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JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON
SPECIFICATION
Litigation Paralegal
“Thank you for showing an interest in the Parole Board"
The Parole Board is an independent court-like body that is responsible for carrying out risk
assessments on prisoners to determine whether they can be safely released into the
community. We do that with great care and public protection is our top priority.
All Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a
significant risk to the public after release. Not all decisions Members make are popular,
but they make these decisions fairly and objectively. The Parole Board covers parole work
across England and Wales, including conducting hearings across all prisons and working
with witnesses from the probation service, prison service, psychology as well as with legal
representatives. So - we are both complex and we are interesting!
The Board is made up of about 180 members of secretariat staff based in our London
Head Office and approximately 320 Members who make decisions on risk and hold
hearings at prisons around the country.
The Parole Board is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry
of Justice. Staff who work for the Parole Board Secretariat are Public Servants and not Civil
Servants.
Job Title
HEO Litigation Paralegal
Department
Legal & Policy
Team
Legal
Job Grade
HEO
Number of
2
Posts
Reports to
Lead for Litigation
Job Purpose
Oversee, assess and respond to all pre-action correspondence for
damages claims, including challenges and the negotiation of
settlement. challenges and negotiate settlement.
Action and progress non-disclosure appeals and transcript requests.
Support the Legal Officer (EO) with their duties, and deploy and
train the EO so that they may undertake their role effectively.
Scope of
The Legal Team is a small team with an important role to play
Responsibilities: handling public and private law claims against the Parole Board, and
managing other tasks and queries of a legal nature.
This is a fast-paced and interesting role, involving claims for
compensation made against the Board as well as overseeing
transcript requests and non-disclosure appeals.
The role requires individuals to work effectively within established
protocols, Parole Board procedures, and in line with Parole Board
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Litigation Strategy and the relevant law. The post holder will work
within the organisation and with external law firms to ensure this
process delivers value for money and is fully compliant with the
law.
Alongside the other Litigation Paralegal, with the support of the
Lead for Litigation, you will be responsible for responding to pre
action claims for compensation, defending claims where
appropriate, and negotiating settlement where appropriate in line
with the relevant policies and procedures.
You may also need to assist with some of the other work carried out
by the Hub.
Legal Specific:
• To effectively oversee, assess and respond to pre-action
damages claims against the Board, including challenges to
pre-action responses and offers.
• Negotiate the level of settlement (if/ when appropriate).
• Escalate financially large and/or complex claims to the Lead
for Litigation.
• Assist the Lead for Litigation with their caseload of sealed
damages claims.
• Ensure that all records relevant to damages claims are
accurately recorded on the relevant spreadsheets.
• Manage and progress non-disclosure appeals.
• Manage and progress transcript requests.
• Obtain data for the Parole Board Annual Report by reviewing
the litigation spreadsheets/logs.
• Assist the Lead for Litigation with the Legal Provisions.
• Provide financial breakdowns of litigation compensation pre-
action with EO support as and when needed.
• Ensure training material on non-disclosure appeals, transcript
requests and pre-action damages claims are kept up to date.
• Support the Lead for Litigation in updating the Legal Position
statement and with the development of guidance, where
required.
• Ensure all work is conducted in line with policy and guidance
and to agreed timescales and quality standards.
• Communicate, share and help the Board to embed learning
themes arising from damages claims, non-disclosure appeals
and transcript requests.
General:
• Line management of 1 EO Legal Officer, ensuring HR
processes are followed, performance is managed and learning
and development needs are met.
• Contribute to the Legal and Policy Hub’s business plan and
appropriate organisational and corporate policies.
• Engage with members and stakeholders on a daily basis.
• Support the Parole Board’s professional reputation through
good quality work, which has been checked for factual and
legal accuracy.
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• Ensure all work is conducted in line with legislation, policy
and guidance and to agreed timescale and Quality Assurance
standards.
• Accurately record and input information into systems such as
spreadsheets and databases.
• Collect and analyse data within the team and provide
statistics to the Legal and Policy Hub SEOs and Senior
Leaders as required.
• Communicate, share and help the Board to embed learning
themes arising from litigation and other areas of work.
• Project manage specific projects as directed.
• Role model leadership, management and professional
behaviours in line with the Parole Board’s vision, values and
Success Profiles.
• Facilitate individual and team performance and development.
• Facilitate and deliver training to new members of the team as
well as across the hub for increased resilience.
• Represent team interests as required and appropriate e.g. at
meetings, working groups and committees at an operational
and strategic level, appropriate to the role as assigned and
for development.
• Support member engagement and training activities,
including assisting in the content and delivery of such
activities.
• Attend national and regional meetings and events which may
require occasional travel and/or overnight stays.
• Provide assistance across the Legal and Policy hub functions
as required.
Person
Specification
Essential
• Excellent interpersonal skills in building good working
relationships within the team and stakeholders (internal and
external).
• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills with
experience in relaying complex information in a simple,
digestible format at all levels.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to plan ahead
and effectively manage a workload with competing priorities.
• The ability to interpret, understand and analyse a wide range
of legislation, policy and practice guidance.
• Be detail-focussed and accurate.
• The ability to work responsibly in dealing with
confidential/sensitive information, maintaining and enhancing
the reputation of the organisation
• Adaptable to change.
• Ability to follow complex processes, policies and guidelines.
• Experience in using Microsoft Programmes.
Desirable
• Previous experience in damages claims.
• Experience using PPUD.
Some understanding of the parole process and experience of
working in the criminal justice system.
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Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
• Making an effective decision
• Communicating and influencing
• Managing a quality service
• Delivering at pace
Accessibility
The Parole Board is a disability confident recruiter. Accessibility requests will be carefully
considered and, where reasonable, actioned.
Whilst the Parole Board office is principally located in London, and, for the purposes of
organisational management and administration, it is not required to conduct business in
Welsh. However, the Parole Board welcomes applications from candidates who speak
Welsh and English as part of its commitment to treat both languages on a basis of
equality in the conduct of public business and administration of justice in Wales, so far as
is both appropriate and reasonable, and to reflect the community it serves.
Recruitment campaigns will be conducted in English online.
Office requirements
This role is hybrid. You will be required to spend 20% of your time in person contact. This
is either at the PB office, an MoJ hub office, with PB colleagues, members or MoJ
colleagues or in training.
If you are a national candidate please be aware that if successful you will be expected to
attend the Canary Wharf office at least quarterly for team or staff meetings. Travel for
these purposes will be reimbursed for national employees.
This role will require some travel outside of these requirements.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.
The level of security needed is Basic Check.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Strengths.
At the sift stage, you will be assessed against Behaviours and a statement of your suitability
for the role and of how you meet the essential criteria. Should a large number of applications
be received, the initial sift may be conducted using a lead behaviour. This will be the
behaviour which is listed first in the job advert.
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Interviews will be undertaken remotely. As part of the interview, there will be a thirty-
minute written assessment.
Any persons successful in gaining an interview will need to provide photographic ID, and
two items which prove address dated within the last three months. Failure to do this may
result in the successful applicant’s offer being withdrawn.
If you are part of the Civil Service and are applying for a job in a non-departmental public
body (NDPB) (or vice versa) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer and you
may break the statutory rules on continuity of employment.
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