Solicitor
£37,485 pa depending on experience + excellent benefits including flexible working

Slough

Closing date: 19 March 2019 at 11.30 pm

For a qualified and passionate housing solicitor with a sound knowledge of legal aid and a strong commitment to our cause, this is an amazing opportunity to join Shelter as a Solicitor in our Thames Valley team.

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change — with individuals, in communities, across society – and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

With an enviable national reputation for excellence in the provision of housing law and over 100 fee earners and support staff, including over 40 solicitors nationally, Legal Services at Shelter is career enhancing to say the least. Our Thames Valley hub is a very busy centre with a high footfall, and we provide a specialist legal casework service in housing law, including litigation and consultancy work. This is a great chance to use your expertise to deliver a specialist legal casework service in housing law, including litigation and consultancy work, you’ll also be part of the national legal services team at one of the UK’s leading charities.

About the Role
As a Solicitor you’ll take on a varied caseload that includes dealing with emergency cases and identifying and carrying out strategic litigation. We’ll also rely on you to provide consultancy work, technical supervision and line management and delegate work to ensure it’s carried out efficiently and to the highest standard. Carrying out court representation, including at Housing Duty Possession Schemes, will be important too, as will ensuring funding is maximised on each case. And, when it comes to training and developing others, promoting our legal services or identifying referrals from internal and eternal sources, again, we’ll count on you to deliver.

About you
An experienced Solicitor with proven experience of housing litigation, including court representation on behalf of homeless people or people in housing need, you will be used to working on public and private sector cases on issues including homelessness, security of tenure and possession proceedings. You also meet the 2013 SQM Supervisor standard in housing and have sound knowledge of publicly funded Legal Aid work, including legal representation and legal help. The ability to establish priorities and develop clear plans to achieve your goals is also required, as are excellent listening, communication and problem solving skills, sensitivity to the needs of others and a genuine interest in their views.

Benefits include 30 days’ annual leave, the possibility of flexible working, enhanced family friendly policies and significant opportunities for learning and development.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter please visit our website. Apply to be part of our award-winning legal team and be the change you want to see in society.

Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

At Shelter, we welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. We are facing diverse problems, so need diverse people to tackle them.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.