Grade: JK -M
Salary: £35,745 up to £48,474 per annum pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time/ 37 hours
Locations: Flexibility over agreeing which one of our Council Offices locations the role is based from with hybrid working opportunities and a requirement to cover the North Yorkshire area for hearings and meetings.
Close date 6th October 2024
We are looking for a Education (SEN), Employment, Litigation Lawyer/Solicitor who can join our supportive team to provide legal support on a range of legal matters that relate to the Council. We welcome applications from background in any of the above disciplines as training will be provided as required to ensure the successful candidate can cover all areas of practice.
The role
In this diverse and fast paced role, you will assist the Legal Manager (Peoples Services) and the Education/Employment/Litigation team to provide a comprehensive legal service to the Council, Directorates, Committees and Members. A significant aspect of the role involves legal advice and representation within Tribunal of a diverse portfolio of Special Educational Needs & Disability law. In addition, as this role sits within a wider team, there will be a requirement from time to time to offer advice in relation to Employment Teams and Litigation on litigious matters such as Employment Tribunals and debt recovery. The team also trade services internally and externally via First North Law and you will be required to support all aspects of this service which include a schools helpline and provision of advice to external clients. Training and support will be provided as required to ensure you can meet all needs of the service and First North Law.
Our Team
Our Legal Service is part of a sizeable Legal and Democratic Services (‘LDS’) within the Central Services Directorate consisting of more than 60 lawyers. We provide a range of services to the County of North Yorkshire, and the role of the Legal Service is to support the provision by providing a comprehensive and efficient legal service to the Directorates, the Council’s Executive, full Council, Committees and Members, and external clients.
First North Law generates revenue for the Council by offering traded legal services to external clients. The nature of the work requires a flexible and versatile approach as it will change from time to time in response to the changing needs of the Council, and its developing initiatives. The post is required to work with colleagues and Members at every level within the organisation, with external clients and partners, and to manage the performance of staff within its responsibility.
The budget of the service is in part dependent on income from external sources and the post must play its part in ensuring successful income generation and in ensuring compliance with Law Society Professional Standards. To be successful you must hold a Solicitor, Barrister, Chartered Legal Executive, or equivalent qualification, and ideally have demonstrable knowledge of law in civil litigation and debt recovery and preferably Special Educational Needs and Education though training and support can be offered if required and candidates with knowledge of one discipline are invited to apply. You must have exceptional verbal and written communication skills, good presentation and interpersonal skills and have the ability to critically analyse diverse information presented in a variety of formats and make recommendations relating to decisions which involve careful analysis of legal risk. Knowledge or experience of working in Local Authority is advantageous but not essential, we would welcome applications from the private sector.
Flexible Working Opportunities
As an organisation we strongly believe in promoting a work life balance, with flexible working opportunities and modern technology you will be able to deliver your role to suit both your personal and our business needs. Our core hours are Monday to Friday 08:30 to 17:00, but with our flexible arrangement, you may work your contracted hours around your personal circumstances with the additional benefit of collating flexi hours. You may also benefit from regular homeworking though there will be requirement to work from the office at times.
Benefits for Working for us.
In return for your hard work and dedication to our service, we can offer you the chance to be part of a strong and supportive team. We offer exceptional company benefits such as salary sacrifice schemes in technology, professional qualifications, and green car schemes. You will also benefit from a variety of competitive employee rewards such as generous leave entitlement and local government pension scheme. We also offer exceptional salary sacrifice schemes and well as discounted retail offers, health schemes to name but a few. More information is found in our Total Rewards Brochure.
If you are interested in playing a key part in our Legal team and would like to have an informal conversation, please contact Rachael Hansen on 01609 532082 or Nigel McCloy on 01609 532233.
Key dates
Close date: 6th October 2024
Interview Date: Week commencing 14th or 21st October 2024
Venue for Interview: County Hall, Northallerton or via Teams/Zoom
Key documents
Total Rewards Brochure
This is a politically restricted post as defined by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
NYC are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies.
We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) advertise vacancies on behalf of schools and external organisations (third parties) in North Yorkshire. NYC are not responsible for the recruitment/employment practices of third parties and accept no liability in relation to the vacancy and any subsequent recruitment/employment processes. Enquiries regarding the vacancy or practices should be made directly with the third party.