Paralegal - in-house - Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust

Deadline: 2 March 2025

Job overview

To work within the Legal Services Department handling a large and varied caseload covering a range of legal matters, but with an emphasis on coronial, clinical negligence and medico-legal matters.  To provide advice, guidance, and support to the Trust in relation to legal proceedings and processes.

Main duties of the job

• Under the management of the Head of Legal Services, to play a key role in providing professional legal support, advice and assistance on a Trust wide basis; to include interpreting various law and legal cases to provide advice and guidance. 
• To support the Trust’s involvement in inquest proceedings and support the medico-legal lawyers within the department by liaising with the Coroner’s Office, ensuring that documents are provided to the Coroner in accordance with deadlines, keeping administrative systems and processes up to date in terms of data recording, drafting witness statements, preparing witnesses for giving evidence, attending inquest hearings in a supportive capacity and highlighting emerging risks to the legal department and preparing/suggesting strategies on how to mitigate risk; 
• To support with other general legal matters when required at the direction of senior members of the department, which may include assisting and advising on legal queries from other departments, taking instructions, reviewing records and reports, drafting witness statements for tribunals and courts, preparing bundles and managing other administrative processes as needed to support the lawyers.  
• Contribute to the development of the Trust wide legal policies and procedures and the delivery of the legal strategic plan 

Working for our organisation

Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.

Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description document via Apply

Person specification

Experience and knowledge

Essential criteria

• Experience of working in a legal environment and supporting lawyers with their work.

• Evidence of dealing with a variety of queries

• Experience of witness statement drafting in relation to at least one type of legal proceedings.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in a complex, multi-disciplinary organisation.

• Experience of working as a paralegal with responsibility for own caseload.

• Working knowledge of coronial law/experience in inquest hearings.

Training and education

Essential criteria

• A-Level education or equivalent knowledge and skills gained through alternative study or employment.

Desirable criteria

• Law degree

Skills and ability

Essential criteria

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and being able to communicate effectively with all audiences.

• Ability to manage conflicting priorities and a large varied and unpredictable workload and work to tight deadlines.

• Ability to make judgments on a range of issues

• Excellent attention to detail.

Our commitment to you:

We are committed to equality and diversity in both the provision of our services and how we recruit and manage our staff. Applications are encouraged from everyone with the necessary attributes for the job, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

Happy to Talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible and part time working will be considered.

The paperwork:

• HHFT is committed to putting the safety and care of our patients first – as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues. Therefore, we would recommend that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 and that you understand that we are treating COVID-19 positive patients within our services.
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted at least 5 working days before the scheduled interview date. Applications will be submitted directly into our preferred third party recruitment system (Trac). All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs via email - please ensure to check your junk/spam folders.
• All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.
• In compliance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, all applicants must be able to communicate fluently in English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed as part of the selection process.
• This vacancy may close before the current listed closing date. If you intend to apply you are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.

Salary

£37,338 - £44,962 per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent: 37.5 hours a week