tell us about your skills, knowledge, qualifications, experience and how they meet the criteria listed above and in the job description/person specification. It's important that we're a good fit for each other, so let us know what's important to you and why you want to work for Cotswold District Council. Your CV will not be available to the hiring manager unless you are shortlisted for interview to assist with our non-biased screening process so please ensure you complete the application form in full.


It is important that our staff reflect the diversity of our community, and we therefore welcome and encourage applications from people of all genders and sexual orientation, those from Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic backgrounds, and those with disabilities.


Accredited of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies - Please state this within your covering statement or in a separate email.


Our organisation is committed to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable adults, young people and children. Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies

Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies. Successful candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment medical questionnaire; provide references; proof of identity; nationality and immigration status; three years' employment or education history (if applicable) and, in some cases, verification of criminal record.