Solicitor - Environment
Corporate and Commercial Services

Legal Services

Ref: SM3/OL-30727

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £46,550 - £49,427 (SM3)

Hours: 36.66 per week

Based: Level 4, Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham, OL1 1UL

Closing Date: Sunday 18th August 2019

Shortlisting & Interview Dates: TBC

Job Description & Person Specification.doc
Oldham Right to Work in the UK.doc

Role Overview:

To provide the professional services of a solicitor to the Council and other bodies within the Environment, Highways and Planning fields and to assist the Council in fulfilling its corporate objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• To advise Council, Cabinet, Committees, Officers and Departments of the Council on legal matters primarily, but not exclusively, relating to Environmental (including Environmental Health, Trading Standards, Markets and Licensing), Highways, Planning (including Building Control) and Benefit Fraud matters, including attendance at evening meetings, as required.
• Advocacy, especially prosecutions and appeals and including Public Inquiries, both personally and through Counsel, at Court and elsewhere.
• Advice, including drafting and settling legal documentation, to and on behalf of the Council and its staff, of both a contentious and non-contentious nature.
• Finalising highway claims against the Council.
• To provide supervision to and assist in managing the work of the Legal Assistants assigned to the team.
• Undertaking legal work of a specialist and/or complex nature, including research, the preparation of advice to Council officers and elected members, the drafting and settling of legal documentation and the drafting and presentation of reports and other documentation, without supervision.
• Working with client officers to ensure that they are appropriately advised and supported, and are able to provide informed instructions to the Council’s external advisers (where engaged) as required.  Advising on the need for specialist external advice, where necessary assisting on procuring, instructing and managing external legal advisers where these are engaged.
• Liaison with the Group Solicitor (Environment) and other managers within Legal Services to ensure effective co-ordination of all legal services to the Council. Keeping up to date with relevant developments in law and practice, and working with colleagues in the legal team to ensure that other officers are aware of developments relevant to them.

 
Key Requirements:

To succeed in this role you will need as a minimum:

• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister
• Member or Governing Body/Law Society
• Experience/knowledge of Environmental, Highways and Planning Law.
• Experience of working with a variety of individuals, services and partner organisations across the public, private, community and voluntary sectors.
• Advocacy skills

About Us:

For more information about the Oldham Council, please visit: 
https://www.greater.jobs/content/4559/working-for-oldham

For details of how we use your data please see our privacy notice: https://www.oldham.gov.uk/downloads/file/4967/employment_privacy_notice_-_oldham_council_10

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for an at risk employee, it can be pulled back at any point up to the post being formally offered to an external candidate or an internal candidate that is not at risk of redundancy.