Paralegal - Court of Protection (5679)

We\’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it\’s personal or business, we understand that everyone\’s situation is different. But we\’re more than just a law firm – we\’re a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life\’s ups and downs. Working here you\’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We\’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We\’re always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

The Court of Protection is the judicial body responsible for making decisions relating to the management of finances and other affairs of those individuals who lack the mental capacity to do so themselves. As one of the UK\’s leading firms of solicitors, we have a dedicated and experienced team who specialise in all matters relating to the Court of Protection. Our Care Advisory Team is a small specialist team within the Court of Protection department responsible for managing all directly employed care issues that arise on matters across Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield and Birmingham offices.

This a hybrid role, working 3 days per week in our Manchester office.

As a Paralegal, you\’ll act as the first point of contact for all queries received into the team ensuring they are directed and escalated as appropriate and plays a key role in liaising with internal stakeholders and clients to provide advice and respond to queries. The role not only plays an integral role in protecting and enhancing client care, but also ensures case handlers have sufficient capacity to service valuable deputyship work.

Your role will involve but is not limited to:

• Liaising with core stakeholders including case managers and other fee earners within the business regarding care issues that arise on all directly employed care packages. These could range from change of hours to matters where support workers are suspended and investigated due to conduct issues.
• Taking instructions from clients and assist with the giving of legal advice, including obtaining evidence and, where appropriate, to achieve appropriate resolutions for the clients.
• Achieve time recording and fee income targets to ensure profitable working.
• Attend and contribute to team/practice area meetings and comply with directions/decisions made to ensure team objectives achieved
• Negotiating settlements with support workers and putting in place the appropriate paperwork to reduce risks, where appropriate

As our ideal candidate for this role, you\’ll have:

• Paralegal experience (desirable).
• The ability to demonstrate empathy and compassion, to help guide our clients through challenging personal circumstances.
• A friendly, enthusiastic and can-do approach.

We\’re proud of our values, and we\’re looking for people who share them:

To be pioneering with an imaginative outlook

To be approachable and caring

To be tenacious in the pursuit of our objectives

To be efficient in the provision of our services

To work with a foundation of integrity.

If this sounds like you, we\’d love to receive your application.

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays – You can \’buy\’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you\’re fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We\’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It\’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group\’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group\’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.