Paralegal Apprentice

Chelmsford is a vibrant and diverse city in Essex, offering an excellent environment to begin and grow a legal career. Chelmsford City Council is committed to providing a supportive and creative workplace, where professional development is encouraged through ongoing training opportunities. As part of this commitment, the Council is looking to recruit a Paralegal Apprentice to join its in-house legal team.

This two-year post is ideal for someone looking to start their legal career in local government. The apprentice will assist legal staff with a range of duties, including legal research and advice, drafting documents, managing casework, supporting client care, and providing administrative and business support. All legal work is managed through a digital case management system, so confidence with digital tools is essential. The successful applicant will attend the Council’s offices in Chelmsford on most working days, with one day per week allocated for off-site study.

They should be committed, well-organised, and able to work effectively under pressure as part of a team in a digital environment. A basic understanding of local government, including national and local developments such as devolution and reorganisation in Essex, is desirable.

To be eligible for the Paralegal apprenticeship, applicants can only have limited legal qualifications and cannot have significant experience in a similar role. Those with extensive experience in a Paralegal role are ineligible unless their experience is in a distinctly different legal area with demonstrable new learning opportunities. Applicants must not hold legal qualifications above Level 3, such as a law degree.

The Council offers a range of employee benefits, including generous leave entitlement, flexible working, and excellent pension provisions.

Interviews will take place on 30th June and 1st July, with the successful applicant starting in the summer and beginning the apprenticeship course in early September 2025.

Please note, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised closing date if we receive a high number of suitable applications.

Find out more about Chelmsford and Working for the City Council by viewing our Uncover Your Potential brochure above.

Chelmsford City Council is committed to safeguarding vulnerable groups and expects all employees to share this commitment and have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practices across our services. The Council's Safer Recruitment process contains pre-employment checks which includes safeguarding training, obtaining references and ensuring compliance with Disclosure and Barring Service process.

To view further details for this role including a job description, please click the link on the attachments section.