Recruitment Pack: Advice and InformationOfficer

Liberty is a high-profile campaigning organisation that has been fighting for human rights and civil liberties for over eighty years. Liberty works on a diverse array of issues, including non-discrimination, migrants’ rights, protest, privacy, digital rights, free speech, police misconduct and access to justice. We are a uniquely multi-disciplinary team, working to achieve change through a powerful combination of lobbying, strategic litigation, public campaigning, member activism, and providing free advice and information to the public. Liberty has been standing up for people and holding the powerful to account since 1934, and it is needed now more than ever.

Liberty is currently recruiting anAdvice & Information Officerto join its Public Advice and InformationTeam. Advice & Information Officersare responsible processing and responding to requests for advice and assistance from members of the public.The A&I Team provides direct legal advice, currently under the supervision of Liberty’s in-house lawyers, identifies queries suitable for strategic litigation, and refers queries to other lawyers or services where appropriate. A&I Officers track and analyse the inquiries Liberty receives in order to identify trends and support Liberty’s campaigning work. They recruit and train volunteers to assist in these responsibilities. They produce written and digital materials designed to communicate important legal principles to the public. They give talks to community groups, schools and other organisations on Liberty’s campaigning objectives.They conduct trainings for other front-line service providers on Liberty’s core issues.

Liberty is looking for a candidate who is legally trained, holding at the very minimum an LLB, PGDL or equivalent qualification. Their research and critical thinking skills must be of a very high standard and they must have strong written and oral communication skills. They must have someprior experience with the provision ofadvice. They must demonstrate a strong commitment to Liberty’s issues.

Position Description
Position title: / Advice & Information Officer
Position reports to: / Advice & Information Manager
Position works closely with: / Head of Casework, Lawyers, Advocacy Director
Salary band: / £29,248 - £33,692 [1]
Employment status: / Permanent
Appointment Start Dates: / March 2018
Hours: / 35 hours per week plus occasional out of hours work
Location: / Liberty House, Westminster, London
Closing date for applications: / 09:00 Wednesday 7th March 2018
Interview dates: / First Round: Thursday 14th March 2018
Second Round: Friday 23rd March 2018
Role purpose
The Advice and InformationOfficer is responsible for processing and responding to requests for advice and assistance from members of the public, identifying queries suitable for strategic litigation, and referring queries to other lawyers or services where appropriate. They assist in the recruitment and management of legal volunteers. They ensure that data about Liberty’s public advice service is kept to a high standard. They are also responsible for producing legal advice materials on a range of legal issues and supporting Liberty’s efforts to further public education on human rights issues.
Key responsibilities
  • Providetimely, legally correctresponses to legal queries and ensure that responsesare appropriate to the needs of the enquirer, working closely with Liberty’s lawyers and the A&I Manager.
  • Identifyqueries suitable for referral to Liberty’s in-house lawyers or to external lawyers or services.
  • Ensure accurate records of all queries are maintained, and assist in the analysis of data about queries where necessary for Liberty’s campaigning, policy, development and operational purposes.
  • Assist in the management of Liberty’s telephone advice service.
  • Recruit, train and supervise volunteers for both the written and telephone advice services.
  • Assist in the development and maintenance of Liberty’s planned online advice platform.
  • Prepare web content, fact sheets, FAQs and guides on areas of law that are the subject of frequent enquiries.
  • Undertake public speaking and education on human rights, including to school and community groups.
  • Assist in the development and provision of training programs for other providers of legal services on Liberty’s core issues, including protest, police complaints, immigration detention and other issues.
  • Keep abreast of developments in human rights law and policy in the UK.

Selection criteria / Essential / Desirable
Technical expertise & qualifications / Legal training (minimum standard LLB/PGDL or equivalent) / 
Legal training beyond this minimum standard (LPC or BPTC) / 
Knowledge & Experience / Experience in giving advice(paid or unpaid, legal or non-legal) / 
Experience in giving legal advice / 
Experience in operating a casework database or an online information platform / 
Experience of delivering training and presentations / 
Experience of supervising volunteers / 
Good grounding in domestic human rights law and an understanding of Liberty’s broad campaigning objectives / 
Good grounding in one or more of the following areas of law: policing, privacy, equality/discrimination, immigration and migrants’ rights, and protest rights. / 
Skills & Abilities / Critical thinking - Excellent legal research and critical thinking skills. / 
Communication - Ability to communicatecomplex legal arguments and principles clearly and succinctly to a legal and non-legal audience, both orally and in writing. / 
Delivery & implementation: Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities, meet deadlines, solve problems and move from concept to implementation. Works well under pressure. / 
Learning & reflection: Takes an evaluative approach to own work and that of others. / 
Values / Commitment to human rights, civil liberties and the core values of Liberty / 
Commitment to working collaboratively with team members, other staff at Liberty and other organisations / 
Commitment to building a fair, respectful and diverse working environment / 
Important information
  1. Completed application forms should be returned by email(with job title as the subject line) as a Word document to no later than9am Wednesday 7th March 2018. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
  1. You will receive an automatically generated response confirming receipt. If you DO NOT receive this response within one to two hours of sending, please call 020 7403 3888 to check whether your application has been received - be sure to do so before the closing date.
  1. First round interviews are scheduled for Thursday 14th March 2018 and with asecond stage on Friday 23rd March 2018. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by phone to arrange interview times. Details of the interview (location, members of panel etc.) will be confirmed by email.
  1. Applicants who have not been short listed will be notified by email. Due to our limited resources we are unable to provide feedback on applications.
  1. Interview panels will be made up of two to four people who will each ask the candidates questions. The questions are intended to allow you to expand on your application and to demonstrate to the panel how far you meet the essential and desirable requirements of the post. All candidates are asked a uniform set of questions (usually 5 or 6) and may also be asked follow up questions to clarify or expand on individual answers. At the end of the interview candidates will also have an opportunity to ask questions about the job, conditions of service, etc.
  1. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete pre-interview tasks.
  1. Once all interviews have taken place, shortlisted applicants will be contacted and informed of the outcome either by email or phone and offered the opportunity to receive feedback.
  1. Liberty’s offices are wheelchair accessible. If you have a special requirement for completing a task or attending an interview due to a disability, please contact us on 020 7403 3888

[1]This range represents the bottom and top points of a five point pay scale. As a matter of policy Liberty appoints new starters on the bottom point.