Reeds Solicitors LLP are a successful and established legal practice, and we pride ourselves on excellence. We have an exciting opportunity for a proactive and experienced Duty Solicitor to join our busy South West area. Candidates should be able and willing to cover the following areas: Bristol, Bath, Swindon, Sailsbury, Cheltenham, and Gloucester.

Our expectation is that the successful candidate will participate on the out of hours Police Station rota as well as the Magistrates Court Duty Scheme. We will consider candidates who are qualified Criminal Solicitors who will commit to undertaking their magistrates court qualification within the first 12 months of employment.

Solicitors would have the opportunity to develop skills and assist with Crown Court Litigation and Private Magistrates Court work. Within these roles there is significant opportunity to progress within and between departments, a chance to secure work related bonuses and internal training 

Role and Responsibilities:

• Meeting and interviewing clients to give advice on the relevant law in criminal allegations and take their instructions.
• Manage their own case load, often taking cases from the police station all the way to trial.
• Draft applications, documents and letters that may arise during the course of a criminal case.
• Preparing client’s proof of evidence and replies to prosecution witness statements.
• Representing clients in court.
• Instructing barristers or specialist advocates to appear in the Crown Court.
• Attending at the police station to advise clients where necessary.
• Travel across the area and the wider business to represent clients in Court.
• Working in a team, sometimes referring cases to the head of department.
• Supervising and delegating work to trainee solicitors, paralegals and legal secretaries as appropriate.
• Any other duties as directed by the Team Leader or a member of the Management Team.

Person Specification:

• Must hold Duty Solicitor Status or be willing to undertake the Magistrates Court Qualification within the first 12 months of employment if they don’t have a Duty Solicitor Qualification.
• Must hold Police Station Accreditation
• Highly dynamic with the drive to generate work for the firm.
• Self-motivated and commercially minded, as well as having good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must be proactive in seeking to manage and progress files and apply a consistent attention to detail.
• The ability to work within a high pressure, high workload environments.
• Excellent understanding of client care requirements and a commitment to Criminal Law.
• Be self-confident, proactive and able to develop good working relationship with third parties including court staff, counsel and the Crown Prosecution Service.
• Excellent time management and organisation skills.
• Resilient with the ability to cope with everchanging priorities.
• A flexible approach and willingness to help, across all teams and departments, with a “can do” attitude.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office package and the ability to learn and efficiently use both practice and case management software.

Salary:

Up to £40,000 per annum depending on experience.

Why Work for Us?

We are a forward thinking, dynamic, Leading Top Tier Legal 500 company, who put their clients and employees first. We are a fun and flexible firm with good opportunities for development and career progression, in fact we have been award-shortlisted for our flexible working and wellbeing policies. We expect a lot from our employees but in return we offer:

• The ability to earn up to 30 days of holiday with years of service (standard holiday packages start at 21 days plus all bank holidays);
• Additional paid day off on your birthday.
• Ability to purchase a further 5 days of holiday each year.
• Discretionary additional holiday days given at Christmas (up to a maximum of 2 days)
• Flexible working schemes available to all employees.
• Private medical health care with the option to add optical and dental care.
• Discounted gym memberships.
• Fresh fruit baskets in each office on a weekly basis.
• Cycle to work scheme, including e-bikes.
• Unlimited access to online based training, structured regulatory checks and weekly ‘top tips’ to enhance and support remote working.
• A culture of respect for colleagues and the best possible service for our clients.
• Employee assistance programme with access to physical, mental and emotional health advice & webinars, wellbeing videos and programmes, online counselling & mini health checks.

How to Apply:

Please email your CV to recruitment@reeds.co.uk with the job title clearly stated in the subject line.