SENIOR LEGAL ASSISTANT - EDUCATION

Cyngor Caerdydd/Cardiff Council; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Cardiff Council is seeking a Senior Legal Assistant for its Litigation Team. The role primarily involves supporting the Independent Appeals Panel and providing legal guidance within local government settings. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in education law, ensuring a robust legal framework for school operations. The position offers hybrid working options to ensure a balance between office and remote work.

Benefits

Flexible working patterns

Healthy work-life balance

Flexi Time policy

Qualifications

• Significant experience in education law and appeals processes required.
• Motivated and professional individual with an interest in local government litigation.

Responsibilities

• Support and advise the Independent Appeals Panel on school admissions and exclusions.
• Provide legal advice to schools and the Education Directorate.

Skills

Education law

Litigation support

Advisory skills

Job description

As the capital of Wales, Cardiff offers not only the experience of working in one of the fastest growing and most highly skilled cities in Britain but also offers easy access to the fabulous South Wales region’s coastline and countryside with worldwide standing.

Cardiff Council has a Lexcel accredited in house Legal Service with excellent opportunities for a hardworking, motivated and adaptable legal practitioner. Currently based at County Hall in the heart of Cardiff Bay with good transport links and parking facilities. We have specialist lawyers carrying out procurement, litigation, property, planning, governance, childcare and adult social services work, and aim to provide our clients with an excellent and comprehensive service.

The service now operates a hybrid working model which enables employees to work flexibly from home or from an office base, depending upon service requirements. We have a modern case management system, an online legal library, and a small business support team. We also have 4 trainee solicitor posts which we use to help grow our own workforce.

About the job

An opportunity for a Senior Legal Assistant has become available and we seek a candidate with relevant experience to join the Council’s the Litigation Team. This motivated and highly professional team is looking for an individual with experience and interest in the work of a Local Government litigation team.

The post will predominantly involve supporting and advising the Independent Appeals Panel which hears appeals relating to School Admissions and Permanent Exclusions, as well as providing legal advice to schools and the Education Directorate.

What We Are Looking For From You

Although a legal qualification is not required, the successful applicant will need to have significant experience and knowledge of education law and appeals processes.

We expect the individual appointed to take personal responsibility for delivering excellence, to work with others to achieve the best possible outcomes, to embrace change and new opportunities, to make the most of the resources available and to think and act in the best interests of the Council.

Additional information

Our flexible working policies ensure a healthy work life balance. The Council’s Flexi Time policy applies to the post andflexible working patterns are available, subject to meeting the needs of our clients and having mutual regard to the working arrangements of existing team members.

The successful applicant will be able to work flexibly and in an agile way, with the ability to choose to work from home, or the office, when not attending Court.

This vacancy is suitable for post share subject to there being another suitably qualified and experienced employee/candidate who wishes to post share.

For an informal discussion, after reading the job description and person specification, please email your contact details to [e-mail] .

Those applicants successful at application form stage will be invited for an interview and this interview will be via Microsoft Teams. If you have any concerns regarding this, please contact Gavin Happe for a discussion.

We welcome applications in both English and Welsh. Applications received in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than English applications.

Please note the Council does not accept CV’s. When completing the supporting information section of your application, please ensure you refer to the below located on our website:

Important information you need read in order to complete your application:-

Job Category Legal

Department Legal and Governance

Working Pattern/Contract Type Full Time Permanent