Solicitor (Child Care)

Leicestershire County Council; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Flexible working options

Job summary

Leicestershire County Council is seeking an experienced child care lawyer with full advocacy and conduct of litigation rights to join the team. The role focuses on high-quality advisory work for the Children and Family Services Department and related bodies.

You will work with a supportive management structure, benefit from mentoring and opportunities to handle complex cases, including Deprivation of Liberty and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children, while embracing flexible and hybrid working

Qualifications

• Be admitted as a Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives with full advocacy and conduct of litigation rights.
• Knowledge of the Children Act 1989, Adoption & Children Act 2002, Public Law Outline and Family Procedure Rules 2010.
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers and stakeholders to persuade and influence outcomes.
• Organisational and prioritisation skills, IT skills and ability to draft legal documents.

Responsibilities

• Provide an efficient and effective legal advisory service to the Children and Family Services Department and other departments as required.
• Offer advocacy where appropriate and support the team with high quality supervision and mentoring of paralegals and social workers.
• Work collaboratively with client department, Courts, CAFCASS and private practice to deliver timely legal advice.
• Contribute to training and professional development within the team.

Skills

Advocacy rights

Communication

Team player

Time management

Education

Qualified solicitor/barrister/ILEF

Tools

IT systems proficiency

Job description

We have a permanent full-time vacancy for an experienced child care lawyer with full advocacy and conduct of litigation practice rights. Working for Leicestershire County Council as a child care lawyer -

• positive working relationships with client department, the local Courts, CAFCASS and private practice
• professional culture of proactive advice, planned applications and collaboration.
• each lawyer having a nominated paralegal to give lawyers time and space for quality advice/drafting and preparation for court
• high quality supervision and support from management team (two team leaders and an Assistant Head of Law all very experienced in this area of law)
• job satisfaction - mentoring paralegals and training social workers
• interesting range of legal work including the law relating to Deprivation of Liberty and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, As a Solicitor in the Child Care Team, you will provide an efficient and effective legal advisory service to the Children and Family Services Department and other departments when required. To support you to undertake your role, you will have:
• An effective IT system to enable flexible and efficient working away from the office.
• An experienced and highly motivated paralegal to provide dedicated case work support.
• The opportunity to focus on quality written and verbal advice work.
• Space and time to undertake advocacy where appropriate (we encourage advocacy but are not an in-house advocacy team).
• High quality supervision and support from an experienced management team (two Team Leaders and an Assistant Head of Law, all very experienced in this area of law).

In addition to the above, you will also have the opportunity to gain experience in niche areas, such as Deprivation of Liberty, the law relating to Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Public Law and to contribute to the training of social workers and other professionals. Team working is very important to us, and we encourage our solicitors to work with colleagues in a positive and supportive way that promotes learning and development. In addition to supervising paralegals and support staff, you will therefore be expected to provide mentoring, advice, and informal supervision to colleagues to enhance learning, where appropriate.

• Be qualified as an admitted Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives with full advocacy and conduct of litigation practice rights.
• Have knowledge of the Children Act 1989, Adoption & Children Act 2002, the Public Law Outline and the Family Procedure Rules 2010.
• Be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers, and internal and external stakeholders to persuade and influence appropriate outcomes.
• Be able to assimilate information rapidly and present effective solutions and appropriate advice and guidance in a timely manner.
• Have excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, IT skills, and written communication skills to enable the drafting of legal documents.
• Be able to work accurately under pressure with minimum supervision.
• Be a team player.

In addition, we also expect you to share and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process. Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a . We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone. Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose. For further information on what it's like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following