Paralegal / Legal Officer Job in London | Higher Education & GDPR Compliance

Job Purpose:

To be responsible for the coordination of legal advice and legal administrative support for a broad range of legal matters and relevant functions of the organisation and its associated companies to include liaison with external legal providers.

Responsibilities:

• Act as the key legal coordinator for all legal matters for the Orgnanization and all associated companies with close liaison with external legal providers when necessary including Employment Law specialists and Commercial Law specialists.
• To coordinate the review of relevant policies and regulations with external legal providers including Employment Law specialists and Commercial Law specialists.
• To coordinate the liaison with governmental authorities i.e. OIA, CMA and consequently update relevant literature in accordance with the advice of the external legal providers including Employment Law specialists and Commercial Law specialists as and when necessary.
• To oversee the organisation of the Prevent & Safeguarding duty with close liaison with the internal HR department and other key stakeholders including maintaining an internal register of Prevent/Safeguarding training
• To review and update from a legal perspective any announcements and disclaimers on various hard copy material and touch points (social media, website etc.) liaising with relevant stakeholders and external legal providers when necessary.
• To draft, review and update contracts/agreements for the organisation and associated companies to include the supply of service agreements required by the business
• To research and coordinate the provision of legal advice to other areas of the business including HR, Admissions, Quality and Academic faculty upon request and in liaison with external legal providers when necessary.
• To keep updated on changes to legislation applying to higher education and update the organisation on any changes pertinent to the business in association with advice given by external legal providers
• To act as the organisation central point of contact for GDPR matters to include liaison with the external Data Protection Officer company and to deal with GDPR legislation for the organisation and associated companies ensuring compliance in all areas
• To provide updates on relevant data protection issues to internal stakeholders
  To coordinate any complaints including external, internal, student and staff (in liaison with HR Department) providing legal advice in accordance with advice sourced from external legal providers.
• To coordinate the conduct of litigation matters with external legal providers and represent the organisation and associated companies in a legal capacity at meetings including the provision of legal representation when required i.e. Employment Tribunals
• To liaise with external commercial legal providers and deal internally with commercial-related matters.
• This list is not exhaustive and may include additional duties as determined by the senior management

Person Specification:

• Experience as a Paralegal or Legal Officer with a degree in Law or legal studies of which law is the major component.
• Experience in providing legal advice and support relevant to the higher education sector (preferred)
• Experience of researching and drafting legal policy papers
• Experience of handling investigations and enquiries leading to legal casework
• Basic knowledge of contract and commercial law with experience of drafting and advising on standard terms of business and supplier contracts
• A good understanding of data protection law
• Ability to give clear and concise explanations of legal issues to non-qualified members of the organisation at all levels on non-contentious and contentious matters
• Ability to write/prepare high quality papers, presentations, reports and briefings for the Executive Committee
• Board and other internal/external stakeholders as and when requested
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with ability to engage with varying audiences
• Able to work well under pressure
• Strong IT/computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft packages
• Ability to work on own initiative, producing high quality work to tight deadlines
• Excellent organisational skills with ability to multi-task whilst remaining focussed
• Ability to identify and establish methods to reduce potential risk or liability to the organisation and its associated companies