Paralegal - Working for Essex

About the role

Paralegal

Fixed Term, Full Time

From £31,900 to £37,530.00 Per Annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: 19th March 2025

Please note this is a part time role 29.6 hours per week with a pro rata salary of £25,520.00 to £30,024.00 Per annum. This is a fixed term contract for a period of up to 12 Months (Maternity Cover).

This is a hybrid working arrangement with the expectation to attend offices in Chelmsford 2-3 days per week.

Essex Legal Services (ELS) provide high quality, professional, legal advice across the council and to increasing numbers of external clients, providing a client facing legal service which proactively embraces change.

As a paralegal, you will be able to prepare court bundles, fix listing appointments for hearings and provide a professional legal service that is valued by our clients and improves their business.

Educated to degree level, with experience of working within a legal environment, the successful applicant will have the ability to build strong working relationships both with colleagues and clients and a proven track record in delivering excellent customer service.

Job Purpose

You will be responsible in assisting with the delivery of all aspects of routine legal work including some advocacy. Work will be contentious in nature and will cover both civil litigation and personal injury claims as well as employment law matters.

You will be predominantly based within the Personal Injury section of the Dispute Resolution and Employment Law Team. You will manage a caseload of fast track and small claims track cases. This will involve the analysing of evidence, drafting defences and witness evidence, briefing counsel and attending small claims trials.

In addition the post may also involve assisting other parts of the Dispute Resolution and Employment Law Team as appropriate.

This position will be fast-paced and it is therefore imperative you are confident in the following matters:

Drafting and preparing legal documents for functions across the Council and to external customers.
Interpreting the legal and business impact of changes in law and assessing these on the operations of Essex Legal Services, our partners, stakeholders and client base.
Understanding and interpreting client needs to provide them with a service they value.
Attending Court or public inquiries in appropriate cases.
Contributing to the development of current and future business opportunities to promote ELS.
Developing good working relationships across the Council.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Educated to degree level or equivalent.
Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
Experience of working within a legal setting in a public service or private sector environment, providing routine legal advice is desirable although not essential.
Proven track record of delivering excellent customer service.
Works collaboratively with colleagues and the client base, to understand customer needs with a strong focus on delivering positive outcomes.
Ability to develop working relationships across a large, complex organisation and with internal and external partners/ stakeholders and clients to maintain and develop business streams.
Experience in either civil litigation or prosecution/enforcement cases.

To read more about us please visit: Corporate Services https://www.workingforessex.com/role/corporate-services

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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