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Company Director

Employer
North Yorkshire County Council
Location
Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Salary
£Competitive
Closing date
8 Sep 2019

View more

Practice area
Public law
Contract type
Permanent
Hours
Full time
PQE
3 years, 4 years, 5 years, 6 years, 7 years+
Position
Head of Legal
Sector
Public sector/Charities

Job Details

Company Director, First North Law
Salary:
Competitive package
Location: Flexible 

First North Law is a newly formed North Yorkshire law firm with a difference, providing a wide range of specialist legal services to other public sector bodies as well as the private sector.

Launched by North Yorkshire County Council in 2018, the creation of First North Law supports the Council’s commercial growth with its expanding portfolio of services offered to external markets including initiatives in education, waste disposal, broadband, information governance and auditing in property.

First North Law is comprised of a team of North Yorkshire legal specialists, dedicated to providing professional, client-centred services to a range of public, private and third sector organisations across Yorkshire and beyond. We have taken the knowledge, skills and expertise of an established legal team working for North Yorkshire County Council, and created an alternative business structure legal company.

We are now an independent law firm working with a range of clients across the region. Those clients include state schools, independent schools, academies and local authority departments, as well as private businesses and charities.

Quality as standard

As the North Yorkshire County Council legal team, we have held the Lexcel legal practice quality management accreditation for almost 30 years. We also comply with the Practice Management Standards of our professional body, the Law Society, which applies to every aspect of the services we provide.

Looking to the future 

When thinking about the future of First North Law the following words come to mind: 'growth', 'commercial focus' and 'reputation'. Established in March 2018, our firm has already made significant progress in expanding our service offer, and making partnerships with organisations across the country. We are extremely lucky to have the support and stability of North Yorkshire County Council behind us, giving us a great platform to really develop our company and grow our reputation as an excellent law provision. Although we are very much a stand-alone organisation, this support has allowed for immediate financial stability and access to resources that may have been otherwise limited. Our focus now lies with increasing our commerciality, developing our reputation and linking with new organisations and sectors to expand our service offer.

In order to help us achieve this ambition, we are now seeking a Company Director to join us at First North Law and bring their commercial expertise to our dedicated and ambitious team.

First North Law is at a pivotal stage in its development, with solid foundations implemented by our current team of staff, we are looking for someone to accelerate our expansion. Joining us as our Company Director, you will have a significant track record in delivering first class legal services and a demonstrated ability in instigating and delivering commercial business growth. An entrepreneur, you will be equipped with the relevant skills to develop and expand our service. 

As Company Director, your role will include pitching for new business by making partnerships with key stakeholders, promoting our firm and its successes. You will be decisive in your approach, ensuring that all decisions are made in the best interests of the company whilst enhancing our customer service and the professional impact of our service. Acting as an agent for the business, you will manage the firm’s affairs and ensure the company is complying with obligations and meeting business targets and trading compliance. Working closely with the Managing Director (Assistant Chief Executive), and other board members, you will have a strategic approach to business, monitoring the company’s finances and influencing future direction for the firm. We are ideally looking for someone with a Barrister or Solicitor background, with a proven commercial acumen that can be utilised to source and deliver new business for our firm. 

This position provides an opportunity for a credible legal professional with a commercial focus to lead an organisation through an exciting period of development. With the market currently in growth, we want to take advantage of the expanding legal sector and transform our organisation. As well as being a financially stable company there is the opportunity for further investment to encourage the expansion of our firm, and with this the successful candidate will be able to grow their own career through solidifying their expertise and increasing both their legal and commercial abilities across an evolving list of sectors. 

Although the role will very much have a focus on leading our firm First North Law, there could be the opportunity to also lead the Council’s Income Generation Legal team either immediately or into the future following initial growth of the firm. Therefore the successful candidate could be employed by - First North Law or North Yorkshire County Council - taking into consideration applicants’ preferences and the different employment packages. There may also be the possibility of a relocation allowance for the right candidate. Due to this choice, we have provided two job description / person specification documents outlining two role profiles.

Contact us

If you would like to discuss this role in more detail we would welcome and encourage an informal conversation. Please contact Barry Khan, Managing Director (Assistant Chief Executive), on 01609 532953 or email Barry.Khan@northyorks.gov.uk or Sarah France-Gorton, Recruitment Partner on 01609 798106 or email Sarah.France-Gorton@northyorks.gov.uk.

Key dates

    •       Closing date: Sunday 8 September 2019

    •       Interviews: first stage to be confirmed with the final interview on Friday 20 September 2019

Key documents

    •        Job description / person specification - Director of First North Law (pdf / 467 KB)

    •        Job description / person specification - Director of First North Law / Head of Legal (Income Generation) (pdf / 471 KB)

 

Read more about First North Law on their website.

 

 To apply for this post, please click the apply button and continue your application using the instructions below.

To submit an application please email your CV and cover letter in one Microsoft Word document (not PDF) to Sarah.France-Gorton@northyorks.gov.uk by no later than midnight on 8 September 2019.

It is important that your CV includes: your full contact details (telephone, email, address), full employment history (name of employer, job titles, dates of employment), full education history (qualification, grade, dates and name of place of study), explanation of any gaps in employment and the contact details of at least two referees including your current / most recent employer indicating whether you provide us with the authority to contact each referee prior to interview.

Your personal statement should outline your motivation for applying and how you meet the criteria for the role as detailed in the person specification.

Company

North Yorkshire County Council

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