Job Description

JOB SUMMARY:

To be responsible to the Principal Lawyer Civil Litigation for the provision of high quality complex legal advice and support to the Council and external clients for the service area which the team covers.

To carry an extensive caseload of high profile, complex and sensitive matters providing the full range of Legal Services necessary in respect of the areas of work covered by the team.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS:

To act as a senior lawyer in a team of Lawyers primarily responsible for legal matters including housing and landlord and tenant (e.g. unauthorised occupiers, ASB, housing disrepair, leasehold advice and service charges) employment law and miscellaneous litigation matters and to carry a varied, extensive and complex caseload as required dealing professionally, confidentially and sensitively with work arising within the Team ensuring the provision of a comprehensive quality legal service to the Council and any external clients.

Job Description

To prepare timely legal comments for committee and other papers relevant to the work of the team and provide research and guidance as required.

To provide innovative solutions, as necessary, to deal with complex issues of policy and strategy arising in connection with the work undertaken by the team.

To research, draft and prepare legal proceedings, witness statements, Court and other legal documents appropriate to the work undertaken by the Team, making effective use of IT systems and ensure the maintenance of precedent documents for the effective provisional routine and noncomplex work carried out by others in the team

To ensure appropriate advice is given in respect of the work of the team bearing in mind different local and national Government policy, legal precedent and advise where this is a conflict or impact to assist the Council in finding new solutions.

To ensure all decisions by officers and the Members are based on necessary delegated powers under the Constitution.

To attend Court and Tribunals to present and defend cases as necessary.

To attend and advise statutory panels and boards as and when required.

To determine the need for and use of external advice and/or representation at Court and Tribunals in order to properly meet the requirements of the Council and to, subject to appropriate budget authority, instruct accordingly ensuring the team’s budget is not exceeded