Court of Protection Solicitor

Role: Court of Protection Deputyship Team – Solicitor

Duncan Lewis Solicitors (Ltd):

Regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of our key practice areas – “a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients”. A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice – that is our ethos.

Recognised among The Times 200 Best Law Firms, we have been awarded Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards, reflecting our dedication to legal expertise and client service. We hold Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation for over 15 years, showcasing our commitment to professional development. Duncan Lewis is also Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring excellence in practice management and data security.

Court of Protection Department Background:

Our Court of Protection finance team act for the firm’s Trust Corporation as professional deputy and trustee for many vulnerable clients.

You will be responsible for day to day management of our clients’ finances including dealing with one off requests for payments, working out budgets for regular payments for care, therapy and household bills, checking eligibility for benefits, setting up savings accounts and investments, and completing OPG reports.

Most of the team’s clients have received damages awards and we work closely with the in-house litigation teams and with litigation teams in other firms. We advise litigators on acting for clients with capacity issues and we regularly act as expert on likely deputyship costs. We set up Personal Injury and Disabled Person’s Trusts.

We also deal with deputyship applications for lay deputies, and support lay deputies with applications for approval of family care payments, property purchase approval and completing their OPG reports.

The team has been ranked by The Legal 500 and the team director is ranked in Chambers. Client testimonials say that the team is “knowledgeable about all things Court of Protection” and they are “empathetic, approachable and diligent.”

This a relatively new Court of Protection team which is fast growing and very busy. The team works closely together and prioritises providing a high level of client care and a very efficient service.

Main Responsibilities of the Role:

Report directly to Department Director
Professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and a sensitive and sympathetic understanding of clients’ needs;
Assisting with Court of Protection matters including day to day conduct of deputyship files, deputyship and other Court of Protection applications;
Updating accounts and completing OPG reports;
Instructing capacity assessors and financial advisors;
Drafting trust deeds;
Dealing with correspondence;
Maintaining accurate time costing procedures;
Implementing any recommendations made by your supervisor following monthly file reviews ensuring that these are dealt with promptly;
Ensuring compliance with file management.
Responsible for all aspects of Court of Protection work and on occasions, where appropriate providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members.
Variety of duties including dealing with a range of Court of Protection matters including personal injury trusts; ACC approval and property purchase applications; deputyship applications and on-going deputyship administration.
You will have a professional pro-active approach in Business Development and Marketing to supplement the substantial work volumes brought in by the company.

Key Skills Required:

Must have a clean, valid Practicing Certificate at the time of applying
Demonstrate experience in professional property and affairs deputyship work
Clear understanding and knowledge of Court of Protection practice and procedure and the Mental Capacity Act 2005
Committed team player, self -motivated and professional
Professional with a pro-active approach; excellent client care skills and ability to deal with vulnerable client matters in a sensitive manner and resolve issues in a pragmatic way
Excellent communications skills to work effectively with all types of people
Excellent networking skills with the ability to successfully market the Company and generate new business.
Excellent analytical and organizational skills
Ability to use own initiative and sound judgment
Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills

What we offe:

Competitive salary
A fantastic supportive team
Excellent progression opportunities
Support for appropriate legal awards/recognition

The recruitment process will fully comply with GDPR and other applicable laws. Background checks including CRB / DBS checks will establish your eligibility to work in the UK and suitability to the role.

Equal Opportunities:

Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce.

We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter if this applies.