Legal Services Team Leader - Reading, United Kingdom - Reading Borough Council

Reading Borough Council
Reading Borough Council
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Reading, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Tom O´Connor

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Tom O´Connor

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Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed senior lawyer and manager to join the Joint Legal Team.

You'll be working with colleagues to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable adults, children and young people in Berkshire.


The Joint Legal Team is a forward thinking shared legal service and recognised centre of excellence for adults, education and childcare law for Berkshire councils.

We are hosted by Reading Borough Council, working from our modern offices in Reading town centre close to the train station and courts.


Our ambition is to be the best place to practice law in local government; being close to our clients, recruiting the best talent, successfully deploying legal technology and ensuring the continued growth of the business to new customers.

We provide the Council and its partners with the highest quality professional legal advice and representation which allows them to run their organisations well, and to serve our community.


We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success.

Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.


We are open to flexible working patterns and can provide a hybrid working environment which utilises the best of both worlds with a mix of office working in central Reading and homeworking according to the needs of the Service.


About the role


We are seeking a senior solicitor, barrister or FILEX to lead our Adults, Education and Employment Team in the Joint Legal Team.

This position is an ideal next step in your career and leadership development and would suit someone who is passionate about delivering a great legal service and growing the team.

Our clients continue to ask us to deal with new worktypes and even greater caseloads, so this is a thriving and growing team working for all the councils in Berkshire.

You will work in a small team of lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants, and trainees. You will provide the leadership for the Team supporting the senior lawyers directly.

You are also part of the JLT Leadership Team which comprises the Team Leader for Childcare and the Team Leader for Advocacy.

This role includes contributing to timely delivery of effective legal services with maximum efficiency and economy across the whole of Legal Services and you will be a part of the Legal Services Management Team.


Our Legal Operations Team will assist you in delivering your work as we invest further in our systems and work towards Lexcel accreditation.


Whatever your specialism or previous experience, you will thrive on the challenge of working in a client focussed environment and in a team which has an ambitious agenda for the future.

You will have opportunities to join in the wider work of the team outside your specialist field in helping us to reach our team objectives.


You'll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability.

As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you'll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.


Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success.

Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:


Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do


Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential


Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance - striving to be even better - and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way


Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed


About you

  • A current practising certificate and be entitled to practice in England as a Solicitor, Barrister, or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executive
  • Significant post qualification experience
  • Good management experience
  • An ability to work to tight deadlines and remain calm whilst under pressure
  • Excellent communication, teamwork and relationship building skills.
  • A flexible approach to work and ability to use initiative
  • A willingness to improve your leadership skills and contribute to the ambition for the Joint Legal Team and Reading Legal Services

Our offer
We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you'll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collab
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