Paralegal

The role

Shakespeare Martineau is seeking a Paralegal for their Birmingham office. This role will support fee earners, particularly within the Corporate Governance team, to ensure the firm meets its regulatory and professional obligations.

What you'll do

• Carry out client due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD) checks, including identity verification, beneficial ownership analysis, source of funds and source of wealth reviews
• Screen clients and related parties against sanctions lists, politically exposed persons (PEP) lists and adverse media
• Run conflict of interest searches, assess the results, and escalate potential conflicts to the right decision-makers
• Review new client and matter inception requests to check they comply with the firm's risk appetite and policies
• Help team leaders to ensure MLS is compliant with the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the UK financial sanctions regime
• Help maintain and update any AML risk assessment, matter risk assessments and related policies, controls and procedures
• Carry out ongoing monitoring and periodic reviews of existing clients
• Help prepare responses to regulator queries, the SRA's AML questionnaires and other regulatory returns
• Track regulatory developments that affect the legal sector and summarise them for stakeholders
• Maintain Coadax Legal’s risk register, complaints and claims logs, and breach registers
• Help with file reviews, compliance audits and thematic reviews, and report findings and recommendations
• Support the professional indemnity insurance renewal by gathering information and data
• Draft and update compliance policies, procedures and guidance notes for Coadax Legal
• Help design and deliver training on AML, conflicts, confidentiality, data protection and other compliance topics
• Act as a first point of contact for compliance queries from colleagues across the firm

What we're looking for