Social Work England – Lawyer

The Role

Social Work England are the specialist regulator for social work in England, focused on enabling positive change in social work. Every day, social workers support millions of people to improve their chances in life. We are taking a new approach to regulating social workers in their vital roles. We believe in the power of collaboration and share a common goal with those we regulate – to protect the public, enable positive change and ultimately improve people’s lives.

Our in-house legal team provides sound legal advice across our organisation, particularly to our fitness to practise, registration, and quality assurance teams. The team is also responsible for providing advice on a range of other legal areas that an organisation of our size will encounter, including commercial contracts, data protection, equality and employment laws. Social Work England has a three-year Corporate Strategy for 2023-2026 and you would be taking on this role at an exciting time as we look ahead to the impact we want to deliver in the world of social work and regulation.

Purpose of the role

Our lawyers are responsible for providing advice on a range of legal areas that an organisation of this size will encounter, including commercial contracts, data protection, equality and employment laws, fitness to practise and review of case examiner decisions. The lawyers and paralegals act as decision makers in the decision-making groups for triage decisions in our fitness to practise process, and deal with case related correspondence from across the judicial system. This role will focus particularly on business support, for example advising on areas such as commercial contracts, data protection and employment and equality laws.

What you will do

  • Ensure that our decisions are legally robust by identifying legal risks early and working with other teams to ensure that those risks are managed appropriately.
  • Review case outcomes and share learning and good practice with colleagues.
  • Provide advice on internal policies, procedures and processes and ensure legal compliance.
  • With support from other members of the legal directorate, particularly the Heads of Legal and Legal Manager, undertake complex casework and policy development work.
  • Develop strong relationships throughout the organisation, using your legal expertise and knowledge to provide solutions-focused support.
  • Support the legal team to deliver its objectives (which are reflected in each lawyer’s objectives), including the delivery of training and legal awareness
  • Participate in project teams and working groups as necessary to further the work of the legal team and our objectives. s
  • Make triage decisions as part of decision-making groups, following specialist training.
  • Review the work of, and potentially line manage, other team members if required.

Your skills, knowledge and experience

  • Strong legal analytical skills and judgement and experience of managing caseloads, with the ability to analyse complex issues and present legally sound and focused advice.
  • Knowledge and experience of at least one area of law out of data protection, commercial contracts or employment law, preferably in a public sector or regulatory context.
  • Excellent written communication skills, ability to draft clear and comprehensive correspondence and to present information on complex issues clearly and succinctly for a range of different audiences.
  • The ability to work cross-organisationally, working well with others and responding positively, creatively and supportively to a variety of colleagues while maintaining high and consistent standards.
  • Appropriate qualifications and experience as a Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.
  • The ability to work to tight deadlines, be calm under pressure and flexibly manage competing priorities.
  • A track record of respectful, open and honest behaviour including a demonstrable commitment to inclusion and diversity.

Details

  • Job type: Fixed term 12 month contract 
  • Working pattern: Full-time. We offer flexible working subject to business need.
  • Salary: £45,462 per year, rising to £47,682 per year after successful completion of a 6-month probationary period.
  • Location: Sheffield/hybrid remote.
  • Benefits: flexible working, contributory pension, life insurance and benefits portal.
  • Interview date: 6th August 2024

Application

During the application process, you’ll be asked to provide answers to three questions from the job description. These answers will be what your application is scored on, please answer in as much detail as possible using examples where necessary.

For more information and to apply please visit https://jobs.socialworkengland.org.uk/vacancy/lawyer-562778.html

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