Could You Be an Independent Peer Reviewer?

Now Recruiting - Independent Peer Reviewers in Crime (including Prison Law) and Civil (Mental Health, Immigration & Asylum, Family & Housing.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) working with Professor Sherr of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) are recruiting experienced legal aid practitioners to be Independent Peer Reviewers in all categories.

Could you be an Independent Peer Reviewer?

You will need to be a legal aid practitioner who provides a high quality service to your clients, with wide casework and supervision experience, whilst guiding the careers of your colleagues. You should be a solicitor or have a relevant legal qualification.

Peer Reviewer Applicants Personal Specification.

As an Independent Peer Reviewer, you will assess the quality of work carried out by legal aid providers and work with independent experts who manage the peer review process. There may also be opportunities to work with the LAA on quality issues requiring practitioner experience.

Casework Experience minimum requirements:

1.  Must have a minimum of 1500 hours’ post qualification casework experience under the LAA contract in the specialist category of law. At least 1000 of these hours must be personal casework. The remainder may consist of direct supervision of casework.

·  Must have a current caseload in the specialist category of law.

·  Must have experience of a full range of cases within the specialist category of law, in terms of case type and complexity.

·  At least 50% of time spent working (casework, supervision training etc.) in specialist category of law.

·  If applying for Crime Peer Reviewer, you (or your firm) must have a 2017 Crime contract.

Supervisory Skills minimum requirements:

·  Currently must meet the LAA supervisor requirements set out in either:

o  the LAA’s Specialist Quality Mark (SQM) Standard; or

o  the Law Society’s Lexcel Practice Management Standard.

·  Is employed as their organisation’s “named” supervisor in specialist category of law under a current LAA contract.

·  Currently must supervise other fee-earners/caseworkers.

·  Experience of supervising staff in the “specialist” category of law

·  Experience of supervising (preferably in at least 2 organisations)

o  at least 4 high level fee-earners/caseworkers, plus

o  fee-earners/caseworkers with different levels of experience (e.g. trainee solicitors)

If you are interested, please email for an application form and further background information. The closing date for applications is 8th September 2017