Paralegal - Public Law & Health Projects
Job Introduction
DAC Beachcroft requires a Paralegal to join our Public Law and Health Projects team based in Bristol on a 6 months fixed term contract. The national team operates from the Bristol, London, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle offices and has a market leading reputation with clients throughout the country within the health and public sector.
We have one of the largest and most respected public law teams in the UK. Our clients include central and local government, non-departmental public bodies, NHS organisations (Commissioners, providers and private sector health organisations), organisations in the education sector, statutory and chartered bodies and regulators, as well as private health and social care providers and other companies and charities working for or with the public sector. The role we are recruiting for is focused on professional disciplinary work, largely in the teaching profession, but there will be some opportunities to gain experience across the whole of our practice.
Role Responsibility
Working from a Bristol base you will be a key part of our team assisting with the delivery of excellent and cost effective professional disciplinary service to regulatory bodies. This work is mainly acting for regulators in investigating alleged professional misconduct, and includes the conduct of investigations, recommending charging decisions, and preparing for disciplinary hearings. There may be occasional oral presentation of prosecution cases in front of regulatory panels, but this is not a requirement and candidates who do not want an advocacy role will not be disadvantaged.
You will work on a mix of matters. In some you will be the lead case manager, responsible for running the case yourself. In others you will be part of a larger team and will support the preparation and presentation of the case. In all cases you will have access to the necessary training supervision and support. For the right candidates the role will offer a good combination of personal responsibility and development while working on interesting and varied cases within a larger and supportive team.
The Ideal Candidate
A practical, problem solving approach is needed, with good organisational skills and an ability to hit deadlines. Knowledge, relevant experience or a keen interest in professional disciplinary work is an advantage, (defence work will be equally valued to prosecution work) but there will be a number of other areas of practice where you may have gained suitable transferable skills. These would include but not be limited to criminal defence or prosecution, contentious employment, or litigation in the civil courts.
An attention to detail, and the ability to work efficiently under time pressure is essential.
Most hearings will take place in Coventry. An ability to attend hearings in Coventry (given suitable notice) may be an advantage
We also expect the successful applicant to have/be:
• A good academic track record, preferably including either a degree in law or a related subject and/or significant prior paralegal experience. Having an LPC/BPTC qualification is very desirable, though not essential if the candidate has other experience that can be shown to have developed the same skills.
• Experience in a professional services environment: this would include a solicitors' firm or barristers' chambers, but suitable experience may also be gained in house, in law centres, or in other similar environments.
• An outgoing, confident communicator with good oral and written communication skills, who is able to adapt their communication style to suit their audience and subject matter
• An enthusiastic, flexible, self-motivated and committed team player, happy to work on larger matters as part of a team with shared responsibilities;
• Strong organisational skills, together with the ability to manage deadlines and work under pressure;
•Ability to concentrate on routine tasks;
• Reliable, responsible and capable of following instructions;
• Strong interpersonal skills essential;
• IT literate;
• Team oriented and collegiate with a willingness to share knowledge with and support other members of the team.
This is an opportunity for someone looking to join a successful and expanding team in an exciting and developing sector, within a firm with a great reputation in the Health and Public sectors nationwide, and to practice and develop legal and case management skills and gain experience in a supportive environment.
About the Company
We are a leading international legal business with over 2,400 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Northern Ireland, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Peru, Central America, Argentina, the USA, Australia and Germany.
We are known for our market-leading presence in sectors such as Insurance, Health and Real Estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for the majority of the top 30 insurance and financial services companies operating in the UK. We are the asset management lawyers for the UK’s largest shopping centres and act for 9 of the UK’s top 10 housebuilders.
We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 155 Chambers UK 2019 practice area and individual lawyer rankings, including 30 rankings at 'Band 1' level. In Legal 500 UK, 2018, the firm received top tier ranking for 32 of its practice areas and 59 practice areas in the top two tiers. In March 2018, we were named as one of Legal Week's Best Legal Advisors for the third year running, achieving category-leading satisfaction scores for our commercial approach, service delivery, quality of legal advice, communication & responsiveness and overall relationships.
Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com.
DAC Beachcroft is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from every sector of the community. We also welcome direct applications. If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV. Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.
DAC Beachcroft