Risk Paralegal

It’s the people at Shakespeare Martineau that make us so special. By understanding what our people want, giving them the support they need, recognising everyone’s contribution and realising the unique power of teams, together we win.   As a firm we are focused on proactively building and developing diverse teams, bringing different backgrounds, personalities and perspectives together. We play to our strengths, pushing ourselves to be consistently better than yesterday and deliver amazing solutions for our clients. We empower our teams with a high degree of individual responsibility; we self-manage and encourage everyone to be responsible for their own learning, knowing it makes us even better at what we do!    

We believe in trusting our people to make the right decisions for themselves, from when and where you work, to how you dress; we focus on outputs.  

Our Risk team of around 8 people is based in the Birmingham and Leicester offices.  Reporting to the Compliance Officer for Legal Practice, the team takes a proactive approach and works closely with the firm to manage risk, ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and embed a best practice culture across our eight offices. 

The role:

We have a brand new opportunity for a Paralegal looking to join our Risk team.

You will support the wider Risk team in all areas, with the priority being advising staff and partners on risk and compliance matters, investigating and responding to complaints, and drafting policies. If time allows, you will also be involved with other areas of the Risk Team’s work.

This role would suit someone with a proactive approach to problem solving, who enjoys and works well under pressure, and is looking for excellent development in a collaborative team.

You key duties will be:

• under supervision, responding to queries from partners and staff regarding client due diligence, conflicts of interest, GDPR, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and terrorist financing, tax evasion, and other risk and compliance matters
• under supervision, investigating and responding to complaints raised against the firm
• assisting with drafting of policies and procedures
• supporting the team with the firm’s response to Data Subject Access Requests
• document production and general correspondence
• diary management, handling of telephone calls, dealing with queries where appropriate
• legal research
• assisting in implementing a risk management programme for the various parts of the business

Skills and experience you will have:

• a minimum of 6  months’ experience in a similar role in a legal environment, preferably within a risk and/or compliance team
• excellent organisational skills
• first-class IT skills
• excellent communication skills – written, verbal and report writing

Key competencies you will need:

• strong interpersonal skills and the confidence to handle sometimes challenging telephone calls
• excellent attention to detail and accuracy, as well as the ability to prioritise workload
• the ability to communicate effectively at all levels
• commitment, flexibility, and a team player approach drive, enthusiasm, commitment and a team player approach
• the ability to work independently, using your initiative when required
• to be comfortable working as part of a team and receiving feedback to develop in your role
• a flexible approach with the ability to change plans as circumstances evolve
• to be keen to learn new processes and develop your knowledge in the context of your role
• to be resilient and able to work in a fast paced environment

About you – you will be:

• highly enthusiastic, willing to go the extra mile and be happy to go beyond the job description
• respectful towards others and have a positive, willing and ‘can do’ attitude
• keen to learn, interested in driving your own career progression and be proactive in taking ownership

Agile Working:

We embrace agile working and offer a blended approach to where and how we work.

We appreciate that people have different needs and preferences and we’re keen to be flexible, after all, we value what you do, not where you do it.

We have hubs in Birmingham, Leicester, London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon, Lincoln and Sheffield.  This role will be predominantly home based with travel as required into any of our office hubs.

Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer.  We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures.  We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences.  Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.

Want to find more about our amazing benefits?

Please be aware, for some vacancies, where we receive high numbers of applications we may need to bring the close date forward.

Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found here.

Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.