JOB DESCRIPTION

Post title:MS LEGAL OFFICER (Solicitor)

Hours:35 hours per week

Salary:£33,582 per annum + 25 days annual leave pa. + public holidays

Purpose: 1. To provide legal assistance and first point of contact for people affected by MS seeking legal advice that meets their needs and those of DLS and the MS Society.

2. To provide feedback and insight to the MS Society on the legal advice needs of the MS community and monitor and develop the service to ensure those needs are effectively met.

Responsible to:Senior Solicitor

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Line

  1. Respond to all enquiries from people affected by MS via phone, email, letter or other accessible means.
  2. Provide oral and written legal advice within area of expertise and under supervision from DLS legal supervisors in other areas where appropriate. Undertake some casework[1] where capacity permits
  3. Refer appropriate potential cases to otherDLS legal caseworkers or signpost to relevant external agency.
  4. Be responsible for file management of own cases.
  5. Monitor all enquiries, maintain comprehensive records and files in line with DLS policy, Legal Aid Agency (LAA) SQM and contractual/funding requirements. Ensure that all monitoring data and information resources meet required needs, is up to date and accurate.
  6. Keep up to date with changes and proposed changes in law and practice relevant to area of expertise. Work with relevant MS Society departments supporting, advising and briefing on relevant legal issues as required.
  7. Provide content or review for factsheets for the DLS website, articles for MS Matters and other MS Society publications as required.

MS Society Liaison

  1. Act as principal contact with MS Society co-ordinating project activities (including training sessions).
  2. Attend events as required by MS Society to publicise the service, to contribute to training materials, deliver talks and basic level training on legal rights in relation to employment, disability discrimination and community care.

Project Management

  1. Act as the Project Manager of the MS Society Legal Line, prepare project plans, agree targets and outcomes, monitor progress against outcomes, identify problems and adjust service delivery, as necessary. Actively contribute to project reviews.
  2. Manage expansion of the MS Legal Advice Service working with stakeholders across the United Kingdom as and when required.
  3. Travel across the United Kingdom meeting with stakeholders, services users and others as required.
  4. Monitor the service, prepare and produce reports, monitoring and evaluation surveys and other information as required for MS Society, DLS trustees, project team, and other stakeholders.
  5. Attend and minute relevant meetings as required.

Volunteer and staff Management

  1. Train and supervise volunteers to support the MS Society service as required.
  2. Train and manage staff as required and approved to expand service.

Service Development

  1. Take the lead in service improvements by recommending changes with budget implications, seeking approval and implementing approved changes. Keep abreast of any identified gaps in service provision that could be addressed by expansion of this project.

Other

  1. Develop, maintain and comply with key policies within DLS. Comply with all other policies and procedures identified within the organisation’s office manual.
  2. Participate in support and supervision sessions, annual appraisal, and DLS team meetings.
  3. Develop and maintain professional and supportive relationships with all DLS colleagues and external stakeholders as required.
  4. Take responsibility for own training needs and those of the MS Legal Line volunteers.
  5. Carry out any other reasonable duties commensurate with the post as required from time.

Person Specification

Essential:

Experience & knowledge:

  1. A qualified solicitor entitled to practice in England and Wales, with experience of delivering specialist legal advice.
  2. Experience and knowledge of employment law and one other area relevant to disabled people.
  3. Substantial and relevant experience of service delivery in an advice agency and / or legal practice.
  4. Experience of giving information and/or advice to members of the public and professionals via telephone, email or letter.
  1. Experience of using information technology in a service delivery context, in particular use of databases and the internet.
  2. Experience of delivering talks, presentations, training to different audiences.
  3. Experience of working with volunteers.

Skills and abilities:

  1. Excellent presentation and literacy skills, with the ability to convey complex information in plain English to a range of audiences.
  2. Proven ability to manage time, prioritise workload and balance a range of different tasks as required.
  3. Be a self-starter and self-sufficient.
  4. Proven organisational skills, and in particular the ability to work efficiently and effectively in a busy, sometimes pressurised environment.
  5. Willingness to travel and to work unsocial hours, including occasional weekends, sometimes with overnight stays.
  6. Ability to demonstrate an understanding of equal opportunities principles in delivery of service.
  7. Commitment to working as part of a team.
  8. Ability to empathise with the needs of disabled people.

Desirable:

  1. Understanding of Multiple Sclerosis or other long term conditions.
  2. Understanding of the medical and social models of disability.
  3. Experience and knowledge of employment law, community care law and welfare benefits.
  4. Experience of project management in a legal advice agency and / or legal practice.
  5. Experience of being responsible for cases. This should include experience of:

a)Being the main point of contact for clients.

b)Being responsible for file management.

c)Making decisions on cases, seeking advice from other members of the legal team where necessary.

MSLO JD PS June 2016Page 1

[1]Casework – for the purposes of this job description this means taking action on behalf of clients in order to move the case on. This may include negotiation and advocacy on the client’s behalf to third parties on the telephone, by letter or face-to-face. By definition, most cases will involve follow-up work with the service provider retaining responsibility for this. Legal representation at tribunal will not form part of the service offer.