Lawyer – Adults Team
Grade I to K, scp31 £37,261 to scp43 £49,590 per annum – career grade dependent upon experience
Closing Date 3 July 2023
About You and The Role
Following a Service Review, Bolton Council is recruiting to several permanent positions within the Legal Services Team. We are looking for two highly motivated Adult Social Care Lawyers to join us to provide high quality advice and representation to the Council, Officers and Elected Members.
You will have strong analytical abilities alongside excellent written and verbal communication skills and will be responsible for managing your time effectively whilst working to court directed deadlines. The team is supportive and friendly and will encourage your personal and professional development by regular supervisions, support, and training. You should be used to working under pressure with challenging subject matters and to managing a demanding and varied caseload. You will need a current practising certificate and be able to demonstrate your ability to add value to an established team.
The post holder will carry a caseload in the main relating to Court of Protection matters (COPDOL, s.16 and s.21A), ordinary residence, mental health, transitions, adults social care finance and Care Act queries, along with other varied adult matters.
You will support the Principal Solicitors, Monitoring Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer as required and will ensure that the service meets all its statutory requirements and responsibilities.
Whilst previous local authority experience would be an advantage, we are also open to candidates who have private practice experience or experience in other in-house roles where they have transferable skills and would be a good fit.
The role is career graded allowing appointment according to level of experience and ability with subsequent career progression. Those appointed to Grade K would be Senior Lawyers without having to manage but involved in mentoring and supporting the development of colleagues as well as deputising where appropriate for the Principal Lawyer offering opportunities for continued personal development.
About Us
Bolton is a wonderful and caring place to work. We are a welcoming organisation that wants to contribute to a place where people feel active, connected, and prosperous. The Council is based in various locations across the borough, including in the historic Town Hall in Bolton, which provides a modernised and superb work place. These and other Council locations are open plan offices in the town centre, with nearby parking and access to excellent rail and bus networks.
Our relationships with internal and external stakeholders are strong and warm. Our team uses technology that enables them to work flexibly and efficiently, including when working remotely. Legal Services use Iken as a case management system.
The Team is supported by our senior legal assistants, legal assistants and administrative staff who assist us with bundle preparation, requesting evidence and where necessary shadowing counsel. The team meet regularly for diary and Team meetings to ensure that staff feel supported and know what is happening in the service and Council. Staff development is important so you will have a development plan that is reviewed regularly with your manager. We are proud of our record of promoting development of our staff and supporting them to meet their potential, offering opportunities for career progression where possible. The Team is welcoming and supportive with opportunities to socialise with colleagues at our evening or weekend outings.
As an employer we want to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment, by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits, including hybrid working, flexi time, discounts, exclusive gym membership prices and salary sacrifice schemes. In addition, we offer a generous annual leave allowance, access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, as well as access to employee support services and assistance programmes. You will also have the opportunity to top up your pension by saving via the AVC scheme where you will receive back some tax paid on savings.
For more information about working for Bolton Council, please see the Work with Us page on greater.jobs and see all the benefits you can get here:
Staff Benefits at Bolton Council
Alternatively, please contact Angela Hunt on (01204) 338769 or Alison Kelly on (01204) 331166.
Ready to apply? Then please click Apply, fill in the short application and upload your anonymised CV, and a covering statement answering points 1 – 4 on the Person Specification.
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This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English as per the person specification.
This organisation has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. That means we will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester local authority or NHS organisation, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority, giving you access to our service-related benefits.
