Criminal Solicitor

Criminal Solicitor - South Yorkshire

My client, a leading Yorkshire law firm, is looking to recruit a Criminal Solicitor to join their offices. In this role you will work across a number of offices, including Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley, advising clients of the firm on criminal law matters.

The Person

You will ideally:

• Have previous experience of advising and representing clients at the police station on a wide range of criminal offences;
• Have experience of conducting your own advocacy in the Magistrates' court (Higher Rights qualifications and experience in the Crown Court would also be advantageous);
• Have excellent communication skills and the ability to remain calm and advise clients in sometimes high pressure situations;
• Have excellent organisational and time management skills;
• Be a qualified solicitor with excellent previous experience in criminal litigation (duty solicitor accreditation would also be advantageous);
• Be confident working with a variety of IT packages;
• Be passionate about providing the highest level of client care at all times and publicly funded work;
• Have experience of billing on criminal litigation matters;
• Be a good problem solver and be able to respond to clients efficiently and in good time;
• Be able to work to targets;
• Be able to work independently and as part of team; and
• Be keen to develop and grow within the role.

The Role

• Advise both privately paying and publicly funded clients of the firm on a wide variety of criminal law matters, ensuring that the highest levels of client care is followed at all times;
• Run your own caseload of criminal law matters being accessible to your client and maintaining contact with them throughout;
• Meet with clients and provide representation when needed at court;
• Attend at police stations, both in and out of office hours when required;
• Liaise, meet with and instruct other parties relevant to the client's case e.g witnesses, expert witnesses, barristers.
• Utilise the case management system to ensure that all protocols are correctly adhered to;
• Assess clients for public funding and representation;
• Draft legal paperwork and negotiate settlements;
• Deal with legal billing and liaise with the Legal Aid Agency when necessary;
• Conduct legal research and keep up to date with any changes in the law;
• Ensure that professional accreditations are maintained; and
• Work with other departments of the firm to ensure that work is referred successfully between different teams.