Senior Lawyer - Employment

Reading Borough Council; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement

Flexible working

Modern working environment

Life Assurance

On-site day nursery

Season Ticket Loan

Lease car scheme

Job summary

Reading Borough Council is seeking a Senior Lawyer - Employment to provide expert legal advice across all aspects of employment law and workforce relations. You will work with HR professionals, managers and senior leaders, delivering practical, commercially aware guidance and supporting complex cases while mentoring junior lawyers.

You’ll be a qualified solicitor, barrister or CILEX lawyer with practising certificate, experienced in local government employment matters, able to communicate

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor, barrister or CILEX with current practising certificate and England entitlement.
• Experience across local government services and employment law.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to explain complex legal issues clearly.
• Ability to manage a varied workload, meet deadlines and supervise others.
• Willingness to supervise and deputise for Principal Lawyer.

Responsibilities

• Advise on disciplinary, grievance, capability and attendance matters.
• Support restructures, redundancies and TUPE transfers.
• Manage Employment Tribunal claims from initial advice through to resolution.
• Advise on discrimination, equality, whistleblowing and other complex matters.
• Draft and review employment policies, procedures, agreements and other legal documentation.
• Provide legal support to HR, managers and senior leadership on sensitive and high-risk workforce issues.
• Mentor junior lawyers and legal support colleagues.

Skills

Sol & CILEX eligibility

Local government law

Stakeholder management

Organisational skills

Independent working

Team collaboration

Continual learning

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Are you an experienced Employment Lawyer looking for a role where you can provide trusted legal advice on complex and high-profile workforce matters? We're seeking a talented Senior Lawyer - Employment to join our Legal Services team. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of a large and diverse organisation, advising on a broad range of employment law issues that directly support the delivery of vital services to our communities. You'll work closely with HR professionals, managers and senior leaders, providing practical, solution-focused legal advice that helps the Council navigate an evolving employment landscape while supporting positive outcomes for employees and the organisation. We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities. We support hybrid working, it’s important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you’ll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.

About The Role:

As a Senior Lawyer - Employment, you'll manage a varied and challenging caseload, providing expert legal advice across all aspects of employment law and workforce relations. You will work with senior officers, managers, councillors and partners, building trusted relationships and helping navigate challenging issues with confidence and professionalism.

You will:

• Advise on a wide range of employment law matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and attendance management issues.
• Support organisational change projects, including restructures, redundancies and TUPE transfers.
• Manage Employment Tribunal claims from initial advice through to resolution and advocacy where appropriate.
• Advise on discrimination, equality, whistleblowing and other complex employment-related matters.
• Draft and review employment policies, procedures, agreements and other legal documentation.
• Provide legal support to HR, managers and senior leadership teams on sensitive and high-risk workforce issues.
• Deliver pragmatic and commercially aware legal advice that balances legal risk with operational objectives.
• Support and mentor junior lawyers and legal support colleagues as required.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work on a wide variety of interesting and impactful cases while contributing to the development of a modern, proactive legal service.

About You:

You’ll be a qualified solicitor, barrister or CILEX lawyer, entitled to practise in England and holding a current practising certificate. You’ll have strong legal analytical skills, excellent written and verbal communication, and the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly to a range of audiences. You’ll be confident managing a varied workload, exercising sound judgement and working independently while building effective relationships with colleagues and clients. You’ll also bring political awareness, resilience and a commitment to continuous improvement. A willingness to supervise colleagues, contribute to team development and deputise for a Principal Lawyer in team management is important.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), with a current practising certificate and entitlement to practise in England.
• In-depth experience of providing legal services across a range of local government services.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to advise senior managers and elected members.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise and well-reasoned legal advice.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise a demanding workload and meet deadlines.
• The confidence to work largely independently, exercise sound judgement and take responsibility for matters through to completion.
• A collaborative approach, with a willingness to support colleagues, supervise staff and contribute to service improvement.
• The ability to keep abreast of developments in law and best practice and identify opportunities to improve the service.

Experience in employment law and advising on employment-related legal issues would be relevant to this specialist role. You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential.

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way.

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.

Our offer:

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 30 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
• Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
• Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax

Closing Date: Sunday 8