What's involved with this role:Interim Principal Lawyer – Planning and Highways Reference no: KCC TCL 140723 Up to £40.70 per hour PAYE depending on experience TBC This opening assignment is for 4 months Hybrid working The purpose of the role is to provide legal advice and services to client organisations in planning, development and highways matters and other corporate or constitution and administrative matters to ensure compliance with statutory duties and obligations and to protect the best interests of the client organisations.
Key Responsibilities:- Provide high quality, innovative, well researched and comprehensive specialist legal advice to clients (including
- elected members and senior officers), managing a complex caseload and delivering advice within the timescales required by the client.
- Act as a source of legal advice and support to any of the client Councils’ Committees and Directorates as directed.
- Attend courts and tribunals undertaking advocacy where required and to represent clients in negotiations and discussions with third parties in matters regarding the areas of legal practice relevant to the post.
- Instruct and manage suppliers of external legal services such as solicitors and barristers in accordance with the requirements of each client.
- Lead, direct, develop and improve the service to client organisations, predominately in the area of planning & highways, to ensure the provision of an excellent standard of client care and value for money. Act as a legal advisor to client organisations to ensure awareness of their safeguarding responsibilities and ensure compliance with statutory duties and obligations and to protect the best interest of the client organisations.
- Actively seek out new business development opportunities and to raise the profile of Pathfinder Legal Services with both our existing client base and potential new clients.
- Build highly effective working relationships with clients to ensure that Pathfinder Legal Services delivers a seamless and client focussed service to all its clients.
- Liaise with client managers to ensure that the legal service provided to them meets their needs and is focused on delivering high quality legal services, customer care and service improvements.
- Develop effective partnerships, networks and joint working arrangements to ensure the most effective provision of Legal Services to meet the needs and aspirations of clients.
“Role Requirements” – to give yourself the maximum chance of success please try and ensure your CV addresses the following essential criteria: Qualifications:- Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales / member of the Bar who has completed pupillage / qualified Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives or Chartered Legal Executive.
- Minimum of 12 months recent experience in a similar role, or context and ideally within a public sector organisation.
- A demonstrated understanding of the local government legal framework including the relevant practice and policy issues in relation to a range of planning and highways related law
- Knowledge of and ability to apply and interpret law relating to the relevant service area
- Experience of advising on large scale property development projects.
- A demonstrated record of managing high volume planning and highways transactions quickly, accurately and efficiently
- Experience and ability to provide advice on governance and constitutional matters.
- Experience of leading, managing or supervising a team of experienced professionals successfully.
- Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with a diverse range of persons/organisations
- Ability to work under own initiative, and to look ahead, anticipate challenges and deal with them pro-actively
- Ability to work unsupervised and to provide sound and clear advice on own initiative
- Ability to plan and prioritise work effectively to meet own objectives and those of the team
- Ability to evaluate information in complex situations and the confidence to take sound decisions independently
- Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines, adapt to change and to manage competing priorities
- Ability to develop client relationships and identify areas for expansion of work.
- Ability to conduct legal research, interpret legislation and summarise the key points of case law
- Strong IT skills including Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite).
- Our clients are generally seeking applicants who are reasonably local, so on that basis we would ideally like you to supply us with your address (or at least your post code) and a telephone number so that we can reach you during working hours.
- Your recent UK working experience going back at least 5 years, or full employment history if you have been working for fewer years than this.
- Your availability to work either immediately, or at short notice.
- Please refer to the Role Requirements section above - your CV must address the requirements listed.
:
- Any local authority/public sector experience
- Any relevant qualifications held or being studied for.
S If you would prefer to send a CV straight to us rather than by way of an on-line application, you are very welcome to do so via jobs@tclrec.com but please quote both the job reference and job title exactly as they appear below:
Job Ref: KCC TCL 140723Anticipated Length of Assignment: Unless otherwise stated (we do carry the occasional permanent vacancy) all of our roles are technically temporary, though opening assignments can be and often are, extended by clients on a longer term basis and can sometimes become permanent.
Please do try to resist contacting us with requests for progress updates. We really do read every CV sent to us. All applications will be acknowledged by a human, not a robot, provided the job remains live and provided your CV meets the “Essential Requirements” listed. Please note that we do our level best to take down ads as soon as roles have been filled. We are not in the business of harvesting CVs.
Important: We will interpret your application as being permission to submit your CV to this role (with the right to represent you) unless you advise us to the contrary.