Solicitor - Employment Team

About us

Stone King is an ambitious and friendly firm specialising in the Business & Social Enterprise, Charity, Education, Faith and Private Client sectors.  Our collaborative culture and core values are intertwined with our ethos of doing the right thing by our clients, communities, and our people. Our passion for the sectors we work in and the purpose-driven work we do with our clients has resulted in SK being recognised as national leaders in our specialist fields across the country.

The opportunity

We have a fantastic opportunity for a talented individual to join our Employment Team, working with our nationally renowned education team, as a solicitor or associate. Location of this role can be flexible and be based out of our Leeds, Manchester, Cambridge or Bath offices. Hybrid/remote working is available and we would be happy to speak with prospective candidates about flexible and remote working arrangements.

Although the focus of the role is the Education field and in particular the state school sector, the candidate should be willing to carry out work across all of the Firm’s sectors, i.e. business, charity and social enterprise and to a lesser extent private client.

Reasons to apply

• Opportunity to further develop skills and experience across our highly regarded Employment Team, you’ll have the opportunity to work closely with our specialists across the firm.
• To be part of an ambitious, collaborative and friendly national firm where our culture and values are at the heart of everything we do. We believe our people are our greatest asset and strive to create the best place to work.
• Excellent benefits for our people, with a focus on wellbeing and development at the forefront.
• Hybrid working - Stone King are proud to be signatories of the Mindful Business Charter as part of our commitment to mental health and wellbeing. We want to support all of our people in achieving a healthy work/ life balance and would be happy to speak with prospective candidates about flexible working arrangements.

Key Responsibilities

General duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provide employment advice and assistance to the firm’s clients and prospective clients
• Effectively manage an individual caseload (with supervision where appropriate).
• Reviewing and drafting Policies, Handbooks and Contracts;
• Advising with regard to disciplinary and grievance issues and procedures;
• Advising with regard to TUPE issues;
• Preparing bespoke contracts and advising with regard to implications e.g., secondment and consultancy agreements;
• Advising in relation to potential discrimination issues, particularly disability, age, religious/belief and sex discrimination;
• Assisting clients in negotiations with regard to termination and addressing issues e.g., Settlement Agreements;
• A general understanding of potential pension implications;
• To prepare cases for Tribunal hearings, principally on behalf of Respondents including carrying out advocacy prior to final hearing;
• Attend to clients of the Firm in the office or elsewhere if needed.
• Work in a collegiate and collaborative way within an immediate Team and wider Firm environment.
• Communicate promptly and effectively both internally to colleagues and externally to clients.
• Maintain your continuing professional development requirements and take an active interest in furthering your knowledge within the field of law.
• Actively marketing the Employment law team in conjunction with other Team members and other Teams in order to develop the firm’s client base.
• Meeting clients both at their premises and at any of our offices to advise, assist and as part of an ongoing client contact initiative.
• Provide legal support to the HR Consultants based in the London, Bath, Leeds and Birmingham offices in conjunction with the other Employment solicitors.

Requirements

Essential

• A qualified Solicitor, with experience of running own caseload.
• A strong commitment to career development and further learning.
• Previous experience handling own caseload and ability to work independently and as part of the team.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to prioritise workload.
• Previous experience of supervision and development of others.
• Attention to detail.
• IT literate including Office 2010.

Desirable

• The candidate will have experience in similar role, Ideally, they will have experience in working in the Education sector and working with schools, however this is not a necessary. 

• Previous experience of supervision and development of others.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Individual differences are embraced at Stone King, and we strive to create an environment in which people feel supported and able to be themselves. We have a partner-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy Group, and a dedicated DE&I Adviser. We are committed to promoting an inclusive working environment that supports the growth and development of all our people, and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities. As part of our continued commitment to an inclusive working environment, we are proud to be part of the Race Fairness Commitment, the Age Friendly Employer Pledge and a Disability Confident Employer.

Stone King are signatories of the Mindful Business Charter as part of our commitment to mental health and wellbeing. We want to support all of our people in achieving a healthy work/ life balance and would be happy to speak with prospective candidates about flexible working arrangements.

As part of our commitment to DE&I, we want our recruitment practices to be as inclusive as possible, which means we will make reasonable adjustments to help you perform to your best, so please let us know if you need us to make any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process. Our recruitment team are on hand to discuss any reasonable adjustments with candidates and can provide full job details and applications in alternative formats if required. You can contact our recruitment team via email at (url removed) or (phone number removed).

As a Disability Confident employer, Stone King LLP is committed to offering an interview to any job applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the role as defined by the job description and person specification. A full copy of the person specification and job description can be provided by contacting our Recruitment team.  In some recruitment situations such as high-peak times, we might need to limit the overall numbers of interviews we offer. This will include the number of interviews offered to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria. When that happens, we’ll still aim to offer a proportionate number of interviews to disabled applicants.

Benefits

Salary and Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Profit Share Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Benefit Platform
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life assurance (4 x salary)
• Pension scheme
• 28 days holiday (in addition to statutory UK holidays)
• Additional day allocated for CSR activities per annum

Closing date: 19 July 2024

Adverts normally close at midday on the closing date, however vacancies may close early if sufficient applications have been received. Therefore we would encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Stone King LLP is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity by encouraging all our staff to achieve their full potential and guaranteeing that all employment decisions are taken without reference to irrelevant information or discriminatory practices.

Recruitment agencies – please do not send us unsolicited CVs. If you do so, we reserve the right to contact the candidate directly and your T&Cs will not apply

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