Are you ready to take on your next career challenge?
LAW Absolute is recruiting on an exclusive basis to a permanent Childcare Lawyer position with Southwark Council.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to achieve a genuine work /life balance whilst doing challenging and interesting work.
Caseloads in Southwark are much more manageable compared to neighbouring boroughs and so you will be able to hold varied and challenging cases, whilst still working within office hours.
In your role as a childcare lawyer in Southwark, you will have the benefit of working within a team where there is excellent business admin and legal assistant support and collaboration.
You will have the advantage of part of a small team of experienced lawyers who work collaboratively to share knowledge and information, in which everyone pulls together to help each other.
Southwark’s Children Services has been consistently rated as “Good” by Ofsted and has an experienced social care workforce, who enjoy a trusting and effective close working relationship with Legal Services.
You will be part of a dynamic working environment where diversity in all respects is genuinely valued and promoted, so that you are constantly learning and inspired by colleagues from various professional backgrounds and lived experiences.
The systemic approach to social work, and the input of the clinical service enables Southwark to stand out as a borough where there is a real commitment to empowering families and trying to work in a fair, respectful and progressive way.
Southwark is part of the South London Care Proceedings Project. This coalition of boroughs is aimed at improving local authority practice in care and related children proceedings. It works from a social work, legal practitioner and data led basis and so can identify trends and share experiences of good practice with other stakeholders and the courts
About Southwark council
Southwark Council is an ambitious, collegiate, and forward-thinking council and you will be joining their Lexcel accredited legal team.
The council is committed to its “Fairer Futures for All” promise which ensures that their residents and businesses are central to everything they do.
Based in London Bridge, this excellent location offers superb transport links, a plethora of shops and restaurants and a big open plan council office. The council operates on a hot-desking basis.
The team are collaborative, supportive, and friendly. You will benefit from working alongside experienced colleagues who are generous with sharing their knowledge.
The council operate a hybrid working policy. Full- time staff work 3 days in the office and 2 days from home.
The vision for Southwark Council Legal Services is: “To be the council’s first choice provider of legal services, offering a sustainable, high-quality, responsive & efficient value for money service to the council and to the communities of Southwark.”
The role offers a salary of £44, 691 – £51,783. There is also a market factor payment of 5% in addition to the annual salary applicable, and a hard to fill benefit payment of £2,327 per annum that can be redeemed against gym membership, health insurance, season ticket purchase, bicycle purchase, additional voluntary contribution to pension, subscription, and professional fees.
If you are interested in working for an organisation that places huge value on equality and diversity, prides itself on delivering an excellent quality service, and you are looking for a chance to play a part in this interesting area of law, then Southwark council could be the right organisation for you.
About the position
Childcare Lawyers at Southwark Council are expected to undertake the following duties:
• Provide advice, representation and undertake research relating to childcare matters, including public law care proceedings, adoption, and child protection and fostering.
• Carry a caseload of matters in proceedings and pre – proceeding.
• An option to undertake advocacy on your own cases, if you choose to do so, in the relevant courts and tribunals to include, CMC’s, IRH’s, PLO’s and Directions Hearings. This is not essential to the role as Southwark has in house counsel and does instruct external Chambers too.
• Prepare briefs to Counsel.
• Attend legal planning meetings when required.
• There is also the opportunity to develop your practice by taking on education advisory work
The successful candidate will be required to pick up a caseload from the outset. It is important you have previous experience carrying a full and varied childcare caseload. Candidates from both the public and private sector with relevant experience are encouraged to apply.
About you
The successful Childcare Lawyer will be an admitted Solicitor, Barrister or CILEX of England and Wales with a current practising certificate. Commonwealth candidates with the requisite experience and the right to work in the UK without the need for sponsorship, are also encouraged to apply.
You will possess a minimum of 3 years post qualification experience.
You will be ambitious, a team player, driven by delivering a high-quality service, and have a positive attitude towards building relationships with social workers and your wider team. It is important that anyone joining the council is committed to this area of law and has a genuine enthusiasm for the work. The council is committed to delivering excellence.
The ability to work under pressure is imperative and be self-motivated and able to work to deadlines.
Have significant experience of and ability to operate IT systems.
Recruitment timeline
The closing date for advert applications is 3rd October 2023.
Shortlisting will take place circa 6th October 2023.
Interviews will take place week commencing 16th October 2023 and 23rd October 2023.
To register your interest in this role, please send your updated CV to zalex@lawabsolute.com
Please note our advertisements use PQE/salary levels purely as a guide. However we are happy to consider applications from all candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills necessary to fulfil the role.
At LAW Absolute we endeavour to respond to all applications within 48 hours. However due to the volume of applications we receive we may not be able to respond to every candidate individually.
If you have not heard from us within a 48 hour timeframe your application has not been successful and your details have not been retained. LAW Absolute acts as an employment business for temporary recruitment and as an employment agency for fixed term contract and permanent recruitment.
