Lawyer - Adult Social Care

Are you a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of CILEX looking to develop your career in Adult Social Care law?

We're seeking a motivated and capable Lawyer - Adult Social Care to join our Legal Services team. This is an exciting opportunity to undertake rewarding and meaningful legal work that directly supports vulnerable adults and helps ensure the delivery of high-quality services across Reading.

Working closely with Adult Social Care colleagues, managers and partner organisations, you'll provide legal advice and representation on a broad range of matters while building your expertise within a supportive and collaborative legal team.

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:

As part of the Berkshire Joint Legal Team, you'll join a specialist shared legal service across Berkshire providing expert legal support across Adult Social Care, Children's Social Care, Education, and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Working alongside experienced colleagues from a range of disciplines, you'll benefit from a collaborative environment, opportunities to share knowledge and expertise, and exposure to a diverse range of complex and rewarding work.

You'll provide legal advice and assistance to Council officers and other relevant stakeholders, helping them navigate complex legal issues and make informed decisions.

As a Lawyer - Adult Social Care, you'll manage your own caseload and provide high-quality legal advice to officers, managers and elected members across a range of Adult Social Care matters.

You'll need to exercise sound legal judgement, communicate complex matters clearly and sensitively, and ensure that your work is delivered to a high standard. You'll also contribute to the development of Legal Services by sharing knowledge, supporting colleagues and identifying opportunities to improve working practices.

Your responsibilities will include:

Providing clear, practical and timely legal advice on matters within adult social care.

Advising officers and other stakeholders on complex or sensitive legal issues.

Managing your caseload effectively, keeping clients informed of progress and meeting agreed deadlines.

Supporting the Council's policies, strategies and corporate objectives through high-quality legal advice.

Undertaking advocacy in court or tribunals where appropriate to your qualifications and experience.

Working collaboratively with colleagues to deliver an efficient and responsive legal service.

Contributing to service development, projects, training and improvements to systems and processes.

Maintaining accurate time recording and ensuring that costs and income are appropriately recorded.

Working in accordance with the Council's requirements on equality, confidentiality, data protection and legal compliance.

You will be an experienced legal professional with strong technical knowledge, excellent judgement and the confidence to manage complex matters independently. You will be able to communicate legal issues clearly, identify risks and practical solutions, and build effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels.

You will bring a collaborative and flexible approach, together with the ability to manage competing demands, meet deadlines and maintain high standards under pressure. You will also be keen to support colleagues, contribute to continuous improvement and help deliver an excellent service to the Council and its partners.

To be successful, you will have:

A recognised legal qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), with a current practising certificate and entitlement to practise in England.

In-depth experience of providing legal services across a range of local government services.

Experience of handling complex legal issues and advising on sensitive matters.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, concise legal advice that identifies risks, issues and solutions.

The ability to organise and prioritise a demanding workload and work with a high degree of independence.

A commitment to teamwork, professional development and continuous service improvement.

Experience in adult social care law and working within a local authority or a similarly complex environment would be valuable for this role.