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Job description

As Principal Property Lawyer, you will be working under the leadership of the Head of Legal (Commercial) to:

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• To exercise sole overall responsibility for the allocation, supervision, monitoring and control of all legal work within the remit of important strategic property related projects affecting the council which require a legal input, including the supervision of work undertaken for the Council by external legal providers.

• To deal personally with complex or politically sensitive matters.

• To develop new legal policies and procedures in line with government, legal bodies, and authority initiatives and objectives. Monitor and evaluate government policy to establish how it affects the Council.

• To provide managers and partner organisations with independent analysis and interpretation of legal issues, ensuring decisions are made with consideration of legal resources and meet the objectives of the Director of Legal & Democratic Services.
• To be responsible for signing off Cabinet reports and responses to Members’ enquiries in relation to the legal function as directed by the Director of Legal & Democratic Services. To attend meetings of cabinet, committees & sub-committees, panels and officer level meetings to advise on legal and procedural issues. Ensure Members and Senior Officers are kept fully up to date on proposed and actual changes in the external environment that may impact on the Council’s legal position.
• To represent and negotiate on behalf of the Council in meetings with other authorities, central government departments, other public bodies and private sector organisations.
• To conduct proceedings, including representation where appropriate, on behalf of the Council before Court, Tribunals, Inquiries and other judicial or quasi-judicial bodies including parliamentary proceedings.
• To advise the Director of Legal & Democratic Services and to resolve all legal risks resulting from service client decision making, escalating concerns or issues in a timely manner whilst seeking to find resolutions for service managers and managing and resolving conflict which may arise.

• To deputise for the Head of Legal (Commercial) as required, to represent the interests of the Director of Legal & Democratic Services and promote Legal Services across the authority’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) tier, delivering strategic legal vision and direction to significantly impact across a range of services, interpreting policy advice, and informing and advising the management teams of service directorates.

• To influence the Council’s broader development agenda, appraising and evaluating options and change programmes.

• To manage your own professional development, keep up to date with relevant statutory legislation, regulations, standards, service developments and initiatives and the council’s policies and procedures to provide high-level legal advice to service clients and legal staff.
• To be responsible for the promotion and implementation of all the Council’s policies and procedures including equalities and diversity, health and safety, security and the use of personal data.
• To undertake other duties and responsibilities of a similar nature as may be required from time to time.
• To manage and supervise staff as required.

• To work collaboratively with Legal and Democratic Services senior team and senior officers across the council, ensuring core legal functions make a valuable contribution to the Council and the community it serves.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS:

• Organisational effectiveness as measured through customer satisfaction and performance measures.
• Benchmarking data for Legal Services.
• Robust legal planning is delivered to meet the legal challenges the authority faces.
• Business Plan targets and performance indicators.
• Supply of appropriate, accurate and timely management information.
• Effective budget management and delivery of efficiencies.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS (INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL):

• Director of Legal & Democratic Services
• Legal and Democratic Services staff
• Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
• Executive Directors and their management teams
• Staff in the Chief Executive’s directorate
• Managers and internal clients
• All relevant partner organisations for whom and with whom the Council does business including other local authorities
• Elected Members
• External firms of solicitors and barristers
• Council-owned companies directors and professional advisers
• Government departments & agencies, national & regional bodies and network groups.

AUTHORITY LEVEL (PEOPLE, POLICY, FINANCIAL):

• Shared responsibility for the development of corporate and strategic policies.
• Recommendations for committee/cabinet sign off.
• Shared operational responsibility for the delivery of legal services within set budgets.

For more information on this role, please complete the form or contact the team on [email protected]