Paralegal

Weightmans is a Top 45 law firm with offices throughout the UK. Having been recognised as the leading legal employer at the annual Britain's Top Employers awards and achieved record rankings in Chambers UK 2017, we are immensely proud of the work we carry out for our clients and the culture we provide to our people.

Our national Large Loss team provides an expert, experienced legal service dealing with claims involving injuries of the utmost severity and more complex technical insurance work. Weightmans’ Large Loss team handles claims reserved at a minimum of £500,000, representing around £750 million of client reserves. The majority of claims we deal with are motor, but we also cover employers’ liability, public liability and product liability, as well as substantial dependency fatality claims. Typical cases involve brain, spinal and amputation injuries.

To run a case load of Fast Track and lower value Multi Track defendant personal injury claims arising from accidents abroad and to assist a partner on high value litigated cross border personal injury cases.

Key responsibilities

• Assisting a partner with their caseload

• Assisting with reviewing case upon instruction

• Conducting any relevant investigations such as obtaining witness statements, instructing experts, instructing counsel and updating clients in order to repudiate and/or compromise the claim as appropriate

• Reviewing and analysing databases and making further investigations as appropriate 

• Liaising with other solicitors, insurers, police, HSE  and witnesses to gather evidence

• Instructing various experts as appropriate

• Controlling Case Manager diary and action lists

• Attending court hearings as appropriate

• Attending conferences, JSMs as directed by partner, subject to client approval

• Drafting - letters, reports, reserve sheets, action plans as directed

• Completing client MI procedures and updating Large Loss database

• Achieving set financial and chargeable targets

• Complying with relevant policies and procedures

• Complying with CPR/rehabilitation protocol

• Keeping up to date with legal developments in cross border personal injury

This list is not intended to be exhaustive and you will have other duties and responsibilities that fall within the wider remit of the role.

• Experience of Fast Track/Multi Track defendant personal injury cross border claims

• Knowledge of CPR procedures/technical ability

• Ability to achieve targets and work under pressure

• Ability to work as part of a team and on own initiative

• Ability to prioritise workload in order to meet deadlines

• Excellent communication skills

• Flexible approach

Please note:

• Any reference to experience or PQE in our adverts or job descriptions is to be used as a guideline only. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and with different levels of experience who can demonstrate that they fulfil the requirements of the role.

• The successful candidate appointed to this role will be subject to our standard background checking process, and any offer of employment made is conditional upon successful completion of those checks. Further details can be obtained from the Recruitment team.