Ministry of Justice

Role: Paralegal Caseworker

Business: Office of Public Guardian (OPG)

Location: Nottingham and Birmingham. Some travel between either site may be required.

Grade: EO

Salary:  £29,303 - £31,061 

Contract Type: Permanent

Minimum Hours: 29 hours over 4 days

Organisational Overview

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. We are an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), set up in 2007 following the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005.

OPG is responsible for registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and supervising deputies who are appointed by the Court of Protection.

OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities.  The OPG is a disability confident employer and is committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.

OPG is currently delivering an ambitious transformation programme. This will change the way we provide services and help us meet the growing needs of our users, partners and our stakeholders. It will make sure our users experience a better level of support and will help us to respond to the changing needs of society. Transformation will ensure we can better support adults at risk and create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable.

Team Overview

The team – comprising 70 to 80 staff members – is multidisciplinary in nature and aims to provide a high quality and efficient specialist legal service for OPG. We have Senior Lawyers, Lawyers, Senior Paralegals and Paralegals, a Legal Support team as well as an excellent team of legal operations specialists. 

The team has two principal functions: 

(1) to conduct litigation on behalf of the Public Guardian in the Court of Protection, managing the whole litigation process. This involves reviewing cases from colleagues in Operations, Investigations and Supervision, and making a decision as to whether to issue applications covering the following: 

1. Determination of the lawfulness of certain provisions of LPAs and the severance of unlawful parts; 
2. Removal of attorneys appointed on the ground they are not acting in accordance with their MCA obligations; and 
3. Removal of non-compliant deputies.

(2) to provide legal advice across the organisation on a wide range of matters including policy, investigations, complaints and where litigation is threatened/brought against OPG. 

The work is important, rewarding and challenging in ensuring timely action is taken to prevent abuse. Whilst being based across several different offices, the team works well together as a community, team members are well-supported and there is progression at all levels. For paralegals, there are potential opportunities for support with applications to qualify as lawyers. 

We are committed to becoming a Government leader in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance legal operations and service delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities 

To ensure the Public Guardian (or those representing them) is fully prepared to present cases in Court by assisting OPG lawyers in the preparation and progression of matter through the Court of Protection (COP). You will retain ownership of the case from court application to closure ensuring all documents are received from parties and COP and are stored appropriately within the Legal Case Management System. 

This is a fast-paced environment, where you must be able to manage and prioritise your work, through the life of a case including regular reviews and closure to ensure effective delivery of all targets.  

This is a technical position with no management responsibilities. 

Your responsibilities will include but are not limited to:  

• Following client department instructions and providing legal information to both client departments and the public.
• Managing a caseload to meet relevant Impact Indicators and Service Standard targets
• Accurately inputting case information into legal management systems and preparing court documents such as witness statements and COP forms.
• Performing general administrative tasks, interpreting court orders, and managing the lawyer's diary.
• Reviewing and making decisions on severance cases and gathering formal statements and evidence for lawyer review
• Drafting responses to correspondence under lawyer oversight and preparing court bundles and indexes.
• Engaging and liaising with clients via different methods of communication to maintain positive relationships and successful progression of cases 
• Providing support during court hearings and meetings, conducting legal research, and arranging meetings with various parties.
• Identifying urgent matters and escalating them as needed, collaborating with lawyers to progress and close cases.
• Supporting continuous improvement in the legal team's work and delivery of training as and when required
• Keeping up to date with legal changes ensuring services align with new legislation and policies.
• Travel to other locations as required and handling confidential information.

Agreed Expectations

The successful candidate will be expected to work from their base location on a weekly basis in line with current Civil Service requirements, outside of any reasonable adjustments.

Hybrid working between home and either Embankment House, Nottingham or Victoria Square House, Birmingham. Occasional travel to other offices is required.

Skills & Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Experience of working in a legal environment
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to independently plan and manage a caseload, analyse data and meet tight deadlines  
• Ability to work across all grades and areas of OPG, MoJ and other government departments, to deliver competing priorities

Desirable Skills

• Legal qualification, including but not limited to; law degree, qualifying law degree, Graduate Diploma in Law, CiLex, LPC, BPC.  
• Experience in casework.
• Knowledge of court procedures and government regulations. 
• Knowledge of MCA, Code of Practice, LPA & EPA Regulations. 

Application process

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process. Candidates will be expected to provide a Personal Statement of Suitability of no more than 1000 words in support of your application based on essential and desirable skills.

Desirable skills will only be considered if candidates have met all the essential criteria. In the event of a tie breaker, desirable skills will be used as the deciding factor.

Assessment

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited for a practical assessment which will test your technical skills. 

The assessment will be held remotely, and a set time will be given to complete it.

During the assessment, candidates will be provided with written information on a screen to read. Candidates will then be expected to answer questions on this information during the set time. This will take place following the application sift and before the interview. You will be required to pass the assessment to be able to continue to the next stage.

Interview Process

• Strengths relevant to the role
• The following Behaviours at Level 2:
  • Making effective decisions
  • Managing a quality service
  • Delivering at pace
• Your experience of working in a legal environment

All interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

At OPG we consider all applications on the basis of merit and want you to feel able to demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any reasonable adjustments for any aspect of the selection process, do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. If you are applying for a role within OPG and would like to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, we may offer you an alternative role at the same or lower grade should one be available.