Paralegal

About the role

Hertfordshire County Council's Lexcel accredited Legal Team provides a full legal service across all specialisms to both the County Council and other public sector bodies and are looking for a Paralegal for our Childcare Litigation team. The child litigation team provides a high-quality litigation and advice service to the Director of Children's Services and the Children's Services Department.The team deal with a variety of public law proceedings under the Children Act 1989 and Adoption and Children Act 2002, as well as providing advice and support with the Public Law Outline pre-proceedings process. The paralegals in the team work closely together and individually supporting the lawyers to progress cases and ensuring the needs of our client department are met. The team have excellent working relationships with external stakeholders such as the court service, cafcass, police colleagues and others. As a paralegal in the team, you will work with the lawyer responsible for the case to Maintain and revise court bundles and ensure that these are sent to the Court and parties to proceedings within required timescale Undertake routine case management, for example acknowledge receipt of statements and documents, file and serve evidence, and liaise with the Court. Draft straightforward legal documents including care order applications, part 25 applications, letters before proceedings, briefs to counsel, and letters of instruction to experts. Obtain costs estimates and availability of expert witnesses. Gather evidence, and documentation, including taking statements from lay witnesses; preparing witness templates and dealing with the administration tasks necessary to ensure final hearings take place. Participate in any other areas of work in the Legal Services Department when required to do so by a Principal Lawyer. Manage day to day tasks independently without the need for close or prescriptive supervision. About you Essential: Have as a minimum a law degree or equivalent qualification Previous legal work experience Have excellent oral and written communication skills Forge and maintain relationships with a wide range of professionals. Demonstrate the ability to work under pressure and be able to organise and prioritise your workload Desirable: Have experience or exposure in Childcare Litigation You'll need to have the ability to travel around Hertfordshire, and further afield to different offices and courts. using your own mode of transport It's no secret it is a challenging time for local government.With a wide-ranging variety of cases, it's an exciting time to join us and develop your skills and gain experience as part of our hard-working, friendly, supportive team. We want to hear from you if you are keen to progress your career in local government, and have great interpersonal, organisational, and drafting skills and want to work in a dynamic team. We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role. This job role is Level 9. Please locate the job profile here: To hear more about this opportunity please contact for an informal discussion about the role. Interview Date: w/c 15th June 2026 Alison Stuart or Lu Vagan How to apply As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities.You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences. Additional information DisabilityConfident We are proud to be a and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. English Fluency The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required).