We are looking for a Paralegal to join the team’s Leeds office. We pride ourselves on having a culture and technology which lends itself well to flexible working. In this role, you would be required to spend time in the office to receive training and to work the portfolio of cases, while having the option of working from home. Having said that, we are looking to build an enthusiastic, vibrant team where members build close working relationships with each other and colleagues in other teams. We believe that fostering an exciting working environment in the office will deliver benefits for you, if you are the successful candidate, because you will have a better opportunity to enjoy developing your legal knowledge, working closely with – and learning from – more experienced colleagues, socialising with colleagues and taking part in both office-based and external business development or ESG activities, which may offer opportunities for in-person meetings with clients and other important contacts. Through such activities, you can learn about networking and build a network of your own.
As the paralegal you will work as part of a busy team dealing with litigation and dispute resolution on behalf of banks and finance houses, in the fields of Asset Based Lending, general banking and commercial litigation. You will need to deal with your own caseload (with appropriate supervision), assist specialist lawyers in the team and support clients at case review meetings and training sessions to develop good working relationships. You will receive full training and support in the role to assist knowledge development and learning.
You can expect the work to include:
- preparation of pre action correspondence; notes of advice and settlement agreements / correspondence.
- drafting statements of case (Claim Forms / Particulars of Claim) applications, witness statements, draft orders, preparation of hearing bundles, instructions to counsel;
- legal research;
- working your own case load plus supporting more senior members of the team with their high value disputes;
- communicating with clients, opponents, courts and other third parties in a courteous and professional manner;
- business development.
We can support your development as you will be expected to attend and complete mandatory high quality training. You may also have the opportunity to attend client meetings – building on your relationship skills and growing your confidence.
You will experience a strong team ethos as you collaborate with your colleagues to reach financial targets and support marketing initiatives, as required.
If you are well-organised, keen to develop your skills and enjoy working hard and getting results, as part of a team, then this is the job for you!
We hold a strong belief in culture and community, and genuinely believe we have something different to offer you at Shoosmiths. This is reflected in everything we say and do from our use of technology, to the team spirit and culture and our collaborative way of working across offices.
We are a values-driven business – our values are at the core of the firm and we evaluate how we behave in accordance with these values through a competency framework. This role is considered to be at competency Level 1 in our internal framework.