Senior Employment Lawyer

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Employment Lawyer to join Reading Legal Services.

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 are open to flexible working patterns and can provide a hybrid working environment which utilises the best of both worlds with a mix of office working in central Reading and homeworking according to the needs of the Service.

About the role:

We are looking for experienced and committed candidate who can conduct a varied and interesting range of employment litigation matters and provide clear, concise advice in this area to a variety of clients including schools.

You will enjoy working in a fast paced and diverse environment and be able to work under your own initiative and under pressure in an objective, calm and efficient manner.

You must also be able to develop and maintain good relationships with clients and key stakeholders who you engage with.

You will report to the Legal Services Manager and be part of Team Reading. You will play your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

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.

You should have proven experience in advising HR clients on various aspects of employment law, along with expertise in handling both contentious and non-contentious employment matters commonly found within a local authority.

Additionally, you will be experienced in providing advice and support to HR on internal personnel processes related to staff discipline, grievances, sickness absence, and TUPE within the remit of the local authority, its maintained schools, and service provision partners. The role also requires you to undertake advocacy in the Employment Tribunal, including preliminary hearings., A current practising certificate and be entitled to practice in England as a Solicitor, Barrister, or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executive
Post qualification experience on employment matters
Proven experience of tribunal matters
An ability to work to tight deadlines and work well whilst under pressure.
An ability to work effectively as part of a team.
Be able to conduct your own advocacy for short hearings.
Provide training to our HR client officers on a range of employment issues
An ability to provide advice to a wide 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