Principal Lawyer - Place

Principal Lawyer – Place Hybrid working arrangementLondon Borough of Lewisham£75,273 to £81,411 Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to the vibrant and culturally diverse communities! The London Borough of Lewisham is a brilliant place to work with a dynamic team and environment. Are you a local government Lawyer with experience managing a team? Sellick Partnership are excited to be exclusively recruiting to a brilliant new Permanent Principal Lawyer post to join the friendly Legal team at the London Borough of Lewisham. This role will be managing the Place team which includes Planning, Property, Environmental, Contracts, Education and Employment law, the desired candidate will be expected to attend the office in Catford twice a week.
The main duties of this role include:To undertake the most complex legal advice and assistance and to manage and take responsibility for service delivery for a team within Legal Services to the highest professional and client care standardsTo deputise for the Head of Legal ServicesAllocation of work to appropriate members of staff, ensuring adequate training and development of staff and regular staff performance appraisals Advising Mayor and Cabinet, Council, Committees, relevant members, the Monitoring Officer and senior officers as requiredContribute significantly to decisions affecting Legal Services including assisting in developing and implementing future strategyProject manage, as appropriate, major tasks on behalf of Legal Services as well as assisting in meeting the strategic objectives of Legal ServicesManaging a team of around 12-14 and ensuring adequate training and development including presentation of training courses and seminars for staff membersLiaising with clients in respect of service delivery, how to improve performance and standards within the teamSupporting/assisting Counsel as appropriateScrutinise reports drafted by staff in other directorates, ensuring that they are robust and preparing legal implications paragraphs as appropriateManage the finances and human resources of the team and ensure business plan objectives are metKeep abreast of all current legal and professional legal requirements, informing and instructing colleagues as necessaryIntroduce new procedures, as required, including those required under ISO9001 arrangement, whether arising from new legislation, changes in Council policy, new management practices or otherwise and in consultation with other affected departments. Prepare any necessary documentation The successful Principal Lawyer - Place will possess:A current practising certificate (either as a Barrister, Solicitor or Legal Executive)A can-do attitude with the confidence to lead and develop a teamExperience of managing a teamStrong experience in at least one of the below areas of law:Regeneration Property Procurement and ContractsPlanningEnvironmental Law and public realmCommercial LawAbility to anticipate problems and solve them accordinglyMust be dependable and self-reliantExperience working in a local government settingMay be required to attend committees occasionally The Principal Lawyer role includes some excellent benefits such as:Local Government pension schemeBike loan and season ticketsSignificant discounts in local cafes, shops and restaurantsDiscounted Gym membershipGenerous maternity, paternity and adoption leaveAccess to a health insurance schemeSupportive staff networksFlexible working arrangements Interested in applying for the Principal Lawyer role?Please apply as soon as possible to be considered for this position, or contact Rayhaneh Tehrani in our Manchester office for an informal discussion about the role. DiversityLewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. They welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply