Senior Lawyer - Safeguarding Children and Adults

Kirklees Metropolitan Council; West Yorkshire; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in West Yorkshire is seeking qualified legal professionals for safeguarding litigation roles. The positions include both maternity cover and permanent posts, primarily focusing on adult and children’s law. Candidates are expected to have a current practising certificate and relevant advocacy experience. The role offers hybrid working, training, and development within a supportive team environment. Exceptional maternity and paternity leave policies are also part of the comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

27.5 days annual leave

Cycle to work scheme

Travel and parking discounts

Exceptional Maternity and Paternity leave

Local Government Pension

Access to Employee Healthcare

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor or soon to be qualified with a current practising certificate.
• Experience in Children Act applications or advocacy is preferred.
• Must produce or have experience drafting court documentation.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and manage case load for proceedings in the Court of Protection.
• Provide legal advice and representation in adult litigation.
• Assist in advocacy at hearings and instruct counsel when needed.

Skills

Public & Private Law Applications

Care Act 2014

Mental Capacity Act 2005

Advocacy in public & private children proceedings

Education

Qualified Solicitor with current practising certificate

Barrister or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives

Job description

This role has three positions, please specify in your application which role you're applying for.

- 1 maternity cover post

- 1 permanent full-time post – adult focus

- 1 permanent part-time post (24 hours) – adult focus.

Do you want to make a difference to local people?

As one of the largest legal practices in the area, our dedicated teams strive to get the best outcomes for people in Kirklees.

This role forms part of our ongoing commitment to building a modern service to meet the needs of our safeguarding children and adult services.

We will consider newly qualified applicants to this role who are enthusiastic and committed to a career in our service.

The team

The Safeguarding Children and Adults Team is one of the specialist teams within Kirklees Legal Services.

We act for the council on a range of matters including Public Law Proceedings relating to children and applications in respect of vulnerable adults in the Court of Protection. We work closely with the council’s social work teams who provide services to vulnerable children and adults.

The role

The primary focus of this role is safeguarding children and adult litigation.

Maternity Cover

If you are applying for the temporary maternity cover post, you will have the option of choosing either children litigation or adult litigation or a combination of both.

Permanent Posts

The permanent full-time post and the permanent part-time posts are adult litigation posts. If you are applying for these posts, you will conduct and manage a case load comprising of proceedings in the Court of Protection. You will be expected to provide advice and representation on a variety of matters including conducting your own advocacy at hearings and instructing counsel where required.

This role is a hybrid role and will require attendance at in-person meetings and hearings as well as some office-based days.

What you will bring

We are looking for someone who is a qualified, or soon to be qualified Solicitor holding a current practising certificate, a Barrister, or a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives and holds either practice rights in Civil Litigation and Advocacy (for the Adult Focus) or practice rights in Family Litigation and Advocacy (for the Children Focus)

Do you have any experience in the following areas?

We are looking for someone with some experience in at least one of the following areas, but experience in more than one area would be beneficial.

• Children Act 1989 – Public & Private Law Applications
• Adoption and Children Act 2002 – Public & Private Law Applications
• Care Act 2014
• Mental Health Act 1983,
• Community Care, Mental Capacity Act 2005
• Advocacy in public & private children proceedings
• Advocacy in public or private law adoption or special guardianship applications
• Judicial Review/Administrative Law

We are looking for someone who can produce or has experience of drafting application forms and other Court documentation to support Local Authority Applications in respect of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For newly qualified lawyers/solicitors we would look for time spent working on cases of this type under the supervision of other lawyers and assisting on those types of cases and can demonstrate an aptitude for the work in the future.

Development

If you are ambitious and wish to develop your skills and knowledge in legal services and want to know more about the legal issues that affect a large local authority – this is the role for you.

We place a strong emphasis on training and personal development and want to support you to be the best you can be.

As well as opportunities for you to learn and develop your skills, you’ll also have the chance to share your knowledge and experience to help others in the team develop.

You will be supported by an experienced team of Principal and Senior Lawyers, Assistant Legal officers and our business support colleagues.

Your benefits

Kirklees Council offers these benefits to all its employees:

• 27.5 days annual leave increasing to 32.5 after 5 years’ service (plus bank holidays).
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Travel and parking discounts
• Exceptional Maternity and Paternity leave policies
• Local Government Pension
• Access to Employee Healthcare that offers a range of services from counselling to physiotherapy and health assessments.
• Hybrid working

Learn more about Kirklees Council Staff Benefits.

Have questions?

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the maternity cover role, please telephone Lee Binns, Lynn Asghar or Joanna Magagula, principal lawyers within the Children and Adults Legal Team on 01484 221 000.

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the permanent roles, please telephone Razia Riaz or Stephanie Tully, principal lawyers within the Children and Adults Legal Team on 01484 221 000.

To apply please click the Apply Now link below.