Legal Director (temporary full-time cover)

Location: London (with some flexibility to work remotely)
Salary: £49,000-£52,000 (dependent on experience)
Start date: Immediate (interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis)
Contract: Fixed term contract to June 2022. JCWI is undertaking a strategic review, to be completed in spring 2022, after which we will make a permanent position available.

Role Summary:
The Legal Director oversees the management and operation of the Legal and Casework Department, is a member of the Senior Management Team and is a Solicitor & Senior Caseworker within the Department. The Legal Director provides oversight on grant-funded projects and governmental and partner service level agreements of our legal work.

Reports To:
- Chief Executive

Supervising:
- Up to four solicitors/ senior caseworkers in line with Legal Aid Agency (LAA) requirements;
- One trainee solicitor;
- One Legal Assistant/ One administrative support officer

Duties:
- Oversee the work and the development of JCWI’s legal & casework department in accordance with the organisation’s mission, vision and values;
- Supervise and support the work of individual caseworkers and regularly monitor the quality of advice, undertaking monthly file reviews and regular appraisals;
- Monitor the department’s financial performance and staff development and lead the development of a culture of improvement, learning and support;
- Lead the recruitment of caseworkers and support staff and ensure that departmental resourcing needs are identified, discussed and actioned;
- Mentoring and supervising legal staff including deputy legal directors;
- Ensure that all departmental issues are addressed in accordance with the JCWI Staff Handbook and Policies;
- As the SRA authorised training principal, ensure that the department’s training requirements are satisfied;
- Act as the quality representative for the purposes of the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM);
- Act as the Legal Aid Agency’s point of contact, responsible for ensuring compliance with LAA requirements, overseeing preparation for LAA audits and peer reviews;
- Act as the initial handler of complaints received about the provision of legal advice by JCWI;
- Overall responsibility of ensuring departmental compliance to JCWI financial procedures;
- Work with the Chief Executive and Operations Director to ensure that all relevant regulatory requirements are met, and all departmental financial activities are reported and managed appropriately;
- Contribute as a member of the Senior Management Team to the development of organisational plans, policies, budgets and strategies and to the timely delivery of accurate financial reports and accounts including participation in the annual audit process;
- Provide legal advice and undertake casework in accordance with:
o The Law Society’s standards of professional conduct;
o Policies, procedures & practices outlined in JCWI’s casework manual;
o The Legal Aid Agencies standard contract & specification;
- Support the provision of telephone advice line services and undertaking casework arising from calls to these advice lines;
- Maintain a balanced caseload of private, legal aid, controlled and certificated files;
- Ensure prompt & accurate billing of all files, with support from administrative staff, and working with the rest of the team and the Legal Director to ensure the department’s continued financial sustainability;
- Ensure that the legal department maintains accurate time records and reporting using JCWI’s Case Management System (currently Advice Pro);
- Ensure timely submission to the legal billing coordinator/consultant for prompt & accurate billing submission of all files to the LAA, with support from administrative staff;
- Ensure representation of member of legal team in the legal-communications weekly meeting
- Work with the Policy, Campaigns and Communications teams to facilitate the legal team’s contribution to organisational advocacy objectives;
- Represent JCWI in the media and at external meetings, where appropriate;
- Chair weekly team meetings and attend and contribute to weekly management and monthly staff meetings;
- Represent the legal department communicating its priorities, challenges and working by attendance in meetings of the JCWI Executive and Finance Committee;


Person Specification:
Essential:
- Alignment with JCWI values and mission with a clear demonstration in professional career to promote social and racial justice
- Proven experience (at least 5 years) of providing immigration advice and undertaking casework with a minimum level 2 accreditation under the Law Society Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme (IAAS);
- Proven experience (at least 1 year) as an accredited supervising Legal Aid solicitor;
- Experience managing a small team, developing and implementing short and medium-term plans for work and acting as the point-person for all regulatory and compliance issues;
- Excellent legal skills, including being able to provide on-the-spot legal advice over the telephone and at detention centre surgeries;
- Knowledge & experience of conducting Judicial Review cases and claims before the higher courts;
- Experience and understanding of Legal Aid contractual obligations, billing and applications;
- Ability to work proactively, to prioritise effectively and to meet deadlines, with well-developed time management skills;
- Experience and understanding of the different skills and sensitivities required to work and build trust with vulnerable and/or at-risk individuals;
- Good IT skills, including proven experience of casework databases and/or case management systems (such as Advice Pro);
- Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with proven ability to communicate complex legal information clearly and succinctly;
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate and negotiate with a wide range of people internally and externally;

Desirable:
- Experience of delivering legal training courses;
- Experience of writing legal articles and policy briefings;
- Advocacy experience.

How to Apply
If you are interested in this role and believe you meet the requirements, please visit our website and follow the links to the online form. Your application must include an up-to-date CV and a cover letter of not more than two pages outlining interest for the role. JCWI is committed to a policy of providing equal employment opportunities for all and does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, creed or religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. We encourage applications from all those interested and qualified especially those from marginalised backgrounds and with experience of the immigration system themselves.

Interviews: via Zoom, week commencing 13 December 2021. Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis.