Head of Court of Protection

Job Title: Head of Court Protection

Salary Range: £45k - £60k per year

Overview: We are currently recruiting on behalf of a law firm seeking a Head of Court Protection to lead and manage their Court of Protection team. As the Head of Court of Protection, you will be responsible for ensuring the team provides a professional and efficient service to our clients while meeting operational and financial performance Standards. You will be also be responsible for personal case load of professional and lay deputyship clients.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership to the Court of Protection team to ensure effective service delivery.
• Recruit, Select, Train, Develop, Motivate and manage Court of Protection staff.
• Implement and uphold all firm policies and procedures.
• Deliver effective supervision of best practices and case management standards
• Manage a personal case load of professional and lay deputyship clients.

Performance Management:

• To be responsible for the professional standard of work done by the Court of Protection team and to be measured via regular monthly and other file reviews.
• To be responsible for case supervision of all court of protection fee earners in the performance of their case work by monthly file reviews, by day-to-day supervision, discussion and problem resolution in accordance with SRA and Lexcel standards
• To provide supervision, advice, and guidance on technical and professional matters to the members of the Court of Protection team.
• To be responsible for devising, implementing and delivering a structured and ongoing training programme to ensure that all fee earners and support staff have best practice standard knowledge of relevant law and practice.
• To create and maintain a source of best practice template letters and documents, and their continued implementation within the case management system.
• To provide appropriate input and guidance to ensure the firm retains Lexcel accreditation.
• To conduct appraisals and setting objectives and targets for Court of Protection team.

Risk and Compliance:

• To manage and maintain the High Risk Register in respect of Court of Protection matters.
• To be responsible for the supervision of Court of Protection staff in the application of anti-money laundering, source of funds and other due diligence requirements, and to authorise matters to proceed including particularly (but not limited to) property transactions, and to refer to the MD in appropriate circumstances.
• To be responsible for the investigation and review of allegations of professional negligence, and to report to the MD in respect of the same to plan a strategy for response
• To investigate and report potential data protection breaches under the GDPR or similar legislation
• To be responsible for ensuring the department members work with systems and procedures that are Lexcel, and Proclaim compliant, including producing and regularly reviewing templates and precedent documents
• To assist the Finance Manager in ensuring compliance with all VAT and Tax matters, and Accounts Rules relating to Court of Protection transactions

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Admitted Solicitor or Legal executive or equivalent
• At least 8 years' experience of conduct of deputyship files
• experience of meeting deadlines with minimum of supervision
• Direct contact with clients, face to face and over the phone
• Knowledge of statutory duties relevant Court of Protection and deputyship files

Desirable Requirements:

• Having a conduct of trauma led deputyship cases
• Working with electronic case management systems
• working with trade unions
• Ability to provide informal guidance to junior staff as required
• Understanding of the importance of developing and maintaining good client relations

If you are looking for a challenging rewarding role in a reputable law firm, we encourage you to apply for the position of Head of Court Protection.