Job summary
We are looking for a healthcare/regulatory solicitor to join the NWAS Legal and Resolution team.
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
We are committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet our minimum selection criteria at each stage of the selection process.
We will not tolerate discrimination on any of the following: gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour, nationality, religion, age, disability, working pattern, caring responsibilities trade union activity or political beliefs-or any other grounds.
The Trust is currently under-represented in terms of staff from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. We encourage applications from all backgrounds to improve the diversity of our workforce and to better reflect the communities we serve to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place; every time.
The Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy early if a large number of applications are received.
Main duties of the job
Working under the supervision of the Head of Resolution with a high degree of autonomy, you will represent and act as the Trust authority in formal legal proceedings both in Coroners' courts and Civil courts, providing an advocacy service in respect of litigation or contentious inquest cases as well as providing general legal and advisory services across the Trust.
About us
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides 24 hour, 365 days a year accident and emergency services to those in need of emergency medical treatment and transport.
Our highly skilled staff provide life-saving care to patients in the community and take people to hospital or a place of care if needed.We also provide non-emergency patient transport services for those patients who require non-emergency transport to and from hospital and who are unable to travel unaided because of their medical condition or clinical need.
Alongside the other emergency services, we also work to ensure the safety of the public and treatment of patients in the event of a major incident.
We also deliver the NHS 111 service in the North West. NHS 111 replaced NHS Direct in 2013. This service was introduced to make it easier for people to access local NHS healthcare services in England. It provides non-emergency medical help fast, and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please ensure that you have read the full Job description and Person Specification before applying for this post.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please ensure that you have read the full Job description and Person Specification before applying for this post.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Education
Essential
- Law Degree, Legal Practice Course (LPC) or equivalent
- Qualified practising solicitor with post graduate diploma in legal practice
- Trained to masters level or equivalent
- Evidence of continued professional development
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Excellent communication skills and able to communicate highly contentious and sensitive legal information often in a hostile atmosphere
- Ability to take evidence from witnesses and present in court
- Ability to negotiate and advise on the settlement of claims
- Excellent facilitation and negotiation skills
- High quality report writing and legal statement drafting skills
- Ability to analyse, evaluate and summarise highly complex and/or contentious data
- Approachable and supportive, ability to work within a team
- Ability to work flexibly with occasional need to work unsocial hours.
- Ability to travel regularly across the NW to meetings with client and to attend coroners court etc often at short notice.
- Remain calm in a very busy environment
- Personal resilience - the role will involve reading about and hearing difficult and distressing situations on a daily basis e.g. non-accidental injury to children, vulnerable adults, child abuse, substance abuse, fatal accidents, both from a staff perspective and from a patient perspective
- High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude
- Expected to be able to frequently concentrate intensely for prolonged periods of time - reading legal documentation, case papers, note taking, conducting examination and cross examination of witnesses in court or tribunal over a period of several days
- Required to spend sustained periods sitting still at a desk or in court
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Knowledge of litigation and coronial law management
- Understanding of the NHS infrastructure and policy
- Knowledge of management of legal services within the NHS
- Understanding of ambulance service policies, procedures and strategy and of broader NHS/Ambulance issues
- Post qualification experience of managing complex, high profile and/or contentious cases
- Proven court advocacy experience
- Current and demonstrable evidence of managing large caseloads of inquests and claims
- Evidence of successfully providing high quality and responsive advice with a clear client focused approach, achieving innovative solutions
- Evidence of successfully leading, motivating and developing others
- Experience in allocating and supervising the work of junior legal colleagues.
Values and Behaviours
Essential
- Working together - demonstrate collaborative and inclusive working and challenge behaviour that is not inclusive or acceptable
- Being at our best - professional and adaptable and takes pride in work
- Making a difference - act with compassion, kindness and integrity towards everyone.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Education
Essential
- Law Degree, Legal Practice Course (LPC) or equivalent
- Qualified practising solicitor with post graduate diploma in legal practice
- Trained to masters level or equivalent
- Evidence of continued professional development
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Excellent communication skills and able to communicate highly contentious and sensitive legal information often in a hostile atmosphere
- Ability to take evidence from witnesses and present in court
- Ability to negotiate and advise on the settlement of claims
- Excellent facilitation and negotiation skills
- High quality report writing and legal statement drafting skills
- Ability to analyse, evaluate and summarise highly complex and/or contentious data
- Approachable and supportive, ability to work within a team
- Ability to work flexibly with occasional need to work unsocial hours.
- Ability to travel regularly across the NW to meetings with client and to attend coroners court etc often at short notice.
- Remain calm in a very busy environment
- Personal resilience - the role will involve reading about and hearing difficult and distressing situations on a daily basis e.g. non-accidental injury to children, vulnerable adults, child abuse, substance abuse, fatal accidents, both from a staff perspective and from a patient perspective
- High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude
- Expected to be able to frequently concentrate intensely for prolonged periods of time - reading legal documentation, case papers, note taking, conducting examination and cross examination of witnesses in court or tribunal over a period of several days
- Required to spend sustained periods sitting still at a desk or in court
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Knowledge of litigation and coronial law management
- Understanding of the NHS infrastructure and policy
- Knowledge of management of legal services within the NHS
- Understanding of ambulance service policies, procedures and strategy and of broader NHS/Ambulance issues
- Post qualification experience of managing complex, high profile and/or contentious cases
- Proven court advocacy experience
- Current and demonstrable evidence of managing large caseloads of inquests and claims
- Evidence of successfully providing high quality and responsive advice with a clear client focused approach, achieving innovative solutions
- Evidence of successfully leading, motivating and developing others
- Experience in allocating and supervising the work of junior legal colleagues.
Values and Behaviours
Essential
- Working together - demonstrate collaborative and inclusive working and challenge behaviour that is not inclusive or acceptable
- Being at our best - professional and adaptable and takes pride in work
- Making a difference - act with compassion, kindness and integrity towards everyone.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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