Lawyer - Employment

Are you an experienced Employment Lawyer looking for a role where you can provide trusted legal advice on complex and high-profile workforce matters?

We're seeking a talented Senior Lawyer - Employment to join our Legal Services team. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of a large and diverse organisation, advising on a broad range of employment law issues that directly support the delivery of vital services to our communities.

You'll work closely with HR professionals, managers and senior leaders, providing practical, solution-focused legal advice that helps the Council navigate an evolving employment landscape while supporting positive outcomes for employees and the organisation.

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 a Senior Lawyer - Employment, you'll manage a varied and challenging caseload, providing expert legal advice across all aspects of employment law and workforce relations.

You will work with senior officers, managers, councillors and partners, building trusted relationships and helping navigate challenging issues with confidence and professionalism.

You will:

Advise on a wide range of employment law matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and attendance management issues.

Support organisational change projects, including restructures, redundancies and TUPE transfers.

Manage Employment Tribunal claims from initial advice through to resolution and advocacy where appropriate.

Advise on discrimination, equality, whistleblowing and other complex employment-related matters.

Draft and review employment policies, procedures, agreements and other legal documentation.

Provide legal support to HR, managers and senior leadership teams on sensitive and high-risk workforce issues.

Deliver pragmatic and commercially aware legal advice that balances legal risk with operational objectives.

Support and mentor junior lawyers and legal support colleagues as required.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work on a wide variety of interesting and impactful cases while contributing to the development of a modern, proactive legal service.

You'll be a qualified solicitor, barrister or CILEX lawyer, entitled to practise in England and holding a current practising certificate.

You'll have strong legal analytical skills, excellent written and verbal communication, and the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly to a range of audiences. You'll be confident managing a varied workload, exercising sound judgement and working independently while building effective relationships with colleagues and clients.

You'll also bring political awareness, resilience and a commitment to continuous improvement. A willingness to supervise colleagues, contribute to team development and deputise for a Principal Lawyer in team management is important.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

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.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to advise senior managers and elected members.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise and well-reasoned legal advice.

Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise a demanding workload and meet deadlines.

The confidence to work largely independently, exercise sound judgement and take responsibility for matters through to completion.

A collaborative approach, with a willingness to support colleagues, supervise staff and contribute to service improvement.

The ability to keep abreast of developments in law and best practice and identify opportunities to improve the service.

Experience in employment law and advising on employment-related legal issues would be relevant to this specialist role.