Assistant Lawyer/Lawyer (Education & Employment)
- Are you a newly qualified solicitor looking for a new challenge?
- Are you interested in developing in a new direction or specialism?
- Are you looking to join an organisation that makes a difference?
We’re looking for two Assistant Lawyer/Lawyers to advise on education and employment matters. Whilst the posts are likely to be involved predominantly in education related work, candidates will also have the opportunity to assist on employment law matters.
We are looking for candidates with experience of providing sound legal advice, the ability to work well under pressure and to manage a busy workload to tight deadlines. You will have the ability to work effectively as part of a busy team of solicitors and legal assistants and be confident in managing a caseload of tribunal proceedings and advice matters.
It is accepted that candidates may not have exposure or experience in these matters, and this does not exclude applications as you will have the opportunity to develop your skills in the relevant specialist areas. So, if your skills, knowledge or experience looks a little different from what we have identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you.
We’re looking for team players to help support and develop client officers and be ready and willing to enhance their own career development. Such career development could be through formal training, project team membership, project work and/or opportunities to work closely with Senior Officers from across the Council.
This is an outstanding opportunity which will provide you the kind of professional challenge, leadership and autonomy you will naturally aspire to as an ambitious leader. You will be welcomed by a supportive, talented and passionate legal leadership team who are at the forefront of delivering fast-paced, challenging and ambitious plans for the borough.
The successful candidates will be an admitted Solicitor, CILEX or Barrister of England and Wales with a current practising certificate.
This Post is Politically Restricted.
So you can find out more about what it’s like working within our Legal department, you can come along to meet some of the team and give you the chance to ask questions about the role at our online event on Tuesday 15th October at 1.00pm. Click here to book your place: Meet the Legal Team
We've embraced new ways of working and hybrid working between home and our brand-new office will be a feature of this role, working at the office 2-3 days per week, when necessary. Our technology platform and equipment allow you to connect and collaborate remotely which requires that you have in place good connectivity. This can be discussed more during the recruitment process.
You will find more details about the role in the job description and what we're looking for from you in the person specification. In return, we believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff well-being is a priority for us and regularly promoted, as are professional support and continuous professional development. You will have the chance to be mentored by skilled Local Government Legal professionals in order to support your continued development in the role and your career.
Interviews are scheduled for mid November. Please indicate if you have any availability issues in your application.
For an informal discussion please contact Paul Martin on 0151 666 3649.
If you’re already a Wirral Council employee, as part of our Talent Strategy, we’re committed to strengthening opportunities for our people to learn, grow, progress and thrive. For many of you, this may be preparing and applying for your next role with us, and we're passionate about ensuring you feel supported throughout your internal recruitment experience. Please get in touch if you want to know more about some of the ways in which we could support you by emailing recruitment@wirral.gov.uk
Working at Wirral
You’ll also want to know what it’s like to work here so, as a start:
Our values are more than just pieces of paper on our walls! We’ve all played a role in developing these, so they reflect the immense pride we have in what we do, what matters to us, what inspires us and inform how we think, approach things and behave.
We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing and investing in our people.
We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, an excellent pension scheme which includes a generous employer contribution rate, immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.
We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.
Each voice is heard, each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.
We want you to be your best at work, we create the conditions to help you thrive and we mirror this in our recruitment process. If you’d like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process to make it barrier-free and as accessible as possible please contact recruitment@wirral.gov.uk
Please note that in accordance with the Council’s policy, employees who are in a formal redeployment situation will be considered in the first instance for all vacancies.
It is Council policy not to re-appoint any employee who has left under the terms of the Council's Early Voluntary Retirement (EVR) scheme or who have left with a voluntary severance (VS) package, unless in exceptional circumstances.
Applications will be accepted until midnight on the closing date.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications.
Applications can only be accepted through the Jobs page following registration. Forms received via the post will not be processed.
All applicants invited to interview must evidence their right to work in the UK. Details of required documents can be found by clicking the link at the bottom of the Jobs page.
The job description and other supporting documents will not be accessible once the vacancy closing date has passed so if a copy is required you should download it now.
We do not accept applications or CV’s from recruitment agencies, unless otherwise stated. Therefore, any candidates submitted via a recruitment agency will not be considered for this role.
How to Apply
Please apply online by clicking the link below