We are seeking a Legal Assistant to join the UK’s most prestigious firm of specialist driving offence solicitors.
Geoffrey Miller Solicitors is a highly respected law firm specialising in motoring criminal defence law in the UK. Recognised as industry leaders with offices in Salford and London, employing a wealth of experience, providing expert legal representation and guidance to clients. We are not a legal aid firm and only deal with private paying clients. JS Miller Solicitors is a separate trading name for serious motoring criminal prosecution cases. However, you will work for both firms at the same office.
Geoffrey Miller Solicitors are very different from most law firms and proud of that. You will enjoy traditional business hours, competitive salary, bonus and benefits and the opportunity to be part of a dynamic team who are at the top of their game in this niche area of law. Everyone who works for us is properly valued not just in monetary terms but with recognition, progression opportunities and much more.
Our head office is based in Salford, in Media City (walking distance of the tram, and parking is available ). The office is modern, spacious and bright.
Here’s the Basic Details:
Job Title Legal Assistant
Location Suite 1, Level 11, Blue Tower, MediaCityUK, M50 2ST.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND TRAINING ON SITE DURING YOUR PROBATIONARY PERIOD.
Hours: 35 hours per week/Monday to Friday 9am-5pm with a flexible 1-hour lunch break.
Salary £23,500 – £27,000 (depending on experience).
Benefits You can enjoy a range of benefits including, discretionary bonus scheme, Life Insurance benefit, Private Healthcare (tenure based), Pension, Health Cash Plan, Career Progression programme, Discount memberships, Savings club, Charitable support, Casual dress, Wellness programme, Training and development support, and Loyalty incentives.
Tech
We have invested heavily in our case management development, cloud IT, and phone systems. All staff are allocated equipment to work from home effectively.
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate/s will be working within a small team from a shared inbox to provide comprehensive legal support to our Paralegals & Solicitors. You are expected to have open communication with your colleagues and work as an integral part of the team to meet/exceed common firm goals.
We work in an incredibly fast paced, high-pressured environment (we really cannot stress this enough) so it is extremely important that you respond to all of your emails throughout the day, understanding the sense of urgency associated with instructions received and prioritise accordingly.
You can expect your workload to include a variety of the tasks below but it is not limited to this list:
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Answering calls including taking new enquiry details swiftly but accurately from potential clients and transferring to case handlers to provide complex legal advice;
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Obtaining and combining dates of availability for trial Counsel and Experts daily;
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Resulting cases in court the same day;
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Opening client files upon receipt of instructions;
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Booking Counsel and Experts daily to attend all court hearings;
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Chasing responses daily as instructed, from the courts, prosecution, police, GP surgeries, hospitals, clients, witnesses etc.;
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Chasing & taking payments from clients, raising invoices and acknowledging payments;
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Drafting correspondence and documents daily as instructed by case handlers;
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Confirming court listing details to all parties required to attend;
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Collating and sending briefs to counsel and/or chambers for all court hearings;
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Collating case law cited in skeleton arguments/applications and producing corresponding index of enclosures; and
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Preparing claims to recover costs from the court for clients at the end of successful cases.
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Assisting the paralegals and solicitors in sending emails to the court and logging all correspondence clearly and correctly.
Person Requirements
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An optimistic mind-set/approach;
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Enthusiastic, passionate & motivated by helping others;
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Reliable – punctual with an outstanding attendance rate;
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Resilient;
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Strong attention to detail and accuracy under pressure;
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Ability to manage multiple tasks and shifting priorities in a fast paced environment;
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Confident in asking the right questions and seeking clarification when needed;
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Strong sense of responsibility and ownership of tasks, following tasks through to completion;
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Ability to remain calm and clear-thinking when dealing with tight deadlines or complex matters;
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Proactive and highly productive;
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Accountable and solution orientated;
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Approachable and non-judgmental of our clients and the allegations they face often including drink driving and drug driving;
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Strict adherence to our duty of confidentiality; and
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A preference of working as a team rather than independently.
Skills and Competencies
We are looking for unique individuals who possess all of the skills and traits below. However, it is equally as important that this list resonates with you too, otherwise we may not be the firm for you:
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At least 2 years’ administrative experience is essential (legal is preferable);
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Experience using Proclaim or an equivalent case management system is essential;
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Strong IT skills including using Outlook, Word and Excel;
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Excellent communication skills including telephone customer service;
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Strong prioritisation skills – an awareness of urgency in the industry we work in;
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Strong organisation skills – experience of responding and dealing with all emails/instructions the same day (no backlog of more than 24 hours);
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A keen interest in criminal defence law, particularly motoring defence;
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Ability to manage multiple tasks and shifting priorities in a fast paced environment; and
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Comfortable working in a fast paced-deadline driven environment?
Qualifications
GCSE’s in English, Maths and IT at Grade C or above;
Training
We hold the position of the market leader in the niche of motoring law. This is a highly technical area of criminal law where even the most experienced general crime solicitors have little knowledge of the various strategies we apply to our cases.
Our Legal Assistants are not here to do general basic admin, often the case at large law firms, the role is much more comprehensive and fast paced as detailed above. We expect very high standards and maintain those with regular performance management and training for all new starters regardless of experience.
We implement in depth training plans from the outset. In addition to face to face training and feedback sessions, we also hold regular team and firm meetings where new procedures are discussed between colleagues with various levels of experience so that there is never a time where any member of the team is without support. You will also be assigned a ‘buddy’ to assist you with any queries you may have further to training.
Please note, that further to face to face training, you will be expected to utilise our office manuals which document all procedures step by step and are updated on a regular basis as an active resource available to all staff requiring assistance with task work.
Application Process
Please visit our careers page to find out more about our firm, including what it’s like to work with us, a list of the staff benefits and opportunities for progression. https://www.motoroffence.co.uk/careers/working-at-geoffrey-miller-solicitors/
If everything we have explained so far is appealing to you, please apply here or submit your CV and cover letter to consider to [email protected]
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and encourage candidates with disabilities to apply.
Please note that this is not a legal role, it is a support administrative role. Although the firm encourages internal career development, progression depends on meeting performance expectations and having the relevant level of experience, please do not apply if you are looking for a legal position from the outset (Paralegal, Solicitor etc.)
No Agencies Please
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: Up to £27,000.00 per year
Benefits:
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Casual dress
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Company events
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Company pension
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Health & wellbeing programme
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Life insurance
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On-site parking
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Private medical insurance
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Store discount
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Work from home
Experience:
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Admin: 2 years (required)
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Law degree (preferred)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Salford, M50 2AB, although on site during probationary period.
