Lawyer

West Sussex County Council; Chichester; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

West Sussex County Council Legal Services seeks a Lawyer to join the Property Team in County Hall, Chichester. The role spans commercial and residential property and land law, including leases, licenses, easements and title work, with a mixed caseload and drafting duties.

The ideal candidate is a qualified solicitor or legal executive or has equivalent experience, with strong analytical, organisational and stakeholder management skills for a customer-focused service.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or legal executive or equivalent experience at professional level.
• Effective IT skills to draft and compile reports with research ability.
• Strong organisational skills to manage a caseload with changing priorities.
• Ability to present and advise clients and build relationships for a customer-focused service.
• Understanding of commercial property, residential property and land law matters.
• Ability to analyse regulatory materials and present written arguments.

Responsibilities

• Provide leases, licenses, easements and sales advice and draft related documents.
• Prepare title reports and offer general advice on land law matters.
• Analyze and explain legislative/regulatory materials to stakeholders.
• Maintain effective relationships with clients and internal teams.

Skills

Solicitor/Legal Executive experience

IT skills

Caseload management

Client advisory

Property law knowledge

Regulatory analysis

Education

Qualified Solicitor or Legal Executive or equivalent experience

Job description

The Opportunity

Salary: £45,529 to £48,738 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full time – 37 hours per week

Location: Based at County Hall, Chichester with hybrid working available

The Property Team in West Sussex County Council Legal Services has an exciting opportunity for a Lawyer to join the team. We are looking for someone who can provide clear and balanced advice in relation to commercial property, residential property, and land law matters. The role will require you to carry a mixed caseload and draft and provide advice on leases, licenses, easements, and sales, prepare title reports and provide general advice on other land law related matters.

We are looking for someone who is a qualified solicitor or legal executive or someone who already has some practical knowledge and experience of commercial property, residential property, and land law. You will need to have the ability to analyse legal issues, have a good eye for detail and be capable of building effective relationships with all stakeholders.

About You

• Qualified Solicitor or Legal Executive or equivalent experience working at this level.
• Effective IT skills to enable you to draft and complete reports with comprehensive research skills.
• Sound organisational skills to manage a caseload, with the flexibility to adapt and respond to changing priorities.
• Ability to present and advise clients on subject specific matters and build effective relationships to deliver a customer focused service.
• Understanding and providing effective legal advice to a range of stakeholders on a range of commercial property, residential property and land law matters.
• Ability to analyse and advise on legislative and regulatory materials and present arguments in written format.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description.

Rewards and Benefits

Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

For a full list, please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

About Us

Legal Services aims to give the best possible legal and insurance service to the Council. As an organisation we have a simple goal – to deliver the best possible services to the people of West Sussex. We do this through the people who work for us so it’s paramount to us to ensure that our employees are supported and valued.

The post holder will work within the Property Team in Legal Services to provide a quality legal service to client groups across the County Council. Key areas include leases, licences, easements, simple title checking and writing simple title reports, and smaller sales and other work areas as required by the Principal Lawyer.

Further information

The reference number for this role is 184.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Jonathan Brown (Principal Solicitor) on [e-mail]

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact Emma Cooper on [e-mail]

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 3 years of satisfactory references and health check.

Equity, inclusion, accessibility and diversity is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all cultures, ethnicities, identities, backgrounds and lived experiences, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.