Housing Caseworker or Solicitor

Birmingham Source: WhatJobs

£25,000–£35,000

Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Location: Tyseley, Birmingham (with some potential for hybrid working)

About this role

Central England Law Centre (CELC) provides a vital service to clients across Coventry and Birmingham, providing support for all aspects of housing law through a team of dedicated solicitors, caseworkers, paralegals and support workers.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced caseworker or solicitor to join the team, supporting our clients across Birmingham in the delivery of casework through the Law Centre’s Legal Aid contract.

The successful candidate will be subject to a basic DBS check.

Responsibilities

With responsibility for a caseload of clients across Birmingham, the successful candidate will:

Advise clients on all aspects of housing law through face-to-face and telephone appointments
Undertake casework and represent clients at court as appropriate
Work collaboratively with colleagues across the Law Centre to provide a high quality, holistic service for clients
Accurately and consistently record time spent on casework, maintaining records to the standards required by the Law Centre
Conduct casework in compliance with Legal Aid Agency requirements
Liaise with the Legal Aid Agency in respect of funding applications and claims
Complete public funding forms via CCMS and paper applications where appropriate
Promptly cost and bill closed cases in order to meet individual and team targets
Carry out file reviews
Work in partnership with other organisations who are supporting our client group
Keep up to date with current legislation, case law and policy in relation to housing
Identify opportunities for strategic litigation work, to influence the local authority and others public bodies.

General

The housing caseworker/solicitor will also:

Demonstrate commitment to the vision, mission and aims of Central England Law Centre
Abide by policies and procedures as set out in the office manual and staff handbook
Attend team meetings, CELC away days and external event as required
Undertake any other task reasonably required within the context of this post

Person spec

A solicitor or caseworker with proven experience of the delivery of casework through a legal aid contract
A demonstrable commitment to social justice
The ability to work sympathetically and effectively with a wide variety of clients
Experience of advocating for clients in court and with other agencies
Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of legal aid eligibility requirements and legal aid applications
Experience of the completion of public funding forms via CCMS and in hard copy
Proven ability to meet cost targets
Excellent oral and written communication skills
An understanding of the importance of confidentiality
A non-judgmental attitude
Experience of using specialist legal case management systems, and of MS Outlook, Word and Excel
Sound organisational skills with the ability to organise and prioritise workload, always ensuring excellent service to your clients
The ability to get on with people and be polite under pressure and to work co-operatively as part of a team.
Ability to work as part of a team and with partner agencies