Force Lawyer (Civil Claims)

Job Description

Salary: Band 11, £51,153 - £55,803 Location: Agile, Forth Bank Police Station, Newcastle and homeworking Hours/Contract: Permanent, 37 hours per weekThe roleHere at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing! It takes a great deal of people from different backgrounds, with diverse skills and experience to serve our force area effectively, think you have what it takes to help us make a difference Thiscould be the perfect time for you to join us in our Legal Department as a Force Lawyer Civil Claims.As a Force Lawyer (Civil Claims) you will provide a comprehensive legal service to the force in litigation and other areas of public and police law. To provide support to the Senior Solicitor and the Legal Services Department.What you’ll do

• Management of civil claims and other contentious matters allocated to ensure comprehensive legal advice to the Chief Constable.
• Investigation of claims, advising on and determining liability and quantum and negotiating settlement of claims where necessary.
• Conducting litigation including advocacy, where appropriate, at hearings.
• Liaising with other departments and providing appropriate advice where necessary.
• Identifying and advising on any relevant risk management issues for the force arising out of civil claims.
• Undertake research into new legislation and case law and advising on the potential impact on the force.

What you’ll bring

• Admission as a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.
• Experienced at managing own caseload, determining investigations to be carried out and organising necessary meetings and ongoing compliance with key dates set by the Court and CPR.
• Ability to identify key issues in a claim and determine the most effective resolution.
• Ability to advise other departments in relation to the lawfulness of their decision making.
• Ability to work with and support other members of the civil claims team and the department and to liaise with other areas of the force as necessary.
• Ability to identify issues affecting other areas of the force and to be able to communicate these through the SMT and to the Chief Officer Team and OPCC.

We know it’s important for you to feel that you’re not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriageand civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.What we offer

• 26 days’ leave (increasing to 30 days for 5 years+ service) plus 8 bank holidays
• Enhanced maternity, shared parental and adoption leave
• Flexi time - allowing you to fit your working hours around your individual needs
• Flexible working (we are happy to discuss options such as compressed hours)
• Agile working - option to work from home, your team zone, and spaces across the force
• Fantastic market-leading public sector pension scheme with up to 16% employer contribution
• Corporate travel schemes - local rail, bus services and metro discounts
• Access to private healthcare and eye test vouchers
• Discounts on shopping and eating out thanks to the Blue Light Card and Blue Light Tickets
• We’ve invested in extensive paid sick leave, trained mental health first aiders on-site, an employee advice service for the times you need that additional support
• Access to gyms in some stations
• Sports & Social Club - join our thriving sports scene at Team NP and enjoy further exclusive discounts on days out and travel
• Cycle to work scheme

Just so you knowOur application form will help us understand how your work, education and life experience has prepared you for the role of a Force Lawyer (Civil Claims) with #TeamNP. To help support your application research what makes us tick here at Northumbria, the roleyou’re applying for and the values and behaviours that contribute.The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by an interview. Just so you know, you can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.We are proud members of the Business Disability Forum, with whom we collaborate with to improve the lives of disabled employees. We are also a Disability Confident Employer, therefore if you demonstrate that you meet the minimum criteria for this role asstated in the advert, we will progress your application and offer you an interview.If you tell us that you have a disability, we can make adjustments to support you through the recruitment process (for example we can arrange extra time for tests or provide a sign language interpreter). If your application is successful, we’ll ask you tocomplete a Recruitment Vetting (RV) form, therefore you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 3 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance and medical information.Terms of appointmentThis is a permanent role subject to a six-month probationary period.If you are successful in your application, you will have a 6month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally.We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.Required skills

• 1Advocacy
• 1Communication Skills
• 1Investigation
• 1Legal Advice
• 1Legislation
• 1Litigation
• 1Research
• 1Risk Management
• 1Teamwork
• 1Caseload Management