Paralegal vacancy for a law graduate in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Summary

A law graduate (or graduate with post-graduate legal qualification) is required to work as a temporary paralegal assistant for not less than 1 year to assist with a busy litigation and advisory practice in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Candidates should have a law degree of at least Upper Second Class from a leading university (including qualifications in commercial and company law) or a post-graduate legal qualification. Recently qualified barristers or solicitors will also be considered. Commencement date to be agreed with the successful candidate. Candidates must possess a full UK, USA or Commonwealth country driver’s licence, or valid international driver’s permit. Remuneration details will be provided to successful candidate. Employment is subject to Turks & Caicos Islands Immigration requirements (details below).

About the firm

Griffiths & Partners is a law firm which started practice on 1st January 2012. It occupies smart new offices on the island of Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos Islands. At present there are five permanent attorneys, Conrad Griffiths QC, David Stewart, David Cadman, Oliver Chapman and BerthaLee Belle. All five are English qualified barristers or solicitors and admitted attorneys in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Details of Griffiths & Partners’ attorneys are available at www.griffithsandpartners.com At present, the firm employs 7 staff: an office manager, three secretaries / administrative assistants and vacation students.

Work Description

Griffiths & Partners has undergone considerable expansion since it opened for business at the beginning of 2012 to reflect the volume of work. We are looking to recruit a legal assistant to work as a paralegal. Our expectation is that the successful candidate will be a recent law graduate with at least an Upper Second Class degree from a leading university (or equivalent) with qualification in commercial and company law, or will have completed their Bar or Law Society professional qualification.

The successful candidate will have previous paralegal experience and will assist us in working on current litigation and advisory work. Work undertaken by the Firm includes some ‘high street’ litigation but is more typically significant litigation in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of the Turks and Caicos Islands. We are involved, for example, in significant multi-jurisdictional litigation involving international law firms and involving specialist leading counsel from Chambers in London. The successful candidate is therefore likely to assist with a variety of work (including legal research) in judicial review, commercial litigation, employment law, personal injury etc. We anticipate that the work will provide rewarding and enjoyable and will give invaluable experience for an ambitious law graduate. It is our expectation that candidates will have some relevant experience, including experience as a paralegal. It is our wish to recruit a law graduate (or equivalent) who is willing to apply their skills to a variety of disciplines which a law firm in a small jurisdiction requires.

Terms of Employment & Remuneration

Employment with Griffiths & Partners is subject to obtaining: -- A Police Clearance Certificate -- Acknowledgment of Griffiths & Partners’ Code of Ethics -- Production of two satisfactory references. We do not approach referees without candidates’ express permission. Wherever possible, these references will be taken up prior to the commencement of employment and are a condition of employment -- Confirmation of academic qualifications (ie certified copies or originals) -- Proof of identity (such as a certified copy of your passport) The posts advertised are on the basis of a full-time contract of employment for one year with two weeks’ paid holiday (plus 12 TCI public holidays). Usual hours of business are 8.30am to 5.30pm but (as is usual in legal practice) additional hours may be required. Remuneration will be discussed in detail with the successful candidate. We are looking for a graduate who is willing to consider living and working in the Turks and Caicos Islands for a period prior to going on to professional qualification and practice either at the Bar or as a solicitor in England & Wales or in another common law jurisdiction. Alternatively, candidates who have already obtained their professional qualification will be considered.

The Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory located a short distance to the south east of The Bahamas and around 580 miles from Miami, Florida. They are easily accessible by direct flights from London, Canada and major North American cities such as Miami, New York, Boston and Dallas. A 2012 government census estimated the population of the Turks and Caicos Islands at 31,458 of which 17,438 live in Providenciales and 3,544 live in Grand Turk. The population grew by 58% from the earlier census in 2001. Population density is 214 persons per square mile overall with 634 persons per square mile in Providenciales and 700 persons per square mile in Grand Turk. 42.5% of the residents of the Islands are Turks and Caicos Islanders, with the majority of inhabitants from overseas.

The official language of Turks & Caicos is English. The currency of the Islands is the United States Dollar. As a British Overseas Territory, the Islands are administered by a UK appointed Governor with a locally elected administration and ministers. The Legal Profession is regulated by the Bar Association and the Legal Profession Ordinance. Lawyers practice as attorneys rather than barristers or solicitors and have both the conduct of cases and also court advocacy. The court system is very similar to that in England & Wales with magistrates’ courts and a Supreme Court (which sits as a Crown Court and High Court). The judiciary is headed by a Chief Justice and there is a Court of Appeal which sits two or three times a year in the Islands. The highest court of appeal of the Islands is the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sitting at Middlesex Guildhall in London.

The Islands have enjoyed very significant foreign investment over the past 20 years and while they are not an established financial centre akin to the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands or Bermuda, they are certainly a centre for commercial and litigation-related practice. There are something like around 20 law firms in practice of the Islands, of which around 6 or 7 would be, in UK terms, ‘medium sized’, namely with 5+ lawyers practising in various fields. There is no income tax in the TCI. There is, however, a contributory National Insurance scheme akin to that in the United Kingdom, the contributions being 3.4% from the employer and 3% from the employee. Health services in the Islands are good with a NHS-style health system operated by InterHealth Canada (TCI) Ltd which operates two new hospitals in Providenciales and Grand Turk. Candidates who are resident in the UK for tax purposes will be liable in the UK for income tax earned outside the UK.

Immigration

Candidates who are offered employment with Griffiths & Partners who are not Turks and Caicos Islanders are subject to the requirement of a work permit which is the responsibility of the employer. Usually, these are granted on a temporary basis in the first place and are renewable. Applicants for immigration status in the TCI are also required to a health evaluation by the Ministry of Health and Human Services. Previously, this was simply a HIV status blood test. With effect from 2nd April 2012 the Ministry announced a Migrant Health Evaluation Program. We are pleased to discuss with any candidate the implications of this policy.

Applications

Applications by way of curriculum vitae which should be sent by email to Griffiths & Partners at recruitment@griffithsandpartners.com by 14th June 2016. Interview of shortlisted candidates will take place initially by telephone and then in Central London on a date to be confirmed. It is proposed that the successful candidate will commence employment as soon as possible on a date to be agreed.

Further Information

Please do not hesitate to contact us (recruitment@griffithsandpartners.com) with your further questions.