Description
As a Litigation Solicitor within our Employment, Criminal and Commercial Litigation team, you can make your own powerful contribution to the success of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea Councils.
Delivering legal advice and services to both Councils on a wide range of issues, your caseload will focus on at least one of the following areas – employment, criminal, or commercial and property.
Depending on your specialism, qualifications and experience, you’ll manage high-profile, politically sensitive and financially significant cases, conducting proceedings at all levels of the civil and criminal courts, employment tribunals, property tribunals, inquiries and other forums.
Drafting and collating statements of case, applications, summonses or charges, notices, witness statements, affidavits, reports and other legal documentation, we’ll also expect you to interview and prepare witnesses, and advise on law, evidence, procedure, limitation, risk, remedies, costs and settlements.
Your additional responsibilities may include instructing and managing Counsel and external solicitors, negotiating with other parties, departments and stakeholders, drafting and advising on reports and ensuring that all your professional obligations are met.
To be a success in this role you should have experience of independently managing a caseload, prioritising competing demands, meeting deadlines and progressing matters from instruction to resolution.
With strong knowledge of the law, evidence and procedures relevant to your specialism, and the ability to identify and manage legal and reputational risk, we’ll also expect you to be capable of drafting clear and accurate legal advice, pleadings or statements of case, applications, witness statements and other litigation documents.
Your excellent interpersonal and communication skills will allow you to explain complex legal issues clearly to non-specialists and offer sound professional judgement.
You’ll be ready to work with minimal supervision in a digital and agile environment and comply with high professional standards.
You will be a qualified Solicitor or Barrister entitled to practice in England and Wales or fellow of CILex with appropriate practicing rights.
An interest in developing your knowledge of an employment, criminal and commercial litigation practice area outside your own specialism would be a bonus.
Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role.
The Council is committed to achieving diverse shortlists to support our desire to increase the number of staff from underrepresented groups in our workforce.
We especially encourage applications from a Global Majority (GM), people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities' (formally known as B.A.M.E , Black, Asian and multiple ethnic) background and, while the role is open to all applicants, we will utilise the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to appoint a candidate from a global majority background where there is a choice between two candidates of equal merit.
If you are from a Global Majority background you can self-declare this to the hiring manager as part of our positive action commitments.
What We Offer
Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster.
Westminster City Council is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future.
By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.
At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice.
We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve.
We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is Our Westminster Way.
To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/