Your Role
and What You'll Be Doing
We are looking for a Paralegal to join our Asbestos and Occupational Disease team which will be based from in Leeds, but working across all offices.
Our Asbestos & Occupational Disease Team deals with occupational disease claims, which includes a significant number of asbestos related disease claims (mainly mesothelioma). The team handles a high proportion of litigated cases, many of which are dealt with on an expedited basis in the High Court. The Asbestos & Occupational Disease teams at Irwin Mitchell don’t just deal with compensation claims. We also work with our clients and their families to ensure all of their support needs are met. It’s a unique, bespoke approach that really makes a difference to people whose lives have been turned upside down by an occupational illness diagnosis.
You don’t always need to have a law degree to work as a Paralegal at Irwin Mitchell. In the Asbestos & Occupational Disease Team we’re keen to have you on board if you are a great team player and willing to learn quickly. You’ll be involved in supporting Solicitors with their caseload right from the beginning, so this is a fantastic opportunity to gain real, hands-on experience in a law firm.
Your role will involve but is not limited to:
1. Take instructions from clients and assist with the giving of legal advice, including obtaining evidence and, where appropriate, assisting with litigation, to achieve appropriate resolutions for the clients.
2. Achieve time recording and fee income targets to ensure profitable working.
3. Attend and contribute to team/practice area meetings and comply with directions/decisions made to ensure team objectives are achieved.
4. Keep up to date with changes in relevant law and practice and attend appropriate training events to ensure up-to-date legal knowledge and best practice.
About You
What We're Looking For:
5. Empathy and compassion to help guide our clients through challenging personal circumstances
6. A friendly, enthusiastic and can-do approach
7. Ideally, some previous Paralegal experience
We’re proud of our values, and we’re looking for people who share them:
8. To be pioneering with an imaginative outlook
9. To be approachable and caring
10. To be tenacious in the pursuit of our objectives
11. To be efficient in the provision of our services
12. To work with a foundation of integrity.
If this sounds like you, we’d love to receive your application.
Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You
13. 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
14. Generous and flexible pension schemes.
15. Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
16. Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.
We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.
We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!
Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.
Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.