The current structure of the legal support section consists of the Paralegal Manager with 13 paralegals between the Grade 1 to Grade 5 Paralegal level and the Court Listing Officer (rostering assistant). The Paralegals are separated into a Magistrates Court section and a Supreme Court section. The Family Violence and Sexual offences area has dedicated paralegals who come under the Magistrates Court area in the team structure. Each of these areas is headed up by a Paralegal Grade 5 who assists the Paralegal Manager in the day to day management of tasks, work flows and personnel management.
TRAINING
Another aim of the re-structure was to enhance retention of staff within the paralegal stream, by providing clear career progression and job competency training and assessment.On average, DPP paralegals have 4 years of experience in criminal law paralegal duties and typically have additional legal background and training. All permanent employees in the paralegal area are currently undertaking further legal or criminal justice system related studies at the tertiary level.
In this reporting period the goal for having all paralegal staff undertake professional development and further training at a tertiary level has been realised with all paralegals either having obtained or being in the process of obtaining as a minimum a Certificate III in Business Administration (Legal). In addition to this minimum qualification, the majority of paralegals are undertaking further studies to complete their Certificate IV in Legal Services. Those employed at the Paralegal Grade 4 and above have either obtained or are in the process of obtaining a Diploma of Legal Services.
This process has been valuable in recognizing the current professional skills of the paralegal team, and allowing for professional development within the paralegal stream.
Last year the DPP ran a trial of allocating a dedicated Grade 3 and (above) paralegals assisting counsel in major matters with administrative and research tasks associated with running major trials in the Supreme Court. This has now been implemented on a permanent basis, with two of the previous participants being successful in gaining Prosecutor positions within the Office upon their admission to legal practice.
This year, two senior paralegals close to completing their law degrees instructed prosecutors in several of the Supreme Court’s Blitz trials. This practice has proven to be a great support to senior counsel in their preparation of trials, and provides an excellent environment for senior paralegals to learn about and participate in the preparation of complex criminal matters. This adds to the overall professionalism and experience of both the paralegals and prosecutors.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
ANNUAL REPORT 2011-12 DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS 12
| ← Previous Page |
Next Page → |