Criminal Defence Solicitor – MOTORING LAW

CRIMINAL DEFENCE SOLICITOR – MOTORING LAW

Job Specification - What responsibilities will you have?

The successful candidate will be working within a small Legal Team and you will have the responsibility of handling your own technically complex caseload defending motor offences. You will be responsible for client care, strategy decisions – all aspects of handling a file. Here’s more detail about what your job will include.

We are often instructed with very little time before the first hearing, on challenging cases across a range of motor offences and you may have a number of cases in Court at the same time.

In dealing with this caseload you will be:
1. Advising clients on all aspects including technical issues, costs and penalties;
2. Drafting letters (both standard and non-standard) and documents, which require no amendments in respect of grammar, spelling or formatting;
3. Taking detailed proofs and mitigation statements from your client and any relevant witnesses (potentially out of office hours over the telephone);
4. Reviewing evidence and appropriately advising the client;
5. Instructing the right experts to assist your client’s case;
6. Instructing and confidently liaising with Counsel, both at preliminary hearings and on the day of trial;
7. Making strategic decisions on your cases, with the input of management or counsel where needed;
8. Advising your client (both in writing and verbally) of the Court process and what they should expect at Court (both for preliminary hearings and trial);
9. Discussing the outcome of the hearing with your client and providing any further advice that may be needed after trial;
10. Providing written result information to your client, with proper advice on any appeal;
11. Using a case management system (Proclaim) to detail in file notes any actions you take, calls made or received, or papers drafted;
12. Properly time recording all work carried out on any file;
13. Completing file reviews as required;
14. Taking and converting new enquiry calls and being able to properly advise on sentence, strategy and prices; and
15. Taking part in the out of hours rota for new enquiry calls (on a shared basis with other team members, currently between 5pm and 8pm weeknights and 10am to 7pm weekends).

Person Specification - Are you the person we are looking for?

Solid experience in motoring law is a must with confidence to run a full caseload of up to 30 files of defending motoring offences. You must have strong IT skills and experience of using Proclaim (case management system).

You will be a considerate team player, technically minded, fearless and professional, innovative, a real people person with the intellectual desire and skill to analyse and apply the law to deliver solutions. You will probably have already been told by your colleagues that you are commercially aware with an abundance of common sense and highly empathetic approach to client care that makes you stand out from the crowd.

We have listed below further skills and traits that are equally as important to us and the role. However, it is also important that this list resonates with you too. Otherwise, we may not be the firm for you.

Essential Requirements
• Qualified Solicitor or Chartered Legal Executive of up to 2 years’ PQE;
• Law Degree (2:2 or higher), CiLEX or equivalent;
• Solid experience of motoring law and defending motoring offences in a client facing role with experience of running your own caseload, both guilty and not guilty pleas;
• Sound knowledge of the Criminal Court system and process;
• At least 1 year’s experience using Proclaim (case management system); and
• Strong IT skills including Outlook, Word and Excel.

If you do not have the above, we will not be able to consider your application.

Desirable Requirements
• Experience of successfully converting new enquiry calls to become full clients.

Personality
• A calm and positive mind-set/approach;
• Efficient, organised and able to work quickly whilst under pressure and juggling multiple deadlines / priorities;
• Have a professional attitude and ability to be empathetic, approachable and non-judgemental of our clients and the allegations they face often including drink driving and drug driving;
• Confident communicator, both over the telephone and in writing (with excellent grammar, spelling and attention to detail);
• Be Enthusiastic, Resilient and have a can-do attitude and helpful to all team members;
• Have an inquisitive mind, use your own initiative to find answers or solve problems and enjoy considering strategy and research (we like to think outside the box!); and
• Willing to listen, learn, embrace training and improvement of your knowledge in this niche area.

LOCATION: Unit 3 Digital Park, 3 Pacific Way, Salford, Media City, M50 1DR

HOURS: 35 hours per week/Monday to Friday 9 am-5 pm with a flexible 1-hour lunch break

REPORT TO: Legal Manager

SALARY: Negotiable dependent on experience

Please download an application form: https://motoroffence.co.uk/recruitment/working-at-geoffrey-miller-solicitors/

All applications for this role should be submitted to management@motoroffence.co.uk by email.

Please note that this particular role is office-based although we are currently trialling hybrid working following all staff working remotely from home during lock down.