The role
The Role:
This is an excellent opportunity for you to achieve a genuine work /life balance whilst doing challenging and interesting work, in and outside of court.
In your role as an in house Advocate in Southwark, you will have the benefit of working within a team where there is excellent business and legal support and collaboration, in which everyone pulls together to help each other.
The successful Childcare Advocate will be expected to undertake the following duties:
- Be responsible for the provision of high quality advocacy at all levels of family courts, legal advice and responsive legal services to clients in respect of child care law and other aspects of law in relation to children and adults.
- Represent Children Services in accordance with instructions in private and public law proceedings.
- Provide written and oral advice on the law and practice in relation to child protection, adoption, human rights and any related proceedings involving vulnerable children and adults in public and private law.
- Prepare and draft all case management documentation including draft orders, positions statements, case summaries, skeleton arguments and threshold documents etc.
- To provide high quality legal advice and advocacy on behalf of Southwark in all levels of courts in London, mainly in the Central Family Courts, which includes hearings before magistrates, district judges, recorders and circuit judges and in the High Court of Justice and Court of Appeal. Advocates to attend other courts in London, where required.
- Deliver training in house to social care clients and lawyers
- Provide briefings to senior officers of the council and managers, where required on complex points of law and developments in law and practice.
The successful candidate will be required to advocate on interesting cases from the outset. Matters include non-accidental injury, international jurisdiction, DOLs, adoption, appeals etc. The successful Childcare Advocate will not be required to carry a caseload but will need to possess experience of final contested hearings lasting at least 3-5 days.
About Southwark:
We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do
About You:
The successful Inhouse Advocate Lawyer will be an admitted Solicitor, Barrister or CILEX of England and Wales with a current practising certificate and eligible and competent to undertake advocacy on behalf of the council.
You will possess a minimum of 3 years post qualification experience.
Have significant experience of undertaking advocacy on a regular basis in the Family Courts.
Have significant experience of and ability to operate IT systems.
You will be ambitious and self-motivated and self-reliant and able to work to deadlines
Be a team-player and able to work collaboratively with your clients.
Additional salary details
Please be advised that LAW Absolute Recruitment Agency are managing the recruitment of this role.
To register your interest, please send your updated CV to zalex@lawabsolute.com
Benefits and more information:
https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/
This post is classified as ‘Hard to Fill’ and attracts the following remuneration package;
• A hard to fill benefit payment of £2,327 which can be redeemed against gym membership, health insurance, season ticket purchase, bicycle purchase, additional voluntary contribution to pension, subscription and professional fees.
• 7.5% Market factor supplement in addition to the annual salary.
Recruitment timetable
Application Closing Date: 11.59pm on 3rd October 2023
Interview: WC 16th & 23rd 2023
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
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