Law Clinic Innocence Project Practitioner

18217BR

School of Law and Politics

Teaching & Scholarship

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Law Clinic Innocence Project Practitioner - Teaching & Scholarship
School of Law and Politics

The Cardiff School of Law and Politics is making a significant investment in our pro bono activity.  We want to expand our social justice mission activities by providing advice to the local community in Cardiff by helping people deal with their legal issues through an externally facing Law Clinic.  This is one of three posts that is available.

We are looking for a practitioner with specialist criminal appeals expertise to assist and supervise students who are undertaking work on miscarriages of justice in the School’s award-winning Innocence Project, as part of an expanded/refocused innocence project team.  Our innocence project reviews cases where people are maintaining their innocence of serious criminal convictions. We are the only UK university innocence project to have succeeded in overturning a conviction (we have two successes to date). The practitioner will take a lead on progressing cases to appeal, and will have an appreciation of the difficulties this involves in the current England and Wales appeals system. The appointees will also be responsible for delivering skills-led elements of the curriculum, building at least part of that around their clinical activity.

The appointees will also be responsible for delivering skills-led elements of the curriculum, building at least part of that around their clinical activity.

For further information or an informal discussion, please contact Dave Cowan, the interim Head of School, at [email protected] ; or the co-Heads of Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education, Professor Julie Price and Professor Jason Tucker, at [email protected] .

This post is full time (35 hours per week), open-ended and available to start from 1 July 2024.

Salary: £39,347 - £44,263 per annum (Grade 6)

Date advert posted: Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Closing date: Sunday, 10 March 2024

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Job Description

As part of our innocence project team, to co-manage clinical student activity (both assessed and non-assessed) on criminal appeals (and related) work, including progressing cases to appeal as permitted within relevant professional regulations, reporting to our Innocence Project (co)Directors. This includes reviewing and investigating potential cases that might be eligible for a first appeal out of time, or referral to a practitioner where legal aid might be available, or making submissions to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. The work would be part of our overall law clinic portfolio, supervising students, and could include creating and developing links with forensic experts and other pro bono supporters.
To carry out administrative duties within the work area as required.  To undertake an ancillary mainly but not exclusively skills-based teaching load, within the undergraduate and postgraduate provision within the School, including to support and assist the law clinic manager with all activities relating to that client-facing clinic.  To pursue excellence in teaching and inspire others to do the same.

Teaching 

•    Exclusively working on our Innocence Project, independently and as part of a team
•    Contribute to module and curriculum development as part of a module team and support assessed and non-assessed clinical and employability-focused modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels with a criminal appeals focus, inspiring students under the guidance of a mentor / module leader.
•    Develop skills in assessment methods and in providing constructive feedback to students
•    Supervise the work of students including the supervision of Undergraduate and Master’s students and the co-supervision of PGR’s, where required.
•    Manage projects relating to own area of work and support the organisation of external activities such as placements (with the Placements Manager) and client/prison visits/meetings 

Scholarship
•    Contribute to scholarship in the area of work through participation in conferences, seminars and other academic and professional forums to disseminate the results of individual scholarship
•    Engage in scholarly activity through journal articles and/or outputs which advance knowledge within the area of work
•    Contribute to scholarship through interdisciplinary working with individuals and teams within, and external to, the wider university community
•    Carry out other forms of scholarship including work associated with examinations (setting and marking paper and providing constructive feedback to students), administration, participation in committee work

Other

•    Engage effectively with industrial, commercial and public sector organisations, professional institutions, other academic institutions etc., regionally and nationally to raise awareness of the School’s profile, to cultivate strategically valuable alliances, and to pursue opportunities for collaboration across a range of activities. These activities are expected to contribute to the School and the enhancement of its regional and national profile
•    Undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance in the role of Lecturer

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Person Specification

It is the School's policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. You are required to submit written evidence/demonstration of how you fulfil each of the Essential Criteria in the Person Specification (and where possible the Desirable criteria), using the same order/numbering in which they appear. Please save as 'Name_18217BR_Supporting Document' when uploading your attachment in order that it can easily be identified.
Please note: shortlisting does not progress if any of the essential criteria is not evidenced as met.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education
1.    Professional qualification entitling the applicant to practise as a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive with at least three years’ post-qualification experience.  If a barrister, able to obtain authorisation to conduct litigation.
2.    Evidence of post-qualification experience advising and representing clients in a criminal appeals context, which may include advising in public or private practice, the third sector, or in a university law clinic setting.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
3.    Experience of working in a university criminal appeals law clinic or innocence project, or as a criminal appeals practitioner.
4.    Awareness of the ethos of innocence projects in the context of recognising the limitations of the criminal appeals system and a desire to actively support calls for reform
5.    Excellent interpersonal, administrative, and management skills.
6.    Ability to design, deliver and continuously develop modules across the School’s teaching programmes. 

Pastoral, Communication and Team Working
7.    Excellent communication skills with the ability to present complex problems clearly and confidently to others using high level skills
8.    The ability to provide appropriate pastoral support to students, appreciate the needs of individual students and their circumstances and to act as a personal tutor.
9.    Proven ability to demonstrate creativity, innovation and teamworking within work.

Desirable Criteria

1.    Qualification in Higher Education Teaching and Learning
2.    Proven ability to work without close supervision
3.    Evidence of ability to participate in and develop both internal and external networks and utilise them to enhance the teaching and research activities of the School
4.    A willingness to take responsibility for academically related administration.

Additional Information

...../Continued from job description

•    Participate in School administration and activities to promote the School and its work to the wider University and the outside world
•    Supply pastoral care through both acting as a Personal Tutor and providing support and guidance to students, building and establishing trust
•    Attend and support clinical educational committee meetings, and to participate in law clinic management activities as a law clinic team member.
•    Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role

Job Category

Academic - Teaching & Scholarship