Solicitor or Legal Executive

Location - Liverpool or Birkenhead

Job Purpose:

Deal with all aspects of litigated and non – litigated personal injury claims predominantly of an Orthopaedic and/or technical nature.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

• Deal with Multi Track, Fixed Fee and Portal RTA, PL/OL and EL claims as required with the intention of maximising damages for the client, by considering and pursuing all relevant heads of loss.
• Be able to obtain relevant and necessary evidence (medical or otherwise), liaising with medical experts as necessary
• Instruct Counsel, to attend conferences, hearings and CMC’s, JSMs etc, when necessary
• Undertake telephone advocacy when appropriate e.g. allocation hearings and CMCs
• Take a pragmatic commercial approach to settlements and advising clients as to litigation/cost risks
• Ensure any appropriate instructions are obtained from any relevant lay and/or insurance clients
• Ensure any appropriate instructions are obtained from clients
• Prioritise urgent schedule entries and dealing with remainder of daily tasks on To Do list
• Prioritise Court directions ensuring all directions are complied with in a timely manner
• Achieve and exceed various targets set in relation to WIP, fee income, settlements, closures, issuing and five star client reviews
• Ensure clients are kept informed and up to date on a regular basis throughout the life of the claim by proactive of communication by way of emails, phone calls, video calls and/or meetings
• Build a rapport by speaking/meeting with clients when possible to ensure a consistency of service and to ensure insurers loyalty to the Firm
• Check the authenticity and validity of claims by speaking with clients regularly on potentially difficult files
• Continually risk assess from the outset and duration of the case to ensure that the prospects of success are sufficient to justify continuance and to extract from cases where prospects of success fall below 51%
• To minimise Wip and disbursement write off
• To be proactive in generating work into the team and assisting with business development as requested
• Build a relationship with clients to minimise the possibility of complaints and to enhance the reputation of the Firm and the service it provides
• Ensure that any relevant insurer is kept updated and fully informed as to the progress of any claims to reduce any potential exposure/liability and to increase saving
• To ensure that correct retainers and rates are sent to the client, that costs estimates are updated annually and retainer rates reviewed regularly
• Obtain all relevant documentation from clients at the outset and during the case
• To only instruct experts and counsel that are on our approved list of experts
• Ensure that the correct medical or other evidence is obtained in order that the claim can be advanced and/or maximised
• Discuss liability and/or quantum offers with the relevant parties, making use of the telephone rather than letter whenever possible
• Prioritise incoming daily post/emails and dealing with anything needing urgent attention while the remainder of the post is dealt with expeditiously and in order of importance and productivity
• Assist new or less experienced members of the team with any issues in terms of clients, referrers, external agencies and procedure etc.
• To be involved in the mentoring and training of colleagues in the Multi Track and Serious Injury Teams
• Liaise with Multi Track Team Manager or Head of Multi Track to take more contentious files and deal with them under supervision to expand knowledge and experience
• Where applicable increase numbers of multi-track cases within caseload to further develop own level of experience

Experience & Knowledge:

• A Solicitor, ILEX qualified or file handler of at least 8 years’ experience in the personal injury field
• A proven track record of running a successful portal, fast and/or multi-track caseload within a personal injury environment
• Have a good working knowledge of the CPR and/or and other relevant case law and/or legislation and progressing claims in a timely manner in accordance with the CPR
• Have a good understanding of experience in handling RTA claims
• Excellent client care and analytical skills, to include providing written and oral advice in a clear concise manner
• The ability to liaise and build up a rapport by using effective communication with all external agencies during the life of a claim including medical agencies, investigators, barristers etc.
• Good IT skills with a sound working knowledge of VF or a similar case management system and essential MS Office knowledge
• Excellent time management and organisational skills, with a calm and methodical approach to work, and a flexible and adaptable attitude to resolving issues