Job Introduction
We are a modern and progressive authority that is ambitious and empowers its employees to be courageous and innovative in their approach.
Staffordshire Legal Services is a large in-house corporate legal team, consisting of lawyers, trainees and support staff, with a key focus on staff training, retention and progression. The services supports the county council in the delivery of its objectives by providing quality services to support the Council’s functions.
The successful candidate will undertake a rewarding varied caseload of commercial, contracts and procurement matters so previous experience of assisting/managing a commercial contract and procurement caseload within either public sector or private practice is essential.
There are a number of benefits to working at Staffordshire County Council including generous holiday entitlement, flexi time, annual leave purchase scheme, employee discounts, local government pension scheme, optional car lease scheme and a staff parking discount scheme.
We understand the importance of a work-life balance and currently offer remote working with attendance at our Stafford office on flexible patterns and in accordance with business need.
Main Responsibility
Responsibilities will include:
- Providing legal and procurement advice to clients on various matters relating to all Directorates of the Council.
- Reviewing, drafting and advising on a variety of agreements including frameworks, services contracts, ICT contracts, social care contracts, collaboration agreements, section 75 agreements and various central and local government grant funding arrangements and loan agreements.
- Undertaking legal input into strategic legal advice and risk, including drafting Cabinet reports where required.
- Advising on Council Constitution, Procurement Regulations, governance and decision making:
- Assisting senior members of the team
- Adhering to the Legal Services Unit’s LEXCEL quality standards
- Engage directly and regularly with all council officers up to Director level and attend client meetings
- Maintaining high standards of honesty and integrity when liaising with council officers, colleagues, stakeholders and any external organisations.
- Accurately and comprehensively recording all time spent on matters and non-chargeable activity in accordance with the council’s time recording system.
- Manage own caseload and files on the electronic case management system.
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for a qualified Solicitor or Barrister with:
- Sound commercial, contracts and procurement knowledge
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise a varied workload
- Local authority knowledge preferred but not essential
- A passion to learn, enthusiasm and the desire to excel as a local government lawyer
- An interest in local government or broader public services sector
- The ability to adopt a practical and commercial approach to legal issues
- The ability to meet deadlines whilst working under pressure
- Proficient in use of Microsoft applications and document management systems
If you are unsure if your skills and experience are suitable for this role or for an informal chat please contact or Imran Razaq, Deputy Legal Services on 01785854186 or via email at: imran.razaq@staffordshire.gov.uk / Tracy Giles, Team Senior on 01785 276113 or via email at: tracy.giles@staffordshire.gov.uk
About Staffordshire County Council
We are no ordinary county council:
Our Values:
The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.
Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:
We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.
We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.
Our benefits:
We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.
In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to a range of benefits.
Our recruitment process:
As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities
As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Silver Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
