Team Lawyer – People – Children’s (2 posts)
2 x 37 hours per week
Closing date 18th June 2023
Your role:
As a Team Lawyer – People (Children’s) you will be part of a client focussed and outcomes driven legal and democratic function.
You will operate in the areas of law of Local Authority pre-proceedings work, Care proceedings, Other safeguarding orders and Adoption. You will work closely with client officers, Elected Members, partner organisations and other key stakeholders to assist them in the delivery of their service objectives and priorities.
You will handle a legal caseload which could include complex and significant matters, drafting complex and significant legal documents engaging in detailed negotiations with parties as appropriate You will advise, prepare and conduct proceedings acting as an advocate for the Council at court, tribunals, inquiries and other statutory and legislative hearings.
About you:
You will be an admitted Solicitor entitled to a current practicing certificate or have an alternative Barrister or Legal Executive qualification. You will ideally have three years post qualification experience in two areas of law from Local Authority pre-proceedings work, Care proceedings, Other safeguarding orders and Adoption. 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 which could include complex and signification matters. You will also be expected to advise, prepare and conduct proceedings acting as an advocate for the Council at court, tribunals, inquiries and other statutory and legislative hearings.
You will have a proven track record 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:
Wigan Council has been voted ‘Council of the Year’ at the iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards and has recently published The Deal 2030, our ambitious plan for our borough. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or ‘unbroken’ between the supporting organisations.
Our dedicated in-house 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 want our Lawyers to be afford the time to focus on the delivery of legal services as such we have a dedicated team of paralegals and administrative support to reduce the administrative burden on our Lawyers.
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 management development.
Wigan is a great place to work and, as a local authority, we truly value and recognise our staff as our greatest asset. We offer a generous leave package which often includes the discretionary ‘reward’ of extra leave for the staff. We actively encourage innovation, strive to deliver outstanding services and celebrate our successes by our commitment to our ‘Be Wigan’ behaviours, Be Courageous, Be Accountable and Be Positive.
Our Legal team is inventive in its approach, digitally enabled and encourage a blended working ethos with equipment provided, which ensures that our staff have a happy and healthy work life balance. Our blended approach to work allows staff flexibility round working remotely or from the office. We are proud to have won the prestigious Lawyers in Local Government Innovation Award 2021 for our strategy on digital innovation and virtual court hearings.
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 click here to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.
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, applicants demonstrating our Team Wigan behaviours, is really important to us, 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 fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.
For further information, or an informal discussion please contact Lisa Finnegan, Group Lawyer – People Lisa.Finnegan@wigan.gov.uk or Helen Rimmer, Group Lawyer – People h.rimmer@wigan.gov.uk
To view the details relating to this position, please click the links below:
Interview date: Week Commencing Monday 26th June 2023
This is a politically restricted role
Apply on line at Team Lawyer – People – Children’s (engageats.co.uk)
