Role:	Senior Paralegal (Casework) in the Legal and Information Assurance Directorate
Business:	Office of Public Guardian (OPG)
Location:	Nottingham/Birmingham
Grade:	HEO
Salary:	£34,140
Contract Type:	2 x FTC 24 month initially with a view to permanent
Minimum Hours:	30 hours

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 Legal team within the wider Legal & IA Directorate supports the Public Guardian in carrying out her statutory duties by providing advice, support and guidance to the organisation as well as conducting all litigation on the Public Guardian in the Court of Protection. The team strives to be a professional legal service for the OPG, with a committed and diverse community of talented people at all levels who are well supported and feel challenged in the work they do.

Duties and Responsibilities

The post holder will be an experienced Paralegal who is confident and capable of working on complex cases and carrying out certain legal tasks independently. The Senior Paralegal role models the behaviours expected of all Paralegals and will be a key link between Lawyers and Paralegals. They will be able to work with autonomy and flexibility whilst having the interpersonal skills to work as part of a team and crucially have the ability to troubleshoot.

The post holder will work closely with other peer Senior Paralegals, Lawyers and Legal Support staff in addition to Paralegals to maximise performance and will be line managed by Lawyers.

The role may include work that could be used as qualifying work experience for SQE candidates.

The scope of the role is flexible in nature, and so if there is a business need, the post holder may also be required to support operational colleagues in the team.

The non-exhaustive range of responsibilities are as follows:

Management of own caseload -including less complex legal case reviews, reviewing statements, drafting and liaising with counsel, parties and respondents. This will require sound judgment, good understanding of risk and problem solving. The post holder should feel confident in their ability to deliver consistently quality work in a fast-paced environment.

Litigation support - supporting Lawyers on their complex/multi cases, bundle creation and preparation of briefs to Counsel.

Lead or support training and guidance and process reviews for Paralegals as part of continuous improvement.
Attend hearings on behalf of Lawyers to assist with minute taking, which may include travel.

Undertake any other duties commensurate with the skillset required for this post and based on business need, which may include management of staff

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.

Skills & Qualifications

Essential Skills

Experience of working in a legal team alongside Lawyers and legal support staff. Lead criteria.

A proven track record as a Paralegal, with good drafting skills, assessment of risk, attention to detail and confidence in own decision making. Lead criteria.
Willingness to take responsibility for cases and ability to work flexibly according to business need. Lead criteria.
Collaborative approach to working with a range of colleagues - a true team player focused on good performance.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

An ability to work under pressure to deadlines with excellent communication and prioritisation skills, and flexibility to meet changing demands and priorities.

An ability to work independently or as part of an effective team on ad hoc tasks and projects.

Positive can-do attitude.

Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office 365 packages i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook, MS Teams, OneNote, Presentations and PowerPoint.

Desirable Skills

Experience of working in OPG and/or in the area of the Mental Capacity Act

Legal qualification, including but not limited to law degree, Graduate Diploma in Law, CILEx, LPC, BVC/BPTC.

Application process

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profiles framework. Candidates will be expected to provide an up-to-date CV together with a Personal Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words where you specifically set out how you meet the above essential/desirable criteria. The “lead criteria" are the first three listed above under essential criteria.

Technical Test

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to take part in a technical test online.

Interview Process

If you are successful at sift and the technical test, you will be invited to an interview which will use the Civil Service Success Profiles. At interview candidates should expect strength-based, experience and behaviour-based questions, with a focus on the following types of behaviour (rated at level 3):

Changing & improving
Communicating & influencing
Working together

All interviews will be held as standard 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.

For further information on benefits of working for OPG, such as our Flexible Working Policy and a FAQ, please check the candidate information pack attached to this advert.

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.