We're looking for a Paralegal to join our award-winning Court of Protection team in Manchester, as our team and workload grows.
The Court of Protection department look after the property and financial affairs of individuals who lack mental capacity to do themselves. Ask for our ‘Team CV’ for further details!
This role will involve, but not be limited to, assisting with the following:-
- Carrying out work on a broad range of property & financial affairs deputyship and some personal injury trust matters, arising from both personal injury and clinical negligence both currently in litigation as well as having settled, and/or from the Office of the Public Guardian panel and local authorities).
- Administrative and paralegal grade D work within a sub-team within the wider department. Supporting the solicitor file handlers (along with the other paralegals) with their cases.
- Making regular payments to clients and third parties, keeping accurate schedules of income and expenditure and cash management, forecasting future spending and creating and maintaining budgets.
- Dealing with utility bills and other household/everyday bills and invoices, verifying payee details, setting up bank accounts and cards for clients and consolidating bank accounts.
- Liaising with DWP, benefits agencies, banks, utility providers, pension or other income providers, local authority, social workers, NS&I and other financial institutions, any debtors, care homes, NHS, care providers, therapists/clinicians, case managers, and other professional bodies.
- Day to day contact with and supporting clients, their families and care providers, dealing with their individual lifestyle requirements, providing practical advice and supporting and protecting their needs on a wide range of issues including financial planning, management of their funds and assets and care arrangements.
We are looking for people with either 1 years’ experience in Court of Protection
OR in a professional role with transferable skills such as accounts, payroll, financial planning, tax, banking, administration or any role involving budgeting and processing of payments) with ‘life experience’ in the management of their own property and financial affairs.
To be successful in this role, you should also be able to demonstrate:
- A commitment to excellent client care, court of protection work and helping vulnerable clients.
- A positive, can-do, professional attitude, resilience, and emotional intelligence
- Strong work ethic, working to own initiative and showing good team working skills.
- Excellent IT skills with experience in Word, Excel and Outlook.
- Ability to communicate well orally and in writing, including dealing directly with clients when required.
- Strong attention to detail, organisational and administrative skills
- Numerate.
- Ability to prioritise tasks efficiently and when to seek input/supervision.
You would preferably be able to demonstrate the following (or will be trained over first 6 months in role):
- Commercial awareness (time recording, billing and cost proportionality).
- Understanding utility bills and payment of household/general outgoings.
- Basic understanding of mental incapacity and options for care funding.
An award-winning, full-service law firm offering straight-talking advice that delivers positive outcomes with a commercial edge. We have a well-deserved reputation for excellence and entrepreneurship. We take care of our clients, and our people. What do we do? We do the right thing. Our firm, and the individuals working within it, are recognised by the prestigious legal directories Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners and we regularly win awards for our work. We have three offices: our head office in Manchester, a full-service office in London and one of our specialist family law teams based in Liverpool. We are proud of our northern heritage, and work closely with a wide variety of charities and fund-raising initiatives so as to give back to our local community.
