FAQ’s - Stones Solicitors

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FAQ’s

FAQ's - General Questions

FAQ's - Solicitors

FAQ's - Support Staff

General questions

What does Stones employment benefits package consist of?

• A competitive salary
• 25 days holiday
• Paid company sick pay
• Stones Group Personal Pension scheme
• Death in Service scheme
• BUPA and PHI for Fee Earners

How do I apply for a job?

Our website holds a list of our current vacancies with a job description and person specification for each to provide you with all the information you need about each post.

If you have the relevant experience you can apply either by sending your CV or completed application form to Maria Jones at Linacre House, Southernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX1 1UG, or you can email it to her at ew@stones-solicitors.co.uk

If you have any queries regarding the position the Human Resources Department can be contacted on 01392 666867 and will be happy to answer your queries.

What happens at interview?

Usually there are 2 or 3 people on the interview panel, one of whom will be from the department that has the vacancy; one may be the Head of the Division and the other a member of the Human Resources Team.

Our interviews have been designed to enable both you and Stones to get the best out of the process and for you to present your application as comprehensively as possible. It is important that during the interview we get to know you as person as well as a candidate and to find out what you can contribute to Stones.

What are the office hours and can I work part time?

Stones core office hours are normally 09.00 to 5.15 with an hour for lunch. Part time posts occur occasionally and Stones will consider all requests for flexible working in its desire to support a work life balance.

When are salaries reviewed?

Our annual review process generally takes place in July.

Do you have any childcare arrangements?

Stones provide Childcare Vouchers from a reputable national provider. These are on a salary sacrifice basis and are a more tax efficient way to pay for childcare for parents. More details are available from the Human Resources Department upon joining Stones.

Do Stones have any staff social events?

Stones currently have an annual Christmas party for all employees which is eagerly anticipated from about September onwards. All staff are invited and the cost is borne by the Firm. Time off during the day is given for this event.

We also have a quarterly get together in each office usually on the last Friday, where we all enjoy a glass of something and some nibbles and take some time to chat to each other.

Does Stones have a pension scheme?

Stones operate a defined contribution Group Personal Pension scheme details of which are supplied to staff after 10 months. For support staff providing you contribute a minimum of 4% of your salary Stones will contribute 6% of your gross monthly salary. If you are a Fee Earner Stones will contribute 2% to your 3% of salary contributions.

How does Stones staff know they are valued?

Stones value its staff highly and from time to time find ways of saying thank you to everyone for their contribution to the success of the firm and have for some years now given all staff Christmas Eve as an extra paid day.

Does Stones get involved with any community activities?

Stones are a strong supporter of the Corporate Games which is an annual event organised to raise funds for the Lord Mayors Charity. We also support Wooden Spoon in a number of events and in future will canvass staff to select a different charity for specific support for each year.

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FAQ’s Solicitors

How is the firm structured?

Stones management structure information can be found in the about us section

How does the billing target work?

Stones sets challenging but realistic targets for its solicitors taking into account the area in which they work and their time in post.

What are my chargeable hours likely to be?

Stones tend to work to a chargeable target of 1250 hours per annum.

What training support can I expect?

Stones provide support for CPD training activities and also with identifying other training that will contribute to the growth of your skills and also your career development. We are keen to ensure that we identify the Associates and Partners of the future and provide them with the necessary support to achieve their goal.

What career opportunities are there?

There are always career opportunities at Stones and whilst we don’t approach this in a predetermined way we are always open minded about the career aspirations voiced by our staff and endeavor to support and assist these. We identify the potential of our staff and plan for their development in an individual way by structuring their training and experience to develop their skills and knowledge.

We have many staff that have joined Stones at a junior level and progressed through their career to a senior level. It has also been know for a solicitor to change from one specialism to another or for a solicitor to identify a niche market and have the support of Stones to develop it. We watch for the different strengths that our staff demonstrate and seek to help them develop.

How can you in the south west provide quality work and clients?

The south west has a thriving business and legal community with many clients with long standing business interests and also those that have relocated their business to the south west. We have a broad base of work with a highly successful private client portfolio and many key commercial clients with a long history of loyalty to and business with Stones.

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FAQ's Support staff

What sort of support roles are there in a firm of solicitors?

Stones in common with most law firms have a team of support staff who provide other services either to the Firm or to the client. These roles include:

• Legal secretary
• Legal cashier
• IT professionals
• Administration staff
• Human Resources staff
• Finance and Cash office staff

What skills do I need to become a legal secretary?

Stones generally recruit legal secretaries that have a minimum speed of 60 words per minute, audio dictation and where possible some previous experience in a legal environment. We do however provide all the necessary training in our IT and dictation system for all new joiners.

Do you employ legal fee earning staff who are not solicitors?

Yes we do we have several groups of staff that are not solicitors but undertake an element of legal work. Often they will have targets of their own but this is not always the case. This would include the posts of:

• Legal Executive
• Paralegal
• Conveyancer

Can support staff have a career with Stones?

We have some Legal Executives and Paralegals that joined us as a Legal Secretary and have gone on to study for the relevant examinations to become a Legal Executive or Paralegal.

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             Stones is an equal opportunity employer