Education Lawyer

We are currently recruiting for an education lawyer to join our Adult Social Care and Education Team.

Now is the perfect time to join us as we deliver our ambitions to be the best place to practice law in local government; being close to our customers, recruiting the best talent, successfully deploying legal technology and ensuring the continued growth of the business to new customers.

Reading's Legal Service provides the Council and its partners with the highest quality professional legal advice and representation which allows them to run their organisations well, and to serve our community.

We host a Joint Legal Team, a long-standing shared legal service for all the Berkshire councils and a recognised centre of excellence for childcare, adults and education law. As well as leading a highly regarded internal Corporate Legal Team, serving the needs of the Council across a wide range of functions.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

We support hybrid working, it's important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you'll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle

About the role:

In this role, you will hold a caseload of SEN appeals and provide general education advice, including conducting judicial reviews. As part of a collaborative team, you'll need to work well under pressure to meet tight deadlines and handle your own advocacy. Additionally, you'll be responsible for providing advice to a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring comprehensive and effective legal support.

You will be part of a dynamic team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As part of Team Reading, you will play your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place by:

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do.

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential.

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance - striving to be even better - and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way.

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.

Our ideal candidate will have an excellent working knowledge of key education legislation, with a particular ability to conduct special education needs appeals, including undertaking advocacy at SEND Tribunals., A current practising certificate, qualifying you to practice in England as a Solicitor, Barrister, or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.
Post-qualification experience in education law, including SEN appeals.
The ability to meet tight deadlines and perform well under pressure.
A collaborative approach, working effectively as part of a team.
The capability to handle your own advocacy.
Strong skills in providing advice to a diverse range of stakeholders, Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax