Closing date: 20 March 2022
Our Law Library is based within our award-winning Cardiff Headquarters and supports our UK based lawyers with research, training, and access to books, journals and online resources.
This is an exciting standalone role giving you the opportunity to manage and make improvements to this vital support function and to contribute to our clients’ success stories.
The Role
Being responsible for the effective management of the library and information services, the role involves dealing with know-how, providing analysis and knowledge management, to include:
- Undertake a full legal and business research service for lawyers and other Central Service teams
- Undertaking library induction training for all new lawyers, paralegals and trainees to ensure they are aware of and know how to use our information resources.
- Manage major online services: legal and business, e.g. LexisLibrary, Westlaw, Practical Law, etc.
- Undertake Companies House research and manage the firm’s subscription to these services
- Provide our current awareness service via Lexis Newsdesk and manage the service
- Contributing to client-facing bulletins
- Providing updates to lawyers on products and services provided
- Maintain information storage and retrieval
- Cataloguing, classifying, indexing and processing new materials
- Producing research papers, briefings, business cases for new services and supporting materials for training sessions
- Act as copyright officer, organising copyright licences and liaising with other departments on copyright matters
- Manage the library budget. Negotiating with suppliers and checking terms and conditions.
- Carrying out project-based work, including planning, design, implementation and support of designated projects as required
- Keeping up to date with developments in librarianship and knowledge management
- Networking with suppliers and fellow professionals in groups such as the LExchange, BRILL, BIALL and CILIP
Required skills and experience
Applications are welcomed from individuals with sound organisational, budget and time management skills and previous experience of running a legal information service or similar. They will have:
- Library/Information degree or equivalent
- Experience of legal information and enquiry work
- Able to summarise and analyse large amounts of information
- Strong IT skills to include Excel
- Experience of working with a Library management system, preferably KnowAll Matrix
- Strong communication skills and an eye for detail
- An understanding of the legal environment
Success in this role requires:
- An ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with staff at all levels.
- Being confident and comfortable operating in a complex multi-stakeholder environment.
- Some flexibility with regards to hours
- Self-motivated with a high level of initiative and persistence
- Flexible and forward-thinking in their approach to work with the aim to provide the best service possible
Life at Hugh James
Although our workforce has grown to more than 500, we have retained and nurtured a unique culture which is based on hard work, exceptional talent, ambition, empathy, innovation and good humour. It is those qualities that have helped us grow the business to where we stand today.
Key to our growth strategy to date has been the recruitment and development of great people. This will remain the case as we look forward to the years ahead. Life at Hugh James is vibrant and full of opportunities.
Our culture is friendly and collegiate, but we maintain the professional atmosphere you would expect from a modern, leading law firm. All our staff have access to industry-leading training and mentoring to ensure they reach their potential.
Some of our benefits on offer include:
25 days holiday plus bank holidays
Two Corporate Social Responsibility days
Birthday day off
Death in service equivalent to twice annual salary
Auto enrolment pension scheme
Occupational sick pay
Enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave
Hybrid working
Employee Assistance Programme
Discounts for local businesses
Professional fees paid (subject to requirement for your role)
Employee recruitment incentive scheme
If you would like to make an application for this role, please visit our website. For further information please contact Hannah Ribeyro.
Hugh James is an equal opportunities and disability confident committed employer.
