Job Description
Paralegal
Inside IR35
Contract Term: 12 months
Contracting Authority: Government Legal Department (GLD)
Location: Hybrid (2 days from the London office (SW1H 9GL) remainder WFH)
The Government Legal Department (“GLD”) is one of the largest providers of legal services across government and works with over 180 government departments and agencies.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for up to four Executive Officers (Paralegals), with experience of public inquiries/reviews and/or litigation (ideally public law litigation), to join the Public Inquiries, Reviews and Litigation ("PIRL") Team within GLD’s Litigation Group.
The post holders will be assigned to work on the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
The PIRL Team is involved in a number of high profile public inquiries and reviews. It offers an excellent opportunity to work in a unique area which deals with high profile matters that consider events of serious public concern. The PIRL Team provides legal advice and support on a wide range of inquiry related matters including:
1. To departments who participate in inquiries in various capacities e.g.: sponsorship departments, core participants and responding to disclosure requests.
2. To individuals who participate in inquiries e.g civil servants and Ministers with preparation of their evidence and witness support.
3. Directly to inquiries on areas such as:
a. Any possible or actual Judicial Review or other litigation;
b. Disclosure tasks;
c. Costs issues;
d. The maxwellisation process;
e. FOIA, DPA/GDPR and copyright; and
f. Publication and winding up an inquiry.
As a Paralegal your main responsibilities would be:
· Comply with Lexcel requirements, as well as policies, standards, procedures and service level agreements set at the GLD, Litigation Group and Team level;
· Comply with GLD Time Recording Policy and to meet chargeable hours target set by the Team;
· Manage their own workload (including meeting tight deadlines to preserve the GLD’s reputation) with appropriate supervision and risk management;
· Carry out extensive disclosure exercise including documentation review, using the Relativity IT Platform;
· Assist with legal research and instruction of counsel;
· Build and maintain effective working relationship with clients;
· Maintain accurate and comprehensible case files;
· Assist with the team’s knowledge management/sharing objectives (also providing input into client legal awareness projects);
· Attend and contribute to team meetings;
· Assist with administrative tasks when required to do so;
· Display the Civil Service Values;
· Keep abreast of legal developments and current thinking on related issues and use training and other methods to refresh and improve their skills and knowledge.
You’ll have relevant experience in:
Essential:
· Good organisational skills (including the ability to work to tight deadlines and prioritise own work in order to manage a busy and/or complex workload, and the ability to master new areas of law quickly) are essential.
· Effective team working and client care skills (including the ability to build constructive working relationships with clients)
· An ability to work proactively and independently with appropriate supervision
· Ability to build good working relationships with colleagues and clients alike.
· Demonstrate good oral and written communication skills
Desirable:
· Casework experience
· Public law experience within the public sector (including insight into the interrelationship between law and politics)
· Previous experience of public inquiries/reviews and/or litigation (ideally public law litigation)
· Legal qualifications
If this role sounds like something that you would be interested in, please click the link to apply.
In applying for this role you acknowledge the following, this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.
Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract
Contract length: 12 months
Benefits:
Schedule:
Ability to commute/relocate:
- London: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in London
Reference ID: PSR1JP00068065