Luqmani Thompson (London) – Solicitor / Accredited Senior Caseworker
- Job title: Solicitor / Accredited Senior Caseworker
- Location: London
- Salary: Competitive salary starting from £27,000+ for accredited caseworkers and from £35,000+ for qualified staff
- Contract: Permanent (3 month probationary period), hybrid working
- Hours: Full-time
- Benefits: 5 weeks’ holiday.
Luqmani Thompson are looking to recruit a qualified solicitor, from newly qualified to 3 years PQE and/or experienced a Law Society accredited Senior Caseworker to join our team.
The successful candidate will be accredited as a Senior Caseworker (Law Society Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme) and/or have at least 1 years’ experience in immigration, asylum, nationality, human rights and/or public law.
About the firm
We have firmly established ourselves as a sector leader and are recognised by our peers and clients alike for our high-quality legal work and excellent client care. We have been nominated for many awards and won the coveted Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year, litigated leading asylum and human rights caselaw, provided expert reports for court hearings, trained numerous professionals, both internally and externally, appeared in the media, and been recognised by the leading legal directories and ranked by The Times Best Law Firms three years in a row for being within the top 250 law firms in the UK
Our practice covers the full range of immigration, asylum and nationality law including EUSS schemes, business and personal migration and protection and human rights. It covers routine immigration applications as well as contentious litigation, including appeal work and judicial review.
Our expanding public law work covers challenges to certification, negative trafficking decisions, NASS issues, age assessments, policy challenges and unlawful detention.
We offer private client services, but also retain a very strong commitment to social justice work, including ensuring access to justice by continuing to provide publicly funded legal services. We are a compact team and commentors often describe us as punching above our weight and being fearless advocates.
Benefits
Our lawyers are experts in their field and we are committed to ensuring all our lawyers reach the echelons of their potential, pushing boundaries and all the while providing a high standard of work and client care. In addition to exciting and rewarding work, we provide a work environment which fosters open communication, offering opportunity for growth alongside tailored supervision and support where employees feel empowered to contribute their best work. We are a cohesive team; we encourage a positive work-life balance, balancing the hard work with some light relief.
There may be opportunities for support for accredited Seniors Caseworkers who are seeking to qualify, subject to satisfactory performance and proven interest in a career with us.
We are a modern practice, taking advantage of technologies to improve our efficiency, and we are largely paperless.
About the Senior Caseworker role
Casework
- Advising and representing clients, on a number of cases agreed with the supervisor in charge of your overall work;
- Assisting in other case matters on behalf of qualified fee-earners where requested;
- Undertaking legal and other research;
- Drafting letters, and briefs to counsel and instructing experts or other third parties;
- Drafting letters of representations and making applications on behalf of clients.
- Case administration
- Case opening, file management and archiving;
- Entering and managing information on our case management system;
- Contributing to the management of our template letters and documents and other casework resources including our systems and procedures;
- Making timely Legal Aid applications and billing matters promptly;
- Processing case invoices promptly and in accordance with the firm’s policy
General administration/ support
- Overseeing some the office admin duties covered by the non-accredited paralegals;
- Acting as ‘buddy’ for the induction procedure of new paralegal entrants.
Learning and Development
- Attending internal and external training as required or as requested and approved by a supervising solicitor;
- Participating and contributing to training within the firm;
- Research and writing blogs for our social media, in accordance with the website rota.
Compliance
- Complying with the office Handbook which sets out in detail information about the firm’s plans, procedures and policies which when complied with ensure overall compliance;
- Ensuring you maintain up to date accreditation and DBS checks, or such other qualifications which are essential to your role.
Person Specification (Senior Caseworker)
- Accredited as a level 2 Caseworker or above under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme;
- A strong commitment to social justice work and enthusiasm to be involved in all aspects of our work as part of our team;
- Excellence in managing time effectively and balancing involvement in a variety of tasks;
- Self-driven, with an ability to work independently;
- Ability to work flexibly, and prioritise when juggling a variety of competing tasks;
- Good written and oral communications skills, with ability to draft documents and structure arguments logically;
- Basic numeracy skills;
- Capable of working productively and professionally with vulnerable clients;
- Strong organisational skills;
- Good attention to detail and ability to follow instructions;
- IT literate;
- Proficient in basic administrative tasks;
- Desirable but not essential to have a degree or equivalent;
- Commercial awareness of the importance of attaining time recording targets specified for the role (minimum 5 hours daily).
About the Solicitor role
Casework
- Taking private client enquiries and developing fee generation activities;
- Having conduct of cases with a broad mix of case type including private client matters;
- Case assistance in relation to partners or associate solicitors’ caseloads, as required;
- Undertaking legal and other research;
- Drafting letters, and briefs to country and instructing experts or other third parties;
- Drafting letters of representations and making applications on behalf of clients;
Case Admin
- Case opening, file management and archiving or ensuring appropriate supervision when such tasks are delegated;
- Entering and managing information on our case management system;
- Making timely Legal Aid applications and billing matters promptly;
- Processing case invoices promptly and in accordance with the firm’s policy
Networking, Learning and Development
- Attending internal and external training as required and authorised by the firm and to maintain continuing competence as required by the SRA;
- Participating and contributing to training within the firm;
- Research and writing blogs for our social media, in accordance with the website rota or other instructions by a partner.
- Networking with internal and external colleagues.
Compliance
- Complying with the office Handbook which sets out in detail information about the firm’s plans, procedures and policies which when complied with ensure overall compliance;
- Ensuring you maintain up to date accreditation and DBS checks, or such other qualifications which are essential to your role.
Person Specification (Solicitor)
- Admitted Solicitor and as a level 2 Caseworker or above under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme;
- Strong commitment to social justice work;
- Excellence in managing time effectively and meeting strict deadlines;
- Self-driven, with an ability to work independently.
- Ability to work flexibly, and prioritise when juggling a variety of competing tasks;
- Ability to effectively delegate tasks, with clear instructions and provide the appropriate level of supervision;
- Good written and oral communications skills, with ability to draft documents and structure arguments logically;
- Basic numeracy skills;
- Proven ability to work as part of a team;
- Capable of working productively and professionally with vulnerable clients;
- Strong organisational skills;
- Good attention to detail;
- IT literate;
- Proficient in basic administrative tasks;
- Commercial awareness of the importance of attaining time recording and fee earning targets specified for the role.
How to apply
Applicants should submit a CV and cover letter, to enq@luqmanithompson.com.
We particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups in the legal sector.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.