Last updated: Friday 08 October, 2021
Paralegal/Administrative Assistant
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About the Job

About Good Law Project
Good Law Project’s mission is to achieve change through the law. We defend, define and change the law to protect the environment, uphold democracy, and ensure no one is left behind. We are a young organisation with a ground-breaking track record already and are now seeking to expand our staff team.
Our website sets out more about what we do: https://goodlawproject.org/
We are committed to holding Government and other powerful actors to account and to tackling issues of injustice, inequality and discrimination experienced by some of the most marginalised groups in our society.
We are now looking for a paralegal and administrative assistant to support the Legal Director and other members of our growing team with research and other paralegal and administrative tasks, helping to ensure our cases run smoothly and professionally. You can see how the role fits into the current GLP team at the end of this application information.
You can read the full job description below.
Reports to: Legal Director
Salary: £26,000 per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week, over 5 days
Contract type: permanent, after completion of 3 months’ probation
Location: Hybrid office in central London (subject to any COVID-19 restrictions) with options for flexibility.
Essential experience and attributes
Legal experience whether academic (e.g. this role would suit a Law graduate or person who has completed their professional training qualifications) or professional (e.g. through previous working in the legal sector);
Excellent research, writing and verbal communications skills;
A demonstrable ability to grasp quickly new concepts and areas of the law with an openness to learning new approaches, topics and skills;
Good IT skills including mainstream applications.
Desirable
Knowledge or experience in public law, health and social care, law relating to technology and data protection, employment and/or other fields relevant to GLP’s work;
Knowledge or experience in using a case management system.
To apply, please send us one 3-page document containing your CV (max one page) and with a covering letter of no more than two pages outlining why you are interested in the role, and how you meet the requirements, together with the details of two referees to jobs@goodlawproject.org, with the subject line “Paralegal/ Administrative assistant application”.
Deadline for Applications midnight 25 October 2021
We intend to hold interviews via Zoom during the week commencing 15 November 2021. Exact dates and times to be confirmed.
We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, LGBT or relationship status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex or social class. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from ethnic minorities and/or those with lived experience of disadvantage.
The role is advertised as “full-time” however we are happy to discuss and explore flexible options and job share arrangements.
Good Law Project
Job Description and Person Specification
Job title: Paralegal/Administrative Assistant
Job Purpose: to support the Legal Director, Executive Director, and other members of the team with research, paralegal and administrative tasks, helping ensure our cases run smoothly and professionally.
Reports to: Legal Director
Duties and key responsibilities Reviewing, and responding to, legal queries that come into GLP, escalating to the Legal Director or other members of the Legal team as appropriate and in accordance with agreed procedures
General administrative duties, including e-filing, redacting sensitive documents, arranging calls and meetings etc
General desk research and (to a lesser extent) specific legal research to support the ongoing casework of GLP
● Proof-reading and some drafting under supervision
Maintaining Good Law Project’s legal folders and files, on the organisation’s shared drive
Working with the communications and fundraising staff to provide administrative support on legal campaigns
● Other duties as reasonably required by the Legal Director
Person Specification
Knowledge and experience
Legal experience whether academic (e.g. this role would suit a Law graduate or person who has completed their professional training qualifications) or professional (e.g. through previous working in the legal sector)
Knowledge or experience in public law, health and social care, law relating to technology and data protection, employment and/or other fields relevant to GLP’s work;
Knowledge or experience in using a case management system
Knowledge of the UK political landscape.
Skills and Abilities Excellent research, writing and verbal communications skills
A demonstrable ability to grasp quickly new concepts and areas of the law with an openness to learning new approaches, topics and skills
Good IT skills including mainstream applications
Strong organisational and administrative skills
Excellent attention to detail
Flexibility and adaptability in your attitude and approach to work, with a willingness to ‘muck in’ and support the team with whatever might arise, working towards a common objective
Ability to set priorities in your area of responsibility and meeting (often tight) deadlines;
Ability to proactively seek out relevant data to ensure the decisions you take are well-founded
Ability to think through issues and problems, weigh up alternatives and prioritise actions based on evidence
Ability to look broadly, to see the whole picture and to see linkages and interdependencies which may not always be obvious
Willingness and ability to respond positively to changing circumstances and to support change
Ability to foresee issues and problems and deal with them on a timely basis
Belief in own ability to get things done even in the face of ambiguity, and to be aware of, and sensitive to others feelings and opinions
Self- motivated and able to take initiative
Other Requirements Commitment to a high standard of professional behaviours, including collaboration, honesty and integrity
Interested and motivated to further own skills and knowledge
Our values
Brave: We are brave and we are bold
We are fearless of those we take on and the issues we confront
We challenge injustice where we see it, even if the odds are stacked against us
We take strategic risks and are open to the possibility of failure
We challenge each other when it’s in the best interests of Good Law Project, even if it’s uncomfortable
As employees we step into more responsibility outside of our comfort zone
Honest: We are honest, open and trustworthy
We default to transparency both internally and externally
We proactively share information
We hold our hands up if we get something wrong
We are candid about our successes and about our failures.
Decisive: We are decisive, nimble and responsive
We are responsive to the changing world
We take decisive action to turn ideas into reality
As individuals, we are flexible to the needs of the organisation
We balance processes and outcomes, recognising that good processes are more likely to deliver good outcomes