Children Solicitor (NQ)

Duncan Lewis Solicitors (Ltd):

Regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm – “a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients”. A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice – that is our ethos.

We look to recruit dedicated and talented employees in both legal and non-legal capacities, and we are always interested to receive applications from quality candidates. If you can demonstrate a strong commitment to the areas of law provided by the firm, and you are keen to build a career with us, please apply online with your details and CV.

Child Care Department Background:

Applauded by The Legal 500 has ‘an extremely knowledgeable and hugely capable child care team’, our highly specialised Child Care Department is ranked and recommended by The Legal 500 UK and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories for its expertise in all aspects of child care law.

Our Child Care Law department approaches each case with a level of understanding only achievable through specializing in Child Care law. The key aspect of our work is assisting guardians to represent a child and representing parents. We act for children, parents and family members to provide expert advice to adopted parents and the birth parents who are considering adoption. The department also advises same-sex couples on child care matters, including child care arrangements following divorce, separation or dissolution of a civil partnership, adoption, co-parenting and surrogacy.

Setting us apart from other firms, the Child Care Law department consists of members of the Law Society Children and Family Panel Members. The majority are also members of the Association for the Lawyers for Children, and of Resolution (formerly known as the Solicitors Family Law Association). Duncan Lewis is one of few firms in the UK that are on the Lord Chancellor’s International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU) referral list. We have acquired a number of kite-marks and accreditations which are testament to the quality of the specialised work our staff undertake. We have had several high profile cases, which have been reported, which include caste, underage marriages and international elements

Main Responsibilities of the Role

• Responsible for all aspects of Family Law work including providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members
• Report directly to Department Director
• Responsible for all aspects of Child Care work including providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members
• Ability to manage and supervise Solicitors, Trainee Solicitors and Caseworkers to manage appropriate caseload types and complexities
• Assisting with delivery of appropriate training and development in the department
• Variety of duties including dealing with a range of public and private children cases including child abduction, child protection issues, special guardianship and adoption matters as well as undertaking your own advocacy
• You will have a professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and be interested in Business Development and Marketing to supplement the substantial work volumes brought in by the company

Law Society Children/Family Accreditation/Resolution:

The Company will support your career progression if you decide to pursue Children, Family or Family Advanced Panel accreditation with the Law Society or Resolution. We will cover the cost of:

• Attending the mandatory training course £1100 (Children Law Accreditation)
• Application fees (approx. £294)
• Annual membership fee (approx. £324)
• Children Law Reaccreditation every 3 years (approx. £618)
• Family Law Reaccreditation every 5 years (approx. £556)

The total cost of progressing onto the Children panel is approximately £1700.

Key Skills Required:

• Newly Qualified as a solicitor; Committed and highly driven
• Must have a clean, valid Practicing Certificate at the time of applying
• Strong management skills
• Committed team player with ability to approach team concerns fairly, foster culture of positive change and encourage cross referrals
• Professional with a pro-active approach; excellent client care skills and ability to deal with vulnerable client matters in a sensitive manner and resolve complicated practicalities involved in family law issues
• Excellent networking and communication skills with the ability to successfully market the Company and generate new business
• Working knowledge of the publically funded Family Law work and have the ability to service privately funded cases
• Have extensive experience in dealing with all Family Law related work and some expertise on adoption matters
• Experience in own advocacy is an advantage
• Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills

The recruitment process will fully comply with GDPR and other applicable laws. Background checks including CRB / DBS checks will establish your eligibility to work in the UK and suitability to the role.

Equal Opportunities:

Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce.

We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter if this applies.

If you are interested in applying for this vacancy, please visit our website and apply using our online process for your application to be considered.