
Keely joined the firm in May 2022 as a Paralegal who sits in the Legal Solutions Centre in Plymouth. She is part of the Dispute Resolution team working together with embedded lawyers to defend consumer claims on behalf of clients in the telecommunications; retail; construction and energy/ natural resources sectors. Keely provides commercially sound advice directly to client stakeholders on pragmatic strategies to secure a successful result.
She was promoted to Associate Paralegal, and again to Assistant Managing Paralegal, both within 18 months of her first legal role.
In respect of fee-earning work, Keely manages an active caseload across several clients, including complex multi-track, fast-track and small claims track claims, as well as resource planning, allocating and deploying appropriately skilled paralegals to fulfil client requirements. Keely delivers team-wide training sessions and is also a dedicated supervisor of junior team members' pre-action work and billing.
Keely is also heavily involved in the general management of the team and their workstreams/capacity levels, including recruitment and the subsequent onboarding process.
Experience
Keely's experience includes:
- Defending small claims, fast-track, intermediate track and multi-track claims - with all that this entails, including acknowledgments of service, notices of acting, defences, directions questionnaires, witness statements, set aside / strike out / summary judgment applications, applications to vary an order, applications to substitute a party, instructing counsel, consent / tomlin orders, preparing e-bundles, compiling hard copy bundles, preparing statements of costs, notices of hearsay, requesting judgment on a counterclaim, defending injunction applications, pursuing costs orders, liaising with the court to file documents and chase for directions, dealing directly with opponent firms and litigants in person.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution - providing commercial advice on maximum authority figures for settlement and then attending telephone mediation appointments, preparing without prejudice correspondence, engaging in settlement negotiations, taking a commercial approach where necessary.