Senior Lawyer (Housing and General Litigation)
Salary Currently Grade 13 (£38,553 – £40,578)
Closing Date 12th August 2022
Bury Legal Services is recruiting…be part of our supportive, proactive team. We want the best possible outcomes for the people and businesses of Bury, can you help us to deliver this?
As a Senior Lawyer with Bury Legal Services Team, you will be working within a friendly and supportive environment where your professional development will be nurtured and appreciated.
Bury’s public services are united in their vision for the borough through our Let’s Do It Strategy. We are clear on our goals and direction. Our Bury 2030 Community Strategy is a single strategy for the Council, police, health, other public services, the voluntary, community and faith sector and for our business communities. We want Bury to be an attractive, thriving, healthy and forward-looking town where people aspire to live, work and study and where everyone can enjoy the Bury experience.
The Council’s Let’s Do It! Strategy sets out a clear ambition and delivery plan for the next 10 years. But it is not just a strategy for service improvement, it is a radical new proposition for community power; putting relationships first and creating a borough in which every single person plays their part. This includes plans to improve infrastructure and create conditions for growth, regeneration, decarbonising public buildings, creating public service hand community hubs, as well as building houses.
This Lets’ Do It Vision, is supported by the Bury Housing Strategy, focusing on healthy people, thriving green spaces, co-designed ideas, future proofed infrastructure and inclusive business growth. The new Housing Strategy sets out the scale of housing issues and challenges facing the borough. It provides a clear direction of travel to deliver a balanced and diverse housing supply and an opportunity to create successful and inclusive neighbourhoods that everyone can be proud of. The strategy contributes to meeting the Council’s priorities across a range of policy areas including economic growth and climate change approach. It also reflects the Council’s role in discharging a range of statutory duties such as those relating to homelessness, private sector housing and the safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults.
Bury Legal Services is part of that vision and plays a vital role in providing legal advice and representation for departments across the Council involved in the plans and projects arising from implementation of that vision, including its homelessness, and housing options teams as well as Six Town Housing the Council’s arms length management organisation. If you want that sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that your work has made a real difference to someone else’s life for the good, why not come and join our dedicated and Lexcel accredited team?
Bury Council’s Legal Services Team is looking to recruit a Senior Lawyer to undertake all of it housing related work. The successful candidate will have substantial knowledge and experience of all aspects of housing law, including general tenancy management and related issues, anti-social behaviour, disrepair and other areas of civil litigation, who has conducted litigation in the civil courts. You will be required to undertake advocacy and be able to advise on new and/or complex matters, procedural and policy issues, statutory duties/powers and on individual cases. You will also have the opportunity to deal with other civil and criminal matters, including licensing and previous experience of criminal matters and advising committees/panels would be an advantage.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to advise on complex areas of law are required as you will be responsible for your own caseload, and providing advice and guidance to clients and lawyers within the team. Good organisational and time management skills, as well as an ability to work within a politically sensitive environment are also required.
You will have the ability to work flexibly and have the benefit of an effective remote working-practice model, as well as having the option to be more office based.
You will also work for a council that has been recognized through accreditations such as Disability Confident Leader, Mindful Employer and Stonewall Top 100 Employer plus Top 20 Trans Employer (2020).
We are the only borough in Greater Manchester that is accredited as both a Real Living Wage employer and a member of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter.
This means the Bury Council has to meet set criteria on secure work, flexible work, paying the Real Living Wage, employee engagement and voice, recruitment, people management, and health and wellbeing.
Our commitment applies to directly employed council staff, and to organisations commissioned by the council to provide services, including in schools and agencies that provide services such as social care.
As a valued member of our workforce family, you will have access to a wide variety of generous employee benefits that are tailored to improving emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing.
These include:
- Work life balance opportunities including flexible and agile working
- Generous holidays 25 days annual leave rising to 30 days after five years
- An annual leave purchase scheme, allowing you to but additional leave
- Excellent transport links
- Commitment to learning and development
- Health and wellbeing support through our Live Better Feel Better program
- Support for working carers, time off for reservists
- Access to the Greater Manchester Local Government Pension scheme (LGPS)
- Salary sacrifice for car parking and car leasing, and cycle to work scheme
- Access to money saving deals and discounts across favourite high street and local retailers
The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Appointment is subject to a satisfactory disclosure at the appropriate level under the Disclosure and Barring Service.
The Council is currently committed to supporting employees to work with agility, where appropriate for the post and service requirements.
The Council is committed to ‘Bury being an equal society that recognises values and embraces all people, regardless of any difference, for the skills, abilities and experiences they bring into the workforce and the wider community.’ Therefore the Council will guarantee an interview for Disabled people, Looked after children/ Care Leavers, Armed forces personnel (including reservists and veterans) and Carers of adults or disabled children if they meet the essential criteria.
For further information including an informal discussion on this role please contact Janet Witkowski, Head of Legal Services at j.witkowski@bury.gov.uk.
For further information please see below
