Senior Legal Assistant – Environment Team
Grade F, scp17 £26,845 to scp23 £30,151 per annum
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 A highly motivated and organised Senior Legal Assistant to join our Environment Team to provide support and advice to the Council, Officers, and Elected Members. The Senior Legal Assistant role supports our Lawyers and Legal Assistants in providing in-house support on Environment cases. The team also has an administrative officer who assists with opening and closing files, statistics, invoicing, and other administrative tasks.
You will need a basic understanding of civil and criminal litigation, employment, licensing, planning and schools as you will provide advice, support and advocacy in some / all of these areas.
You will be used to working accurately and to deadlines. Senior Legal assistants will be strong team players with excellent verbal and written communication skills. They will enjoy teamwork and also be able to work on their own initiative where appropriate.
We are looking for someone prepared to support colleagues who have competing demands. You will be responsible for managing your time effectively and be prepared to familiarise yourself with the issues on cases. Excellent IT skills are required alongside the ability to use a case management system and ensure the integrity of highly confidential information. Lawyers and Principal lawyers will be available to support you with regards to your role. 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. You will be able to demonstrate your ability to add value to an established team.
Whilst previous local authority experience would be an advantage, we are also open to candidates who have private practice experience, a law degree or experience in the legal fields mentioned, where they have transferable skills and would be a good fit.
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.
Ready to apply? Then please click Apply, fill in the short application and upload your anonymised CV, and a covering statement answering points 1, 2 and 4 on the Person Specification.
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, contact Nicola Raby on (01204) 331325 or Ceri Owen on (01204) 331012.
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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.