Paralegal - Court of Protection

Department: Court of Protection

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Manchester

Description

Key Responsibilities

• Carrying out work on a broad range of property & financial affairs deputyship and some personal injury trust matters, arising from both personal injury and clinical negligence both currently in litigation as well as having settled, and/or from the Office of the Public Guardian panel and local authorities).
• Administrative and paralegal grade D work within a sub-team within the wider department. Supporting the solicitor file handlers (along with the other paralegals) with their cases.
• Making regular payments to clients and third parties, keeping accurate schedules of income and expenditure and cash management, forecasting future spending and creating and maintaining budgets.
• Dealing with utility bills and other household/everyday bills and invoices, verifying payee details, setting up bank accounts and cards for clients and consolidating bank accounts.
• Liaising with DWP, benefits agencies, banks, utility providers, pension or other income providers, local authority, social workers, NS&I and other financial institutions, any debtors, care homes, NHS, care providers, therapists/clinicians, case managers, and other professional bodies.
• Day to day contact with and supporting clients, their families and care providers, dealing with their individual lifestyle requirements, providing practical advice and supporting and protecting their needs on a wide range of issues including financial planning, management of their funds and assets and care arrangements.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• A commitment to excellent client care, court of protection work and helping vulnerable clients.
• A positive, can-do, professional attitude, resilience, and emotional intelligence
• Strong work ethic, working to own initiative and showing good team working skills.
• Excellent IT skills with experience in Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Ability to communicate well orally and in writing, including dealing directly with clients when required.
• Strong attention to detail, organisational and administrative skills
• Numerate.
• Ability to prioritise tasks efficiently and when to seek input/supervision.

• Commercial awareness (time recording, billing and cost proportionality).
• Understanding utility bills and payment of household/general outgoings.
• Basic understanding of mental incapacity and options for care funding.