Caseworker - Court of Protection

**Vacancy details**:
Our growing Court of Protection team has an opportunity for a Caseworker to join its Bristol practice. Our experienced and approachable team work with families, professional advisers and local authorities across the country. You will have the opportunity to work with our experts, providing practical advice and assistance on behalf of people who cannot manage their own finances, for reasons such as mental incapacity, mental illness or following a severe personal injury.

**Role**:Paralegal/Caseworker
**Location**:Bristol
**Hours**:Full Time
**Term**:Permanent
**Vacancy Reference**:1164-PBL

**Who we are**:
You’ll be joining a national law firm that enjoys a strong reputation, made possible by our exceptional people - each chosen for their industry knowledge and passion for their field. We want to help you to reach your full potential, love the work you do and deliver the best results for your clients. It’s our goal to make you feel great about working with us, and we work hard to cultivate a culture that makes it easy for you to stay with us for many years.

We work flexibly and you’ll be empowered to work where you do your best work, balancing your individual needs with the need for us to engage as teams and deliver excellent client service.

Most of our people choose to work in a hybrid fashion, working from home and attending our offices on occasion. Our offices are in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton, and Taunton.

**Day to day, you’ll be successful in this role by**:
In this role you will be responsible (under supervision) for managing the financial affairs of vulnerable people (in particular, those with limited mental capacity due to diagnosis of dementia). This role involves daily direct contact with our clients and with their families, care providers including care and nursing homes, government bodies, benefits agencies and local authorities.

You will support and protect the needs of the individual on a wide range of issues including care arrangements and financial planning/management. The kind of assistance you provide may include making enquiries about clients’ entitlement to benefits with benefits agencies, paying bills, administrating payroll to a privately employed care team, managing their finances, speaking to financial advisors and financial institutions on behalf of the client, liaising with the clients’ family members, and speaking to social services or the client’s care providers.

You will also be responsible with supporting the team with various administration duties.

We are a sociable, friendly team - busy and hardworking, but we ensure a good work/life balance.

It is an integral part of this role that you comply with information security and all firm policies and procedures.

**This role is right for you if**:
You will have a caring nature, seeing this role as more than a ‘job’, taking your responsibilities to our vulnerable clients very seriously, whether the task is big or small. When it comes to individuals’ lives, every detail matters, so you will be someone who considers the wider implications of what you do, and who likes to go the extra mile.

You will be personable, approachable and with a genuine interest in caring for vulnerable adults and in court of protection as an area of law.

This role involves some basic accountancy skills for reconciling client accounts, so good numeracy skills and a competent knowledge of Microsoft Excel is important. You will also need strong written and oral communication skills, being able to adapt your style to communicate effectively with a wide range of professional and non-professional people. As you will be assisting clients in managing their affairs, you will be exceptionally organised, used to working efficiently and accurately, in a busy and varied role. You pride yourself on your professionalism, with a personal touch and a high standard of honesty and integrity.

What is most important is your attitude, personality fit and interest/knowledge in court of protection work. Training will be provided to enable you to succeed in this role and make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable people.

**What we can offer you**:
A career at Clarke Willmott will feel different to other law firms. We thrive on our individual differences and diversity because as a team, we are united by our shared values and mutual respect. Working with us you will feel empowered, valued and free to be yourself in a safe and supportive environment.

Our mission is to help you realise your full potential whilst maintaining a positive work-life balance. We provide a comprehensive learning and development programme and a range of wellbeing initiatives to support your career journey.

There’s no doubt we expect the best from our people and even the occasional extra mile. In return, your dedication and commitment to the continued success of the firm will be rewarded with a comprehensive range of