Employment Senior Lawyer

The starting salary for this role is £59,868 to £65,755 per annum depending on experience. This salary is based on a 36-hour working week.

Are you a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or FILEX of England and Wales with a current practising certificate looking for a new opportunity to develop your career in Employment Law? As a Employment Senior Lawyer, you will join a supportive, successful and Lexcel accredited in-house legal team that delivers effective legal advice, representation and assistance to the Council.

We offer hybrid working which allows for remote working but we also require regular office attendance with an expectation to attend an office 40% of your working week.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday plus public holidays (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• Family Friendly policies including excellent Maternity, Paternity and Adoption entitlements and up to 5 days carer's leave per year
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) supporting health and wellbeing
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Role

As an Employment Senior Lawyer, you will be expected to carry out a range of key responsibilities, which will include:

• Providing solutions focused advice on Employment law matters to the Council, Surrey Fire and Rescue and Surrey schools
• Working with Human Resources to provide practical support and technical legal advice on a wide range of matters including disciplinary action, grievances, discrimination, whistleblowing, recruitment matters, restructures, TUPE and exit strategies
• Developing and maintaining effective business partnering relationships
• Managing Employment Tribunal cases on behalf of the Council and liaising with ACAS in relation to conciliation including drafting responses to claims and advocacy at some hearings
• Instruct and manage suppliers of external legal services such as solicitors and barristers in accordance with client requirements
• Running internal training and providing legal updates on relevant topics
• Leading/contributing at client meetings
• Advising Members and Senior Officers of the Council
• Managing competing priorities to achieve client, statutory and Tribunal deadlines
• Exemplary client care and organisational skills
• Assisting with management and supervision of junior members of the team, including trainees and paralegals including ensuring the effective use of the Council's case management systems and work in accordance with the standards set out in the team's Lexcel manual and policies and procedures.
• Contribute to the development, training or mentoring of colleagues where required.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• You are a skilled employment lawyer with substantial experience of the law and practice in this area
• Experience of both contentious and non-contentious matters
• The ability to work with clients at all levels and give clear, accurate and practical advice

We welcome applications from candidates with relevant experience from both the public and private sector. Candidates with private sector experience should have a solid understanding of how local authorities operate and demonstrate their ability to transfer knowledge and skills to successfully deliver advice within local government.

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

This post has been designated as a politically restricted post in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

This is a rolling advert with shortlisting and interviewing taking place on a regular basis and we aim to contact all candidates within two weeks of their submitted application.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.