Judicial Review specialist consultant

Company: OIAHE     

We have an exciting opportunity for a judicial review specialist to support our team at the OIA in Reading as an external consultant. This is a new function taking over responsibility for work that has previously been managed in house.

Who we are and position overview

The OIA is the ombuds service for students in Higher Education (HE).   Students who are unhappy about almost any aspect of their HE experience can complain to us.  We do not act for the student, or for Universities and Colleges.  We make independent, impartial decisions about what has happened, and can make Recommendations about how to put things right. Our cases are interesting and often challenging and complex.

We are a company limited by guarantee and a charity, but handling student complaints is a public function and our decisions and processes are subject to judicial review.

We have had nearly 100 judicial reviews since we opened in 2005, around 10% of which are granted permission. We have a very strong record of defending those claims. We use a local solicitor to advise on and manage the administration of the claims and external counsel for permission and substantive hearings.

The judicial review specialist consultant will:

• Consider pre-action protocol correspondence and draft response.
• Consider new claims received and (where appropriate) draft the summary of grounds for resisting the claim.
• Oversee the preparation of briefs to counsel.
• Liaise with external solicitors and counsel.
• Attend permission and substantive hearings with external counsel as necessary.
• Liaise with a small internal judicial review team made up of OIA case handlers and administrative staff.
• Brief the Independent Adjudicator regularly on judicial review matters and advise on strategy and merits as appropriate.

Hours will be variable, depending on the number of claims we receive but likely to average around five hours a week.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and value diversity amongst our employees, Board and contractors to reflect the nature of our work, our users and stakeholders. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

What we are looking for

You will be a barrister or solicitor who:

• has excellent oral and written communication
• has excellent analytical skills
• is decisive
• is highly efficient
• is persuasive and prepared to stand your ground when you believe the OIA has made a mistake
• is able to digest large volumes of information quickly to assess the merits of a case

You will have experience in judicial review work. Strong candidates will also have experience of

• the ombuds sector
• the higher education sector

Qualifications and accepted degree subjects

Candidates must be a barrister or solicitor able to practise in England and Wales.

How to apply

click the apply button above or
 
go to our website
 
http://www.oiahe.org.uk/about-us/working-for-us.aspx

Complete our short application form. Upload your CV and a covering letter explaining how you meet what we are looking for. Please remember to include your proposed fees.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 26 September but we reserve the right to close early if we receive a significant number of suitable applications.