Access to Legal Services Adviser - Mary Ward Centre

Deadline: 18 March 2025

Interviews: 24 March 2025

A paid role providing insight into the legal advice/social justice sector

This post is based in the Legal Centre’s Access to Legal Services Team which deals with all face-to-face, telephone and email enquiries from members of the public (and organisations calling on their behalf) wanting to access legal advice. This team also runs the Legal Centre’s pro bono service, where volunteer lawyers deliver advice to our clients on a range of matters.

You will be the first point of contact for clients, in a busy team whose role is to triage clients to identify their legal issue(s) and see if the we are able to assist.

This is a crucial role within the Legal Centre. Our clients are often frustrated or desperate, due to the difficult issues they are facing. The ability to deal calmly and sensitively with their needs, providing a friendly, efficient and empathetic service, is vital.

Our staff have great organisational, administrative and communication skills, and build good working relationships with each other and with clients, volunteers, and other advice organisations. You will develop a knowledge of the various areas of law we advise on to enable you to triage clients effectively and make referrals and will benefit from the experience of working and learning alongside our team of qualified lawyers and caseworkers on matters that impact people's lives in a very fundamental way.

Mary Ward Legal Centre has an excellent reputation in the sector for providing high quality specialist legal advice across London. The impact of our advice work is deep and changes lives.

The Legal Centre is a very friendly and supportive workplace. You will be joining the Centre at an exciting time of growth as we have just expanded our locations and now have a lovely new office in Newham in addition to our office in Holborn, Camden.

Salary: £ 24,986

Flexible working.

35 days’ annual leave in addition to statutory bank holidays.

6% employer's contribution to a pension scheme.

The post is 35 hours a week for a fixed term period of 6 months. You will be required to work from our offices in Camden (Holborn) and in our in Newham (Stratford).

Essential Criteria

1. A minimum of 1 year’s full-time equivalent experience of dealing with members of the public either over the telephone or face-to-face in a busy environment.
2. Experience of providing administrative support.
3. An understanding of the needs of the clients we work with.
4. Excellent verbal and written communication skills to provide an efficient and friendly triage service to those contacting the Legal Centre.
5. An ability to deal efficiently, calmly and confidentially with those in need of information and/or advice.
6. An ability to prioritise a varied workload, be punctual, reliable and use one’s own initiative.
7. Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
8. Excellent attention to detail.
9. An ability to work well in a team and with both paid staff and volunteers.
10. Confident in the use of information technology and in particular knowledge and experience of Microsoft Word and Outlook or similar packages.
11. An understanding of and commitment to the principles of equality and diversity.