In-House Employment Lawyer | Public Sector

We’re looking for an in-house Solicitor to join a public sector organisations Employment Legal team! As a senior member of the legal team, you’ll provide strategic advice and legal counsel regarding employment law issues across South Wales. Working from their head offices in Bridgend and/or Gwent, you will manage the team and report into the Head of Legal (Corporate).

Key Responsibilities

To act across these regions on a varied caseload of contentions and non-contentious employment matters. This includes advising and representing the Forces in respect of contentious claims in Employment Tribunals etc., advising with regards internal disputes with staff and officers and general employment advice. 

Key Activities 

1. Represent the organisation at appropriate Tribunals, County and Commercial Courts  

2. Advise and have conduct of complex employment and grievance cases as well as advising upon and providing representation at police medical appeals  

3. Have conduct of legal matters relating to Employment Tribunal; Law; Disciplinary and grievance cases; general Employment Law, Regulations, TUPE, Pension Law, Disclosure, Legal Professional Privilege [LPP], Information Law and pensions/medical appeals.  

4. Managing and supervising a team of Employment Lawyers and Legal Advisors across these specific areas of law.  

5. Attending appropriate meetings relating to cases and updates within the area of Employment; to attend to any of the areas within the designated areas of practice as set out above.  

6. Establish and maintain productive working relationships with appropriate client departments and outside stakeholders, including external agencies, courts and tribunals and other partners  

7. Promote collaborative working arrangements and ensure the provision of timely advice  

8. Drive the recovery of costs where appropriate.  

9. Identification and reporting of case trends and key cases and issues affecting the clients on a regular basis to the Head of Legal (Corporate) and the Director of JLS, with experience of identifying such issues as relevant to business planning.  

10. To carry out any other duties commensurate with the purpose and grading of the post. 

11. Monitoring and identifying any emerging trends within this area of legal practice and ability to come up with creative and innovative solutions by way of draft business and policy changes to address the same - including liaison with senior stakeholders (to include Chief Officers and Commissioners) as well as external parties (e.g. the Tribunal) regarding the same. 

12. Mentoring and training professionally qualified staff (solicitors and legal executives) within my area of business.  

13. Playing a key proactive role as a member of the senior management team within the Joint Legal Service taking on management and business management responsibility as a result of the same.  

14. Acting as the senior legal advisor within this area of specialism and therefore providing oversight and client contact in relation to ongoing cases as well as retaining the advisory role/caseload of the higher value, reputationally significant and more complex cases.  

15. Acting as the single point of contact for senior client and stakeholder contact in my business area and deputising for the Head of Legal (Corporate). 

Key skills and experience 

Qualified Solicitor or Barrister with a minimum of 5 years post qualification experience in this area of business  

· Experience of advising upon and holding complex cases within Employment Tribunal and/or Disciplinary Practice  

· Experience of other areas of law. 

· Experience of advising upon and holding complex cases within the area of employment law  

· Knowledge and experience in the conduct and management of employment tribunal claims together with experience of advising on employment law issues, judicial review and ancillary matters  

· Able to provide resilience for all work conducted for the wider Joint Legal Services in relation to all aspects and functions of its work  

· Advocacy experience within the court system or equivalent.  

· Must be computer literate and proficient in Microsoft applications.  

· Excellent communication skills both written and verbal  

· Excellent negotiation skills · Excellent interpersonal skills demonstrating ability to be personally credible  

· Demonstrate strong leadership skills and the ability to mentor and develop others within the team  

· Ability to carry a complex and varied case load

· Agile and flexible and able to work in ambiguous and fluid situations  

· Working Collaboratively · Energetic and highly self-motivated; personal resilience; assertive  

· Excellent verbal, drafting and written skills and communications   

This is a newly created and exciting opportunity for a dynamic individual who is looking to work in-house for a highly successful public sector organisation as in-house solicitor headquarters in Bridgend and/or Gwent as required.

Apply now for immediate consideration or give Karen a call at TSR Legal for a confidential conversation or direct to karen@tsrlegal.co.uk in confidence.