Secretary's Office Service Level Agreement
1. Mission
To provide high quality advice and support to the University on legal, governance, insurance and compliance issues.
2. Purpose
2.1 To help you:
- Identify the legal and other services available to you.
- Plan and identify in good time any programmed significant work that is likely to require advice from this office.
- Make the best use of the in-house resource.
- Minimise the use of external legal support and avoid unnecessary legal costs.
2.2 To help us:
- Identify and specify the services you require.
- Prioritise our services according to your needs.
- Plan and specify the resources we require.
3. Key Facts
3.1 Main practice areas: copyright, commercial contracts and projects, criminal records bureau, dispute resolution, data protection, employment, freedom of information, insurance, mediation, property, student complaints, appeals and discipline.
3.2 Licences held: British Geological Survey, Consumer Credit, Educational Recording Agency, Human Tissue Act, Immigration, Newspaper Licensing Agency, and Copyright Licensing Agency (photocopying and scanning).
3.3 Registrations held: Criminal Records Bureau, Information Commissioner
4. Services
4.1 Legal advice
4.2 Insurance
4.3 Training
4.4 Drafting and promulgation of regulatory and policy documents
4.5 Monitoring legal developments
4.6 Advising committees of Council
4.7 Handling student complaints, appeals and discipline
4.8 Legal auditing
5. Remit
5.1 Work which is necessary to protect the interests of the University and to enable it to meet its obligations under the law, the Charter, Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations.
5.2 Support work that is required to meet the University’s objectives.
We will not undertake work which:
- Does not warrant the involvement of the Secretary’s Office and that could be undertaken by your staff with suitable training.
- Does not have a direct bearing on the University’s objectives e.g. arranging personal insurance, individual advice to employees.
- Involves providing belated advice and/or rubber-stamping contracts that are already in place.
- Involves providing advice without full background information.
6. Timescales
6.1 Telephone messages:
We aim to respond to these messages by the end of the following available working day.
6.2 Correspondence (including e-mails):
We will normally respond with comments on contracts/documents or with advice on general matters within ten working days of receiving the relevant documents or query. If further information or documents are required before a response can be given you will be notified as soon as possible of the additional information that is required. If we are unable to respond to any requests for assistance within the timescale you will be notified and supplied with an estimate of when we anticipate being in a position to respond.
7. Availability
7.1 Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.
7.2 By appointment and if possible within seven working days of a request.
7.3 In urgent cases without an appointment but this cannot be guaranteed.
8. Our Approach
The measure of our success is the success of your projects and those of the University. We want to advise in a way that works best for you by adapting to your needs. We adopt a collaborative approach working with you rather than for you.
9. Vision and Values
9.1 Our Vision
To be a great place to work and University centred at all times.
9.2 Our Values
· Straightforward
We will be straightforward, open and honest in all our dealings and we will act with integrity.
· Teamwork
We will place the University’s interests ahead of the agenda of any individual. We will act as one office, recognising the different contributions we each make.
· Mutual Respect
We will take care of each other and we will treat everyone with respect, fairness and courtesy. We will recognise the need to balance personal and work lives.
· Accountability
We will take responsibility for issues and strive to find solutions to the issues you face. Accountable relationships are at the core of our approach. This requires us to adhere to an uncompromising service ethic.
10. What we ask of you
We depend on you to help us provide the most effective service possible. You can help by:
- Avoiding seeing the legal aspects of the project as a discrete issue.
- Providing advance notice of a project that you are working on that may require advice or assistance from this office.
- Providing full information in good time with a description of the background and the work required and timescales that you are working to.
- Inviting us to attend any relevant meetings at the initial stages of your project.
11. External Legal Support
We will work with you to minimise the use of external legal support but may engage agent solicitors or counsel where your requirements for legal services cannot be met, either because:
- Specialist expertise is required which is not available in-house (e.g. use of counsel in proceedings where higher rights of audience are required (Crown Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and above) or specialist commercial solicitors for major complex commercial projects); or
- There is insufficient capacity available in-house to do the work within the necessary timescale.
We will, wherever possible, advise you at the earliest opportunity about the need to use external legal support and discuss with you the anticipated costs and how these are to be paid. In some circumstances costs of external legal advice will be charged to the department.
12. Benefits to you
12.1 Pragmatic solutions are at the core of our approach.
12.2 You can trust us to handle jobs of any size.
12.3 Accessible professionals who communicate effectively at all levels.
13. Our people
Director of Legal Services / Deputy University Secretary (job share)
Jane Bridgwater Ext. 17647 Email: Jane.Bridgwater@bristol.ac.uk
Sue Paterson Ext. 45997 Email: Sue.Paterson@bristol.ac.uk
|
Name |
Contact Details |
Role |
Key Areas of Work
|
|
Ms Philippa Guereca |
ext 88904 Philippa.Guereca@bristol.ac.uk
|
Student Complaints Officer/ Mediation Co-ordinator |
Mediation Student Complaints Appeals |
|
Ms Rachel Paterson |
ext 88093 |
University Lawyer |
Commercial contracts Copyright |
| Mr John O'Sullivan | ext 87686 | University Lawyer |
Immigration
Student Complaints, Discipline, Appeals |
|
Mrs Ginny Hope |
ext 87791 |
University Insurance Officer |
Insurance |
|
Mrs Rashi Jain |
ext 17872 |
Senior University Lawyer |
Employment Law |
|
Ms Sophie Lermon |
ext 87686
|
Non-practising solicitor |
Independent Safeguarding Authority work, Student Complaints Discipline and Appeals Copyright Commercial Contracts |
| Mr Hal Jordan |
ext 17675 |
University Lawyer (Property) | Property |
|
Mr Matt Morrison |
ext 17751 |
Information Rights Officer |
Data Protection Freedom of Information |
|
Mrs Nicola Semple
|
ext 17030 |
Administrative Assistant (Insurance) |
Insurance |
|
Ms Clare Smith |
ext 88916 |
Senior University Lawyer |
Commercial Contracts Copyright |
|
Mrs Laura Trescothick-Martin |
ext 17881 Laura.Trescothick-Martin@bristol.ac.uk
|
University Lawyer |
Student Complaints, Discipline, Appeals Criminal Records Bureau Human Tissue Act |
The above is an indication of the key areas of work but you may contact any member of our team if you have a general enquiry and require our assistance.
14. Complaints
If you have cause for complaint, please inform one of our team who will try to help. If you remain dissatisfied with the action taken or the explanation given, then please contact Jane Bridgwater or Sue Paterson (Directors of Legal Services and Deputy University Secretary). You will normally receive a reply within five working days of us receiving your complaint.
If you think we are doing something well then please also let us know.
May 2009