Local Government/Public Law Solicitor: Birmingham
- Recruiter
- Lipson Lloyd-Jones North
- Location
- England, West Midlands, Birmingham
- Salary
- £45000 - £65000 per annum
- Posted
- 26 Feb 2017
- Closes
- 26 Mar 2017
- Ref
- 64084
- Contact
- Emma Chisholm
- Job Title
- Solicitor
- Practice Area
- Public Sector / Local Authority, Regulatory
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
Our client is ambitious for growth and so are seeking to recruit a senior lawyer to join the local government team to play a key and influential role, reporting directly to the Head of Local Government. They are interested in lawyers working in-house or who are advising externally, and who share their passion about local government and its role in improving society
The candidate should have a strong knowledge of local government law with a view to providing strategic support and advice to councils and other public bodies working with local government,eg in the integration of health and social care services. Good knowledge of local government constitutions and decision making, councillors' conduct, other policies and procedures and regulatory compliance as well as public law principles, including judicial review. They should be confident in advising upon joint ventures, alternative delivery models, local authority trading companies and "Teckal/Regulation 12" companies. They should be capable of advising authoritatively on local government re-organisation and the devolution agenda and offer expertise in at least one core area of local government delivery. Ideally, they should be well known and respected in the local authority market
Based in Birmingham
Key Tasks - Client Relationships and Development
- Plays an active role in the LGS, initiating ideas and activities to develop the firm's external profile and is a source of new business instructions.
- Be a point of contact for key clients and/ or new business intermediaries, identify and develop potential cross selling opportunities
- Involvement in the negotiating and reviewing of terms with clients
- Reviewing and monitoring the current and potential marketing literature development by the Local Government Team.
Key Tasks - People
- Is good with people eg sets clear standards and goals for team members to achieve a
- Sets objectives and identifies learning and development activities to support this.
- Good understanding of the firm's clients, business sectors, plans and objectives and relys this to team members
- Supervisory and mentoring responsibility for junior fee earning staff
- Involvement in the presentation of workshops, seminars and lectures for the benefit of clients, colleagues and professional advisers, both in house and outside the firm's offices. This will include opportunities to network with others to heighten their awareness of the work of the practice.
Key Tasks - LGS and Department
- Assist the formulation of medium and long business planning in the Local Government sector.
- Participate fully in the department's budget setting process.
- Ensure the department targets are met.
- Takes control over financial processes such as billing and write-offs
- Assist in the recruitment process for junior fee earning and secretarial staff, and/or graduate assessment centre for trainees/paralegals.
Key Tasks - Personal
- Accurately and purposefully assesses the risks and compliance at the outset and during the life of matters and projects.
- You should be able to effectively lead projects, including price estimation, managing and planning resources effectively to meet deadlines and cost/time estimates.
- Understands how to effectively and productively use time.
- Efficient and effective administrator evidenced by good knowledge and application of the firm's internal systems, to include file and risk management procedures.
- Maintain the highest standards of honesty, confidentiality and integrity in all dealings with clients, colleagues etc.
- Record accurately all time (both chargeable and non chargeable hours) in accordance with the firm's time recording system.
- Keep up to date regarding The Law Society's Rules of Professional Conduct and act at all times within them.
- Meet all the requirements of the rules concerning Continuing Professional Development and do so in such a manner that best serves the interests of the firm.
- Demonstrate personal effectiveness in all aspects of team working and team leading, (department meetings, away days, training, and social events) and have a detailed understanding of the main business activities of the firm. Prioritise attending Communications Group meetings.
- Carry out all other reasonable duties as required in order to maintain efficient operation of all aspects of department's and practice's needs.
Performance Standards
- Actively involved in the delivery of the agreed strategic G&C business plan and Local Government Plan, delivering in all three elements of the firm's sustainability matrix - people/client/finance.
- Assist in the supervision and/or mentoring of junior staff, including checking of work, answering day-to-day queries, allocating work, providing guidance on training and career development.
- To achieve own personal annual billing target, and assist in the delivery of departmental work in progress (WIP) and aged debt targets.
- To achieve the annual chargeable hours target.
- Achieve consistently high levels of client care, measured inversely by the number of substantiated complaints received.
- Actively involved in marketing and raising the profile of the department, Sector and firm, both internally and externally, including leading on business development opportunities.
- Acknowledged as a specialist in a nominated area(s) of law, as evidenced by working on cross-team/Sector projects and presentations, or managing complex court cases, and able to support and advise colleagues on technical legal issues.
Lipson Lloyd Jones Ltd is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy. Please note our advertisements use PQE levels purely as a guide to the minimum level of experience required. However we are happy to consider applications from all candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills necessary to fulfill this kind of work.