Children Law Solicitor

Job Description:

Duncan Lewis Solicitors (Ltd):

Regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of our key practice areas – “a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients”. A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice - that is our ethos.

Choosing a career with Duncan Lewis is choosing a law firm that is the largest provider of publicly funded (legal aid) legal services in the country and has a growing private client practice. We have been Investors in People Gold Standard accredited for over 15 years and are continuously applauded nationally for the work that it does.

Having demonstrated unparalleled legal expertise and a commitment to justice, we were awarded Law Firm of the Year at both the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards. We are named as one of the Times 200 Best Law Firms. In 2021 we were celebrated by the Chambers Europe Award as an ‘outstanding firm’ for diversity and inclusion. In previous years we have been awarded a number of awards, including the Law Society Excellence Award for Large Law Firm of the Year in 2020, Access to Justice at the UK Legal Diversity Awards in 2019 and the Family Law Firm of the Year at the 2015 Family Law Awards, to name just a few. Duncan Lewis is Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO 27001 Information Management accredited.

We look to recruit dedicated and talented employees in both legal and non-legal capacities, and we are always interested to receive applications from quality candidates. Training and diversity are at the heart of Duncan Lewis, and we remain proud of our diverse and inclusive workforce. If you can demonstrate a strong commitment to the areas of law provided by the firm, and you are keen to build a career with us, please with your details and CV.

Child Care Department:

Applauded by The Legal 500 has ‘an extremely knowledgeable and hugely capable child care team, our highly specialised Child Care Department is ranked and recommended by The Legal 500 UK and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories for its expertise in all aspects of child care law.

Our Child Care Law department approaches each case with a level of understanding only achievable through specializing in Child Care law. The key aspect of our work is assisting guardians to represent a child and representing parents. We act for children, parents and family members to provide expert advice to adopted parents and the birth parents who are considering adoption. The department also advises same-sex couples on child care matters, including child care arrangements following divorce, separation or dissolution of a civil partnership, adoption, co-parenting and surrogacy.

Setting us apart from other firms, the Child Care Law department consists of members of the Law Society Children and Family Panel Members. The majority are also members of the Association for the Lawyers for Children, and of Resolution (formerly known as the Solicitors Family Law Association). Duncan Lewis is one of few firms in the UK that are on the Lord Chancellor’s International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU) referral list. We have acquired a number of kite-marks and accreditations which are testament to the quality of the specialised work our staff undertake. We have had several high profile cases, which have been reported, which include caste, underage marriages and international elements.

Main Responsibilities of the Role

• Report directly to Department Director
• Responsible for all aspects of Child Care work including providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members
• Ability to manage and supervise Solicitors, Trainee Solicitors and Caseworkers to manage appropriate caseload types and complexities
• Assisting with delivery of appropriate training and development in the department
• Variety of duties including dealing with a range of public and private children cases including child abduction, child protection issues, special guardianship and adoption matters as well as undertaking your own advocacy
• You will have a professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and be interested in Business Development and Marketing to supplement the substantial work volumes brought in by the company

Key Skills Required:

• Must have a clean, valid Practising Certificate at the time of applying
• Registered with the Law Society and Children Panel Membership is desirable and committed and highly driven
• Strong management skills
• Committed team player with ability to approach team concerns fairly, foster culture of positive change and encourage cross referrals
• Previous proven supervisory experience and working to key performance indicators
• Professional with a pro-active approach; excellent client care skills and ability to deal with vulnerable clients and resolve complicated practicalities involved in child care issues
• Excellent networking and communication skills with the ability to successfully market the Company and generate new business
• Working knowledge of the publicly funded Child Care work and have the ability to service privately funded cases
• Have extensive experience in dealing with all Child Care work related work and some expertise on adoption matters
• Experience in own advocacy is an advantage
• Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills

What we offer

• Competitive salary
• A fantastic supportive team
• Excellent progression opportunities
• Support for appropriate legal awards/recognition

Law Society Children/Family Accreditation/Resolution:

The Company will support your career progression if you decide to pursue Children, Family or Family Advanced Panel accreditation with the Law Society or Resolution. We will cover the cost of:

• Attending the mandatory training course £1100 (Children Law Accreditation)
• Application fees (approx. £294)
• Annual membership fee (approx. £324)
• Children Law Reaccreditation every 3 years (approx. £618)
• Family Law Reaccreditation every 5 years (approx. £556)

The total cost of progressing onto the Children panel is approximately £1700.

Children/Family Law Accreditation Salary:- Moving forward we are looking to offer all new Children, Family, Family Advanced and Resolution Panel members a base salary of:

• £48,000 in London and within the M25.
• £46,000 outside London.

This salary will apply from the date you are registered as a panel member/accredited with the Law Society. Advancement of the above fees will be subject to our terms and conditions in the contract of employment/accreditation agreement.

The recruitment process will fully comply with GDPR and other applicable laws. Background checks including CRB / DBS checks will establish your eligibility to work in the UK and suitability to the role.

Equal Opportunities:

Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce. We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter if this applies.

APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY AGENCIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THE ABOVE VACANCY

We are the fastest growing firm of Solicitors, with offices across London and the UK. We deal in a wide range of legal services that caters for clients on a public funding or private fee basis. Duncan Lewis is privileged to have several franchises from the Legal Aid Agency.
We look to recruit dedicated and talented employees in both legal and non-legal capacities, and we are always interested to receive applications from quality candidates, whether experienced or novice. If you can demonstrate a strong commitment to the areas of law provided by the firm, and you are keen to build a career with us, please click here to apply online with your details and CV.
Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce. We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter, if this applies.