Housing Solicitor Director – Leeds

Duncan Lewis Solicitors; Ledston; Hybride; GBP 65 000 - 90 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Excellent progression opportunities

Support for appropriate legal awards/…

Résumé du poste

Duncan Lewis Solicitors seeks an experienced Housing and Litigation solicitor to lead and deliver high‑quality advocacy across homelessness, disrepair, eviction and related matters. You will advise, mentor and supervise a team, handling challenging cases with sensitivity and strong client care.

The role requires 3+ PQE, proven court representation, and a current practising certificate, with hybrid-working and opportunities for progression within a leading national firm.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of PQE with proven housing and litigation experience, including court representation.
• Experience as Duty Advisor under Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme in the last 2 years is essential.
• Must meet the 2013 SQM Supervisor standard in Housing, or be willing to work toward it.
• Strong management and team supervision skills are required.
• Excellent client care skills, ability to handle vulnerable clients with sensitivity and discretion.

Responsabilités

• Report to the Board and ensure performance targets are met.
• Provide technical expertise and guidance across housing work to the team.
• Represent clients in housing matters, including homelessness, disrepair, eviction and possession cases.
• Supervise Solicitors, Trainee Solicitors and Caseworkers; manage caseloads and priorities.
• Contribute to training and development within the department; support marketing and business development.

Connaissances

PQE 3+ years

Housing & Litigation

Duty Advisor Housing Possession Scheme

Management skills

Client care

Formation

Qualified Solicitor with Practising Certificate

Description du poste

Job Description:

Duncan Lewis Solicitors (Ltd):

Regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of our key practice areas – “a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients”. A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice - that is our ethos.

Recognised among The Times 200 Best Law Firms, we have been awarded Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards, reflecting our dedication to legal expertise and client service. We hold Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation for over 15 years, showcasing our commitment to professional development. Duncan Lewis is also Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring excellence in practice management and data security.

We are committed to recruiting dedicated and talented professionals and welcome applications from exceptional candidates. At Duncan Lewis, we value training and diversity, and we take pride in our inclusive workforce.

Housing Department Background:

Noted for its "sustained legal conviction combined with outstanding advocacy" our Housing team, is ranked and recommended by The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK for its services in social housing UK-wide, providing assistance to both landlords and tenants on all housing issues. We handle both publicly funded (legal aid) and privately funded legal services in homelessness, disrepair, unlawful eviction, succession for tenants, neighbourhood problems, and possession proceedings.

Our solicitors are highly experienced in finding solutions to housing disputes and aim to address the issues quickly and effectively. The department regularly represents clients at all court levels (including the appeal Courts) and is extensively experienced at handling all housing related judicial review matters at the High Court.

Main Responsibilities of the Role

• Report directly to and collaborating with the Board to ensure performance targets are met
• Responsible for all aspects of Housing work including providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members
• Significant experience in representing clients as Housing Court Duty Scheme over the last 2 years.
• Ability to manage and supervise Solicitors, Trainee Solicitors and Caseworkers to manage appropriate caseload types and complexities
• Assisting with delivery of appropriate training and development in the department
• Variety of duties including dealing with a range of Housing cases including Homelessness; Disrepair; Eviction; Possession; Property Ownership Disputes; Succession for Tenants; Housing adaptations; Social Housing; Neighbourhood Problems matters as well as undertaking your own advocacy
• Dealing with emergency cases and identifying and carrying out strategic litigation.
• Preparing and managing funding applications to the Legal Aid Agency
• Preparing draft documents including witness statements and processing evidence
• You will have a professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and be interested in Business Development and Marketing to supplement the substantial work volumes brought in by the company

Key Skills Required:

• 3 Years+ PQE with proven experience of Housing and Litigation, including court representation essential
• Must have experience as Duty Advisor under Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme over the last 2 years
• Must meet the 2013 SQM Supervisor standard in Housing, or willing to work towards this
• Experience in welfare rights and community care issues Must have a clean, valid Practicing Certificate at the time of applying
• Strong management skills
• Committed team player with ability to approach team concerns fairly, foster culture of positive change and encourage cross referrals
• Previous proven supervisory experience and working to key performance indicators
• Professional with a pro-active approach; excellent client care skills and ability to deal with vulnerable client matters in a sensitive manner and resolve complicated practicalities involved in Housing issues
• Excellent networking and communication skills with the ability to successfully market the Company and generate new business
• Working knowledge of the publically funded Housing work including legal representation and legal help and have the ability to service privately funded cases
• Have extensive experience in dealing with all Housing related work
• Experience in own advocacy is an advantage
• Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and able to use HR systems
• Experience within the legal sector is preferable
• Ability to manage social media activity to promote the Company

What we offer

• A fantastic supportive team
• Excellent progression opportunities
• Support for appropriate legal awards/recognition