Principal Lawyer - Child Care Court Team

Are you looking for an exciting new challenge to develop your skills and unlock your potential? 

We are looking for enthusiastic and committed Principal Lawyer to lead a Child Care Court Team. You’ll be working with colleagues to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable adults, children, and young people in Berkshire. We are looking for a future colleague who shares our passion for Child Care law, their community and holding children and families at the centre. 

You’ll be part of the Joint Legal Team, a forward thinking shared legal service and recognised centre of excellence for adults, education and Child Care 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. 

We aim 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  

You will be leading in a team of lawyers, paralegals, and legal assistants with day-to-day supervision of staff reporting directly to you. You’ll be part of the leadership team of JLT Child Care, contributing to the timely delivery of effective legal services with maximum efficiency and economy. 

You will work in partnership with our Pre-Proceedings Team and long-established Adoption and Permanence Team, along with Adopt Thames Valley to support our clients. 

Leading a Child Care Court Team, you will have opportunities to work on a wide range of interesting and complex cases to grow your experience.  You’ll work closely with colleagues, nurturing their success as well as your own.  

Our Professional Support Lawyer will support you to develop your legal skills and to move to the next level in your career.  Being experienced advocate at CMHs and IRHs is an advantage, and you will have opportunities to be involved with advocacy training for our lawyers and pupil barristers. 

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.     

All of our lawyer roles are open to qualified solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives.   

You will be part of a dynamic team with each individual playing their part to the best of their ability. As part of Team Reading you will play 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.  

TEAM Reading values underpin the way we work day-to-day and are the foundation for modern, cost-effective services to improve the lives of local people. 

About you 

To apply for this role, you will have:  
 

• 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  
• An ability to work to tight deadlines and remain calm whilst under pressure 
• Attention to detail and the confidence to work independently as well as in a team  
• Excellent communication, team-work and relationship building skills. 
• A flexible approach to work and ability to use initiative  
• Ability to maintain confidentiality  
• A willingness to improve your leadership skills and contribute to an 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 are strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment. 

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including: 

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave 
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities  
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading 
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)  
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted 
• Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work 
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years.  The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax 

For more information on this position, please contact Eleanor Gibson, the Team Leader for Child Care.

 
Closing Date: 25th February 2024 

Interview Date: To be confirmed 

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.