Assistant Managing Paralegal in Plymouth

It's no secret that we're an ambitious firm, and our vision and our culture truly reflects that. At the heart of this is an outstanding client experience, something that Womble Bond Dickinson prides itself on. The Legal Solutions Centre (LSC,) part of WBD Advance, is an essential part of our business made up of over 50 paralegals as well as project managers, technologists, data analysts and lawyers. Whether delivering one-off requirements or on-going services, WBD Advance streamlines legal work and tackles complex business issues by delivering high-quality, cost-effective solutions. The team handles everything from large volume projects and services, automation and process design, project and risk management, to knowledge and data management.

This growing team are now seeking to expand their Commercial Disputes sub-team in both our Plymouth and Bristol offices with the hiring of an additional Assistant Managing Paralegal / Assistant Team Manager.

So what does the role involve? This role requires an experienced paralegal, who is already demonstrating strong caseload management responsibilities, and is keen to support the team's Managing Paralegal with some managerial responsibilities. Our Commercial Disputes sub-team act on behalf of leading utilities, infrastructure and retail organisations providing a comprehensive recoveries and dispute resolution service. Our paralegals run their own caseloads. For debt recovery cases, this means producing pre-action letters, issuing, executing and completing claims through the County Court, enforcing Judgment Orders where necessary, as well as drafting Statutory Demands, issuing Bankruptcy and Winding Up Proceedings. For our consumer dispute cases, this involves advising clients who have had claims brought against them by their customers and preparing statements of cases, negotiating settlements and hearing preparation.

You will have the opportunity to be involved in a mix of legal work, running some cases of your own as well as working closely with the team to be the first point of contact for some staff queries. You will assist the team manager with recruitment, onboarding, training and appraisals. There will also be opportunities for you to get involved with the wider projects within WBD Advance.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing a portfolio of debt recovery or consumer dispute cases.
• Providing training and support to the junior members of the team.
• Developing workflows to achieve quality of service and performance goals.
• Supervising outgoing documents and correspondence where appropriate.
• Conducting 1:1 reviews, appraisals and providing support to the team.
• Assisting with the recruitment process.
• Some financial management.
• Managing team holidays and other absences.
• Supporting key relationships with both internal and external clients.
• Proposing and implementing new working practices to streamline efficiency.
• Working closely with lawyers to manage large scale projects and ensure team deadlines and KPIs are met.

What are we looking for? If you can demonstrate that you've already developed your skills as a paralegal in a commercial disputes team, then this could be the role for you. Ideally, you will already have some supervisory experience, or have taken on some delegated managerial responsibilities from time to time. We're looking for someone who leads by example, who can communicate effectively with their team and is passionate about helping to coach others. You’ll also be highly organised and be able to prioritise and delegate effectively.

To be successful in this role you'll need as a minimum:

• Prior experience as a Paralegal, Legal Assistant or similar role in a regulated environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including skills in Excel.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and excellent communication skills.
• Planning and organizational skills to drive team performance and achieve business objectives.

We are a multi-disciplinary team and our people have a wide range of skills and experience.