This Legal Counsel post sits in the Healthcare Legal Services team of the in-house legal service at UHL Group, which advises the Trusts it represents. The work centres on complex and often urgent legal advice on healthcare matters, including high-value clinical negligence claims and contentious inquests. The role also carries line management of solicitors and deputising for the General Counsel, and offers flexible and home working. Fit depends on a practising certificate and rights of audience in civil and coronial courts.
What the job involves
- Advise on complex, urgent and sensitive healthcare legal matters, including mental capacity, mental health, deprivation of liberty and complex discharge
- Manage a portfolio of the most complex, high-risk and high-profile matters
- Lead contentious inquests, including witness preparation, case strategy, advocacy and submissions to the coroner
- Provide senior oversight of high-value clinical negligence claims, scrutinising evidence and expert reports
- Advise senior clinicians, managers and executives on emerging legal and reputational risk
- Review commercial contracts, SLAs and agreements to identify and advise on risk
- Build relationships with external stakeholders such as coroners, NHS Resolution, counsel, the Official Solicitor and police
- Lead, supervise and line manage Healthcare Legal Services lawyers, including workload planning and escalation to General Counsel
- Learn from claims, inquests and advice, identifying and escalating themes and risks
- Deputise for General Counsel across all matters
- Produce reports for, and attend, senior Trust meetings
- Assist with delivery of legal training across the organisation
Qualifications
- Qualified solicitor or barrister with extensive post-qualification healthcare law experience, or equivalent pre-qualification experience
- Current practising certificate or registration
Experience
- Senior lawyer experience at a large, complex and dynamic healthcare organisation
- Line management and supervision of junior staff, including qualified solicitors
- Experience evaluating commercial contracts and advising on indemnity and contractual risk
Skills & knowledge
- Extensive knowledge of civil litigation, Civil Procedure Rules and coroners' inquest legislation
- Knowledge of Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, DoLS and healthcare legal precedent, including coronial precedent
- Proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications
- Excellent written and verbal communication, adapting style to the audience
- Ability to distil complex medical and legal information for different stakeholders
- Planning workload to meet deadlines amid competing priorities
Other
- Rights of audience in civil and coronial courts
- Enhanced advocacy for difficult and sensitive inquests, including before a jury
- Ability to persuade and negotiate
- Excellent English, expression, spelling and grammar
- Adaptability to the evolving requirements of the role and willingness to learn
Nice to have
- Masters degree in healthcare or medical law
- Experience with risk management systems such as Datix and InPhase
What’s offered
- Home or remote working
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Contact Details:
The Methodist Church in Britain Recruitment Team
