Paralegal

Paralegal- £16.00 per hour (16 hours a week)- London, W10

The Role

Do you possess previous experience working within the legal sector? Are you organised and IT literate, with a commitment to client care? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you.

The Westway Trust is a unique charity that stewards the resources of 23 acres of space under the Westway A40. We are seeking a conscientious and organised paralegal to join our growing team.

You will be at the forefront of our efforts to assist clients in successfully applying for various forms of support, including welfare benefits, social housing, utility tariffs, and grants. Reporting to and supporting our Cost-of-Living Crisis Advisor, you will play a crucial role in coordinating the delivery of our busy clinics, which are essential lifelines for individuals in need.

This is a part-time, 12-month fixed term contract, working 16 hours a week over Monday-Friday.

If you are a compassionate, organised individual, wanting to make a positive impact in your community, we invite you to join us in our mission to support those in need.

Key Responsibilities:

• Being the initial point of contact; receiving calls and emails from clients and referring agencies and booking client appointments in an efficient and timely manner.
• Setting up and clearing away after Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinic sessions, (currently, Tuesdays, at St Luke’s Community Centre, 90 Central Street, Islington, EC1, and Wednesdays at Westway Trust, 1 Thorpe Close, Ladbroke Grove, W10). Sessions start at 9.00am and finish around 1.00pm.
• Meeting, greeting and orienting (showing where the facilities are and H&S guidance) clients and volunteers.
• Triaging clients on to our database and referring clients who are out of scope to other relevant organisations.
• Assisting clients to complete online and paper forms both face-to-face and remotely.
• Liaising in a positive manner with our stakeholders, eg. clients, other teams within Westway Trust, our funder, a City Law firm, and our hosts, Westway Trust and St Luke’s Community Centre.
• Responsibility for monitoring our work, completing simple reports, writing case studies, making sure volunteers complete their data entry after advising clients, and running case management statistics using AdvicePro, our case management system) (training on AdvicePro will be provided)
• Recruiting, inducting, training and supervising volunteers both corporate (from the City) and lay (students and local residents)
• Casework; writing up case notes about clients helped.
• Publicising our service.
• Attending relevant meetings and training and keeping resources up-to-date.

The Company

Westway Trust is a dynamic and forward-thinking charity located in the heart of Portobello, West London. Established as a beacon of community-driven change, the Westway Trust is rooted in the heart of North Kensington. As a Westway Trust employee, you will have the opportunity to work in a dynamic and fulfilling environment while making a meaningful difference.

The Person

• A good understanding of the law in any jurisdiction.
• Experience of providing an efficient, customer focused service, with a personable and collaborative approach and ability to provide, develop and maintaining friendly positive relationships with customers, staff, volunteers and other stakeholders.
• Good time management and organisational skills.
• Excellent administrative skills.
• High level of IT skills. Experience of using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and database software (we use AdvicePro)