Legal Assistant Kidlington, England
Job description
Swift Placements are currently recruiting on behalf of our established specialised legal client, who specialise in covering numerous areas of law including criminal, civil and family law. Due to ongoing growth within the company, an exciting opportunity as a Legal Assistant within criminal department is now available! Based in Kidlington, Oxford, with a competitive salary, the successful candidate will be an experienced and dedicated individual keen to join an excellent team.
This is a demanding role in which working unsociable hours (evenings/weekends) may be required. The successful candidate will be able to commit to this depending on the needs of the business.
Key Duties;
- Preparation of correspondence and documents through audio typing and word processing – obtaining attendance notes and filing in clio
- Preparing letters and sending them out within 7 days of attendances
- Monitoring CJSM daily and informing fee earners (FE)s of key documents. Keep the mailboxes under 60% full.
- Monitor court serve daily and check the crown court list to see if any of our clients has been missed from the listing and check magistrates court list – are there any clients listed that are previous clients we don’t have diarised to attend court for.
- Receiving and directing telephone calls
- Understanding the legal aid test for criminal law and submitting legal aid applications
- Diarising key dates – especially diarising first appearances matters in the magistrate’s court from remands the previous night at the police station.
- Filing legal aid orders on clio – check date of order is day of or prior to first appearance.
- File all relevant emails in clio.
- Take call notes and save in communications on clio.
- CRM4s – 1) Obtaining expert quotes and applying for prior authority on cases. II) Ensure we have invoices from the experts once the assessment has taken place and IV) check the amount on the invoice doesn’t supersede the prior authority CRM4 grant. V) file invoices and CRM4s in the legal aid folder on clio
- Maintaining diaries and making appointments when required.
- Billing – i) updating the PS RUI court billing spreadsheet as to case details and what type of matter can be billed e.g., trial, sentencing etc and send to billing department the information he needs to be able to bill all work from previous month by 18th of the current month.
- Dealing with incoming and outgoing post
- Ensuring file management in accordance with Quality Procedures Manual, LAA Contract, Lexcel and SQM requirements
- Liaising with clients in person and by telephone - ensure sufficient information is gathered if the enquiry is for a different department.
- Liaising with others by telephone
- Filing and other clerical duties
- Reception activities – ensure bins emptied, fresh flowers in office every Monday, office is kept tidy, and cups and dishes washed daily, purchase office amenities such as milk, toilet papers etc. where required.
- File archival activities
- Compliance with SRA Code of Conduct and SRA Accounts Rules
- Contribute to maintaining and improving office procedures.
- Ensuring compliance with Equality and Diversity Policy
- Any other duties which from time to time are required by the firm.
Person Specification;
Essential.
- Ability to deal with potentially difficult and demanding clients.
- Reliability
- Able to work under pressure with minimum supervision.
- Computer literate
- Self-motivated
- Previous experience in a legal office.
Desirable.
- Law degree or equivalent
- LPC
- Police Station Qualification
- Knowledge of legal systems including clio.
- Advocacy skills
- Negotiation skills
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £20,000.00-£30,000.00 per year
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Kidlington, Oxfordshire: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Please confirm you are happy to apply to this role with the knowledge that you will be required to work unsociable hours if successful.
Experience:
- Legal Secretary: 1 year (required)
Work Location: In person
Reference ID: INDP
