Education Lawyer

Slater and Gordon Lawyers (UK); Birmingham; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

35 hours per week

25 days holiday allowance plus bank

Buy and sell annual leave

Employee Referral scheme

Annual Bonus Scheme

Digicare+ Workplace App

Employee Assistance Programme

Group Income Protection

Health and Wellbeing Programmes

Life Assurance cover

Workplace pension

Discounts hub

Dental Insurance

Free legal help and discounted lawyer‑

Job summary

Slater + Gordon is recruiting an Education Lawyer to join our Education team. You will handle your own education cases, ensuring provision, placements and therapies for children with special educational needs and disabilities, across Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham offices.

You will manage client instructions, draft tailored documents, and liaise with specialists to secure outcomes while building your own caseload and supporting firm growth.

Qualifications

• Analytical mind and methodical approach required.
• Excellent time management and priority setting.
• Strong written and spoken communication skills.
• Experience in education/public law or transferable skills beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Provide a timely and professional service to clients.
• Meet and talk with clients to establish suitability and cost.
• Take client instructions and implement them.
• Monitor costs and update clients on cost estimates.
• Advise clients on relevant law and issues in person, by phone, email or video.
• Maintain accurate matter records in the firm's case management system.
• Ensure deadlines are recorded and met.
• Draft legal documents tailored to client needs.
• Negotiate with clients and other professionals to achieve objectives.
• Research and analyse documents and case law for accurate advice.
• Correspond with clients and opposing solicitors/Authorities.
• Attend meetings with clients and opposing parties.
• Instruct barristers or specialists for tribunal appearances.
• Advise on instructions of independent experts for proceedings.
• Delegate work to trainees and paralegals as needed.
• Aim to build own caseload alongside existing referrals.
• Participate in marketing events and share duties within the team.

Skills

Analytical mind

Methodical approach

Time management

Communication skills

Job description

We are currently recruiting for a talented Lawyer to join our Education team.

We are open to receiving applicants to work from either our Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham offices.

You will be assisting on and running your own education cases. You will play a vital role in securing appropriate provision, placements and therapies for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide a timely and professional service to clients
• Meet and talk with clients to establish the firm's suitability to provide the necessary advice and services, based on the firm's specialism and likely cost.
• Take client instructions, and ensure they are implemented appropriately.
• Monitor clients’ costs in respect of their cost estimate and ensure that clients are updated where necessary.
• Advise clients on the law and legal issues relating to their case in person, via telephone, email, and virtual meeting as appropriate.
• Maintain an accurate and up to date record of each matter within the firm’s case management software.
• Ensure that all relevant deadlines are recorded and adhered to.
• Drafting the necessary legal documents for each case ensuring they are tailored to the client’s individual needs
• Negotiate with clients and other professionals to secure agreed objectives.
• Research and analyse documents and case law to ensure the accuracy of advice and procedure.
• Correspond with clients and opposing solicitors/Responsible Bodies
• Attend meetings with clients and opposing parties.
• Instruct barristers or specialist advocates to appear in tribunal for the client
• Advise on the instructions of independent experts to act in legal proceedings.
• Delegate work to trainee solicitors and paralegals as appropriate, providing clear instructions, and support where required.
• Expected to bring in cases and build own caseload as well as working with existing referral sources
• Attend marketing events to provide free legal advice and promote Slater + Gordon services. This will occasionally require evening and/or weekend working and/or overnight stays. Such marketing events to be equally shared amongst the legal team.
• Contribute to social media, produce articles, PowerPoint presentations and work with charities as required

What We Are Looking For

• A sharp and analytical mind
• A diligent and methodical approach
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to plan work and prioritise tasks.
• Excellent team working skills.
• A passion for and/or special interest in special educational needs and disability law
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• An approachable and considerate nature
• Commercial awareness and negotiating skills.
• Ability to use initiative.
• A flexible approach to work and openness to new ideas
• Ability to prioritise work and respond to interruptions to planned workload.
• Ability to deal with urgent deadlines.
• Ability to stay calm under pressure.
• Experience working in education/public law or in a complimentary area where your skills are transferrable.

What We Offer In Return

We have a wide range of core and voluntary benefits:

• Hybrid working – 2 days per week working in the office (must live a reasonable distance to commute to the office)
• 35 hours per week – Monday to Friday
• 25 days holiday allowance plus bank holidays
• Buy and sell annual leave up to 5 days
• Employee Referral scheme
• Group Incentive Plan (Annual Bonus Scheme)
• Aviva Digicare+ Workplace App providing you with services including annual health checks, access to Digital GP's, mental health consultations, 2nd medical opinions and much more
• Employee Assistance Programme where you can access free webinars for stress awareness and counselling sessions
• Group Income Protection which will support you with an income if you are unable to work long term, as a result of a qualifying illness or injury
• Health and Wellbeing Programmes and apps including gym discounts, private medical insurance, cycle to work scheme, meditation sessions and much more
• Life Assurance cover
• Workplace pension
• Benefits Hub providing discounts to over 700 services including cinema tickets, food and drink, travel, and high street stores
• Dental Insurance
• Free legal help and discounted lawyer led legal services

Your Professional Development

We will support and encourage you with developing your career with an award- winning law firm. We run courses across our offices and are continuously monitoring and updating the learning and development offering based on what you tell us. We can support you with your continuous professional development by providing funding for professional qualifications, attending external training courses and providing you with a range of internal learning resources.

Our Values

Like all great businesses, we strive to recruit the best people and uphold the highest legal standards. Our people bring something a little different. We hire people who can challenge, remove roadblocks and deliver outstanding customer service. That's why at Slater + Gordon we go further with our values.

How we work is guided by the S+G Way. This means:

• We do what we say we will
• We don't wait we create
• We own it, we sort it
• We respect and encourage each other
• We make time to live

The S+G Way defines the specific behaviours and actions that our colleagues and our customers care about the most. We know this, because our colleagues helped to create the way, through a series of interactive workshops and interviews.

For further information, please contact [e-mail]

Please Note - Vacancies may close prior to the expiry date displayed, subject to volume of applications received.

The Company

The Company has experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years. We have a vast number of employees, and provide support to clients from all over the country.

Education Lawyer