Legal administrator

Job role

Coram Children’s Legal Centre, a dynamic child rights organisation, is looking for a motivated, enthusiastic, multi-skilled legal administrator to join our busy legal practice in London.

The legal administrator will provide a range of support for the legal practice init, including: providing general administrative support; preparing court bundles, lodging applications at courts/tribunals, opening and closing files for clients, covering the CCLC reception telephone line, communicating with internal and external departments; and assisting with any other legal or administrative tasks which may arise in order to fully support the team.

About us

CCLC, part of the Coram group of charities, is an independent charity working in the United Kingdom and around the world to protect and promote the rights of children, through the provision of direct legal services; the publication of free legal information online and in print; research and policy work; law reform; training; and international consultancy on child rights. CCLC was founded in 1981 and has over 30 years’ experience in providing legal advice and representation to children, their parents and carers and professionals throughout the UK. CCLC’s Legal Practice Unit specialises in child and family law, education law, community care law and immigration and asylum law. We hold legal aid contracts to deliver legal services in each of those areas. CCLC also operates two national free advice phone lines: the Child Law Advice Service (funded by the Department for Education) and the Migrant Children’s Project advice line (funded by charitable trusts).

The children, young people and families with whom CCLC work rely on legal aid funded legal services in order to access justice and secure their rights. Our clients include many children, young people and families who are very vulnerable due to their age, histories of violence and trauma, mental and physical health problems, disabilities and language barriers.

Responsibilities:

• To be responsible for answering and checking the CCLC reception telephone line.
• To greet clients arriving for appointments with fee earners.
• To photocopy/scan/assemble court bundles and other legal documents.
• To communicate with internal and external departments i.e. courts, tribunals, local authorities, Legal Aid Agency, IT department.
• To lodge applications/ bundles at courts/ tribunals.
• To open and close paper and electronic files for case matters.
• To assist the finance team with general finance duties using Microsoft Excel.
• To respond positively to day-to-day operational problems as they arise, resolving or escalating them as appropriate.
• To manage the booking of meeting rooms for client meetings and internal staff.
• To deal with incoming and outgoing post/ DX.
• To be responsible for the purchase of stationery and ensuring that adequate levels are maintained.
• To assist fee-earners with any other legal/ administrative tasks which may arise in order to fully support the team.

Essential requirements:

• Law degree/ Graduate Diploma in Law;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Experience of providing administrative support;
• Excellent organisational skills;
• Ability to prioritise and multi-task;
• Excellent time management skills;
• Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Excel;
• Self motivated;
• Ability to work independently;
• Ability to work with numbers;
• Be able to work within the Centre’s policies, procedures and standards; and
• Be able to deal and work with clients of a wide variety of cultural, ethnic and educational backgrounds.

Desirable experience, qualifications and skills:

• Interest in children/family law, education law, asylum/immigration law and community care law; and
• Experience of working in a solicitor’s office.

Applications

Closing date for applications: Monday 28 November 2016

Interviews: Week beginning 28 November 2016

Application forms and further information are available at http://www.coram.org.uk/job/legal-administrator. 

Application forms should be completed and sent to Hazel Kent ([email protected]) or to Coram Children’s Legal Centre, 48 Mecklenburgh Square, Coram Community Campus, Gregory House, London, WC1N 2QA. Both email and postal applications should be marked with the reference: Legal Administrator.

For further information on CCLC please visit www.childrenslegalcentre.com.