Court of Protection Solicitor

We are looking for a Court of Protection Solicitor to join our Mental Health and Capacity team. This is a great opportunity for the right candidate to join a large highly regarded team of accredited specialists with many years’ experience working in this specialised area of law, and as such are highly recognised in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.

Applicants should send a C.V. and covering letter to Katy Jennings.

The ideal candidate will:

• be an experienced Mental Health and Capacity Solicitor with at least 6 years PQE.
• have experience in Welfare cases in the Court of Protection.
• have good working knowledge of Mental Health law and the Care Act.
• have good working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Law and Practice appropriate to PQE.
• be a member of the Law Society Mental Health (Welfare) Accreditation Scheme.
• be committed to delivering a high level of client service.
• have excellent client care and communication skills.
• have knowledge and experience of the Legal Aid system.
• have a proven track record in this field.

Terms to be agreed with salary commensurate with experience. This is an excellent opportunity for career progression for the right candidate, to build their own and the firm’s profile whilst advancing to team leadership with responsibility for developing an interesting niche caseload and supervising and assisting in the development of junior members of the team.

For a full job description please see below.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Primarily to deal with Mental Capacity welfare matters in the Court of Protection and related matters as agreed with and directed by the partners to include conduct of Community Care matters and related Judicial Review matters insofar as they relate to Mental Capacity issues.
• To contribute to the overall provision of legal services on behalf of the firm, by conducting all matters so assigned, at all times ensuring that the professional standards of the firm and the profession are adhered to.
• To provide assistance in the supervision and guidance on technical matters to colleagues.
• Maintain professional standards of work and comply with The SRA Handbook, practice management standards and agreed codes of relevant specialist groupings and court practice directions.
• Maintain professional standards of work and comply with external and internal regulatory requirements where relevant, comply with internal policy and provide a service in accordance with the policy set out in the office manual.
• Provide a legal service to the Lexcel standard as laid down in the office manual.
• Receive instructions from clients and identify tasks to be done and plan work, researching where necessary and delegating if appropriate.
• Ensure the client is kept informed of progress and discuss details of the case with client giving advice as appropriate.
• Ensure that the client files and records are maintained in accordance with Lexcel specification and file management procedures.
• To assist with and comply with Practice Manager and supervisors in the event it is necessary to respond to complaints concerning conduct of work.
• Market the department and firm as necessary especially with regard to those cases referred by the Official Solicitor and other referral sources.
• Be an accredited member of the Law Society Mental Capacity (Welfare) Accreditation Scheme.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Skills

• Written and oral communication skills
• Working with vulnerable clients, including those with learning disabilities and/or mental disorders
• IT skills
• Ability to work under pressure and meet competing court deadlines
• Ability to build good working relationships with members of the team and clients
• Ability to build relationships with other professionals and third parties

Knowledge

• Good working knowledge of Mental Capacity Law and Practice appropriate to PQE
• Good working knowledge of Mental Health Law and the Care Act.
• Awareness of the needs of vulnerable clients who have a learning disability and/or mental disorder

Experience

• Welfare cases in the Court of Protection
• Member of the Law Society Mental Health (Welfare) Accreditation Scheme
• At least 6 years PQE

Qualifications

Solicitor or FILEX

Attributes

People and Leadership

• A team player
• Responsible for producing good quality work and facilitating productive working relationships with colleagues
• Can provide supervision and guidance on technical issues and on handling clients
• Is considered as a ‘safe pair of hands’
• Able to supervise work and provide feedback on the performance of Paralegals, Trainee Solicitors and Assistants
• Expected to behave in a manner which is consistent with the firm’s values and behaviours
• Able to assist in on-going training within the department.

Finance

• Achieves the financial objectives and targets set for them with minimal supervision
• Is aware of the importance of properly scoping work, clearly explaining to the client what a matter will cost, issuing regular bills and assisting cashiers with payment
• Uses, understands and interprets the firm’s financial reporting systems

Business Development, client relationships and marketing

• Provides an excellent service to clients that meets their expectations
• Receives good feedback from clients
• Knows how to progress matters in line with client expectations
• Is interested in and understands what we offer to clients
• Is able to establish common ground when communicating with clients
• Demonstrates a natural ease when dealing with people
• Takes advantage of opportunities to start to develop internal and external networks and understands the value of these networks for the future
• Participates in marketing and business development events
• Is starting to identify marketing and BD opportunities