SYP - Legal Officer - Civil Litigation - May 2023

Role:                   Legal Officer – Civil Litigation

Department:       Legal Services

Location:            Force HQ, Carbrook, Sheffield (Hybrid)

Salary:                 £27,690 - £31,434 (Band D)

Hours:                 37 Hours per week

Contract Type:    Temporary for 2 years

Role Purpose:

Our experienced legal team are seeking to recruit a Legal Services Officer, CILEX Level 3 qualified or higher.

This is an excellent opportunity to work as part of a talented team on a caseload of civil claims. The work will involve both individual civil claims and civil proceedings that are complex and high profile, arising out of a Group Litigation Order in the High Court, on behalf of the Chief Constable. You will have experience in the management of claims for personal injury (essential) and misfeasance (desirable), including alternative dispute resolution (desirable), civil procedures and disclosure.

You must demonstrate strong litigation and negotiation skills. 

You will provide legal advice on a broad range of topics by researching and interpreting legislation, policy and national guidance to officers at all levels. You will have the flexibility to offer support in the handling of other aspects of policing.

You will have the ability to organise / prioritise your own workload, meet deadlines due to efficient time management, have good communication skills, be enthusiastic and work to a high standard.  You must be methodical with an eye for detail, efficient, highly motivated with the ability to relate to people at all levels and be confident working as part of a team or independently.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Under supervision conduct a caseload of civil claims on behalf of the Chief Constable, undertaking research, liaising with interested parties, interviewing witnesses at all levels, assessing information, making decisions on liability and compiling reports for solicitors.
2. Deals with disclosure requests, including assessing requests, conducting research, liaising and with internal and external parties.
3. Under supervision provide legal advice on a broad range of topics by researching and interpreting legislation, policy and national guidance to officers at all levels.
4. Attend proceedings to support Counsel and provide updates to Head of Department by producing a comprehensive summary to include the salient points.
5. Conduct any other research requested by the Senior Legal Officer / Principal Lawyer.
6. Organise and prioritise own workload and keeping to tight deadlines.
7. Performs such other duties as reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility.

Skills and experience:

Essential (shortlisting) Criteria:

• Educated to ‘A’ Level standard with a legal qualification e.g. law degree or CILEX level 3 or higher
• Experience of working as a legal executive or similar role within a legal services environment
• Experience of claims handling, negotiating settlements and producing reports
• A good understanding of the Civil Procedure Rules
• Experience of drafting witness statements and creating files for Court
• Excellent Oral and Written Communication Skills with evidence of maintaining confidence and dealing with sensitive issues

Desirable:

• A good understanding of GDPR and the Data Protection Act
• Previous experience of working in the police environment and interrogating police systems
• Experience of general disclosure
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Proven aptitude for acquiring new skills

For further information relating to the role and tasks of this position, please refer to the attached role profile.

Benefits:

We offer generous entitlements and supportive policies to enable a better work-life balance, some of which are listed below:

• Generous annual leave allowance
• Flexible and hybrid working
• Generous ‘family’ leave
• Voluntary CPD Events for all staff to allow continuous development
• Mentoring & Coaching Scheme
• Access to a range of occupational health facilities
• Generous pension scheme
• Employee assistance service (accessible 24/7)
• Additional benefits for Westfield Health members
• Cycle to work scheme
• Sports and Social Club

Eligibility:

Applicants must meet the minimum requirement checkable history criteria, which must be taken into account for individuals applying to work with South Yorkshire Police in any capacity.  A minimum checkable history of 3 years / 5 years is required for this role and successfully undergoing recruitment vetting procedure is a pre-requisite of employment with South Yorkshire Police.

Appearance & Standards:

SYP is committed to striking a proportionate balance between self-expression and the need to maintain role sensitive professional standards in dress and appearance. Officers, staff and volunteers of South Yorkshire Police are permitted to have tattoos visible whilst on duty provided the tattoo is not considered to be unacceptable or otherwise inappropriate. Tattoos will be reviewed as part of the recruitment and selection process.  

South Yorkshire Police’s Key Values:

Please find attached information sheet on South Yorkshire Police’s Key Values. The force has a particular focus on three areas, Fairness, Integrity and Trust. Under each of these three headings there are key behaviours we expect all employees to adhere to.

Smarter ways of Working:

South Yorkshire Police is committed to developing working practices which assist staff to balance their personal and professional lives, whilst meeting the needs of the organisation. This in turn enables SYP to provide an outstanding service to the community.

There are 3 different categories as part of this which are: Fixed, Field and Hybrid.

This role has been evaluated as a Hybrid role.

Hybrid: Applicable when the work can be undertaken at any location, whether that be a SYP building or from home.

Closing Date:

Tuesday, 6 June 2023 at 23:55

Closing dates are not normally extended, other than in exceptional circumstances and agreement is made between the Talent Acquisition Manager and the Line Manager for the role.

Contact point for applicants:

For further information about the role, please contact the hiring manager Alan Pritchard on  alan.pritchard@southyorks.pnn.police.uk   Please do not contact Alan for an application form.

Diversity & Inclusion:

Expressions of interest are particularly welcome from female and ethnic minority candidates.

It’s really important to us that the department represents the community we serve, in order for us to provide the best service, utilising a range of backgrounds, experience and skills.  We support and value all officers and staff and the unique experiences they bring to the role.  We strongly encourage and welcome expressions of interest from these valuable underrepresented groups.

If you are from an underrepresented group and want to find out more about the support we can offer, please contact our dedicated team on positiveaction@southyorks.pnn.police.uk

In addition, we will look to support anyone who requires Part Time/Job share working hours.

Note to candidates:

Please note that, should you be successful at the interview stage, the relevant internal or external pre-employment checks are required.  These include vetting clearance or review, prior to being appointed to the new role and start date being agreed.

Apply for the role:

To apply for the role, please click the ‘Apply’ button.

Internal Candidates:

This vacancy is temporary therefore, you must have the support of your current Line Manager to apply. If you are a permanent member of staff, this would be classed as a secondment opportunity. If you are on a fixed term contract, you must contact the Talent Acquisition Team before applying.  Please ensure that you and your current line manager complete the attached consent form.  Please email the completed form to the hiring line manager, Alan Pritchard, with the role title and the closing date stated in the subject of your email.

Without support, your application will not be considered any further.