Team Lawyer – Place

NW Legal Consortium; Wigan; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Exclusive rewards and benefits

Job summary

Wigan Council is seeking a Team Lawyer – Place with extensive experience in Land and Property and Major Projects to support the Place Team. You will handle complex matters, draft legal documents, and engage in commercial negotiations to protect council interests.

You will advise officers on Place issues in a local government setting, ensuring integrity and timely decision-making. The role requires a qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate and a track record in high-pressure

Qualifications

• Experience in Land and Property and Major Projects and Regeneration Law within a local government or public sector context.
• Ability to advise officers on Place matters with understanding of local government processes.
• Experience handling a personal caseload of complex legal matters and negotiating contracts or commercial deals.

Responsibilities

• Handle a legal caseload including complex matters and drafting legal documents.
• Engage in commercial and contractual negotiations with parties as appropriate.
• Advise officers on Place matters within a local government environment.
• Represent the service and the Council at local and regional levels when required.

Skills

Land and Property

Major Projects and Regeneration Law

Public Sector Law

Education

Solicitor with current practising certificate

Barrister qualification

Legal Executive qualification

Job description

Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance

Those staff currently employed by a school are not eligible to apply for this position

We’re on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough.

We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you!

Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards and has recently published our Progress with Unity plan which is a movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.

We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or ‘unbroken’ between the supporting organisations.

Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home (My Place), the office (Our Place) or the community (Your Place). We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits.

Wigan Council prides itself on equality, inclusion and promoting diversity within the borough and aims to recruit a workforce that reflects our diverse communities. We invest in training and developing our staff, in a positive learning environment, and aim to be a consciously inclusive employer. We welcome applications from everybody in the community and would particularly encourage applicants from our underrepresented groups to apply. At Wigan, it is really important to us that applicants demonstrate our Team Wigan behaviours, and we do all we can to make sure that everyone feels like they belong. We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fair and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.

Your role:

We are especially interested in hearing from candidates with experience in Land and Property and Major Projects and Regeneration Law.
As a Team Lawyer – Place you will be part of a client focussed and outcomes driven legal and democratic function. Your role will be in the Place Team which covers the areas of law of Land and Property including property related housing, Contracts and Procurement, Major Projects and Regeneration and Housing and ASB.

You will handle a legal caseload which may include complex and legally challenging matters, drafting legal documents and engaging in commercial and contractual negotiations with parties as appropriate.

You will advise and guide officers of the Council on Place matters always considering the broader implications of operating in a local government environment.

About you:

You will be a Solicitor with a current practicing certificate or have an equivalent Barrister or Legal Executive qualification. You will be an enthusiastic, highly motivated and professional individual with experience of providing legal advice to assist and guide clients when making decisions.

You will have experience of handling a personal caseload of legal cases including complex and significant matters. You will be able to engage in commercial and contractual negotiations with parties as appropriate.

You will have a proven track record in working in a pressured and deadline driven environment and be able to represent the service and the Council at a local and regional level as necessary.

About us:

Our Legal team provides high quality legal advice to Senior Leaders, Elected Members, Council Officers, partner organisations and other key stakeholders across the public and private sector on a range of legal matters.

We aim to offer services which are good value for money, innovative in their approach and delivery, risk aware not risk averse and open to doing things differently. We adopt a collaborative approach with all our clients’ ensuring we are embedded in all their processes and decision making.

We are committed to the continuous professional development of our staff which includes the payment of professional fees, a wide range of training opportunities and potential for management development. Our commitment to continuous professional development has seen us shortlisted for the Lawyers in Local Government Excellence in training award 2024.

The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.

To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK, and you must maintain a valid (active) right to work. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Please visit the link below to check your qualify to apply. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk ) Prove your right to work to an employer

Wigan Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. Wigan Council operates robust Safer Recruitment procedures.

For an informal discussion please contact Claire Foster, Group Lawyer – Place via email at [e-mail]