Elements and Performance Criteria
- Plan and prepare for the provision of support in legal assistance
- Prepare and process documents involved in legal assistance matters
- Documents are identified, prepared and processed in accordance with legal practices and procedures
- Documents are despatched/served in accordance with legal practices and procedures
- Incoming documents are checked for completeness and timely delivery and sender is contacted where insufficient information is provided or deadlines are not honoured
- Requests for information are reviewed with legal officer and identified documents are retrieved, copied and despatched in accordance with legal practices and procedures
- Perform research to support instructing legal officer
- Files are reviewed and research requirements are determined in conjunction with instructing legal officer
- Relevant documents and exhibits are retrieved and processed
- Precedent and case law are retrieved, researched and reviewed and summaries are made where appropriate
- Interviews are conducted in accordance with legal and ethical frameworks
- Summaries are forwarded to instructing legal officer and explanations are presented where necessary
- Assist instructing legal officer to prepare for legal assistance matter
- Where appropriate, the different legal assistance matters are identified
- Communications from client, police and other authorities and details of client's status are communicated to instructing legal officer
- File is discussed with instructing legal officer and work is planned and diarised
- Availability of legal officers is canvassed and details are forwarded to instructing legal officer to facilitate engagement
- Where applicable, opposing party's legal representative is contacted on behalf of instructing legal officer and relevant information is exchanged
- Briefs for legal officers are prepared and delivered in conjunction with instructing legal officer
- Liaison and communication between instructing legal officer and other parties is facilitated
- Reminders of pending critical dates are forwarded to relevant persons
- Conduct legal assistance administration
- Relevant administrative instruction is prepared/processed
- Participants are notified of relevant details
- Court/tribunal personnel are notified
- Post trial/tribunal/case resolution all documents are collected and archived as appropriate, outcomes are processed, accounts are prepared and relevant reviewing authority is notified where appropriate