Our lawyers are at the heart of everything we do, from the successful delivery of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, to the implementation of the new Deeper Devolution Deal which will see more powers and funding devolved to us from central government.
From delivering the metro programme and building a transport system that links people to opportunities, developing the region in terms of employment, skills, and communities, to helping unlock brownfield sites so that new homes can be built, the range of work you can get involved with is unparalleled.
We are seeking qualified lawyers to join our growing legal team. This position involves providing timely legal advice, supporting senior colleagues with complex case management, and contributing to the continuous improvement of our legal service. If you are a qualified Lawyer with knowledge and experience in Contracts, Procurement, Planning, Property, Governance, or Litigation, we encourage you to apply.
What will you be doing?
Legal Advice and Representation:
- Provide clear, timely, and professional legal advice and representation to Members and Officers of the Combined Authority.
- Conduct and manage a mixed caseload of straightforward legal work, including preparing and drafting legal documents efficiently and effectively with minimal supervision.
- Prepare instructions and briefs to Counsel/external legal advisors.
- Attend meetings to provide legal, procedural, and constitutional advice as required.
- Assist more senior Lawyers with complex cases.
Relationship Building and Continuous Improvement:
- Maintain good working relationships with the allocated business area.
- Keep up to date on relevant legislation, case law, codes of practice, and policy, ensuring continuing competence.
- Contribute to the development of a customer-focused legal service.
Team Support and Project Management:
- Independently and proactively progress matters, seeking support where appropriate.
- Manage own workload, ensuring files are maintained regularly, and matters are reviewed.
- Escalate emerging risks or legal issues within the Legal Services team for early resolution or mitigation.
- Provide clear summaries of the current position on case work to senior team members.
- Identify areas of non-compliance with legal or institutional policies, escalating within the team.
- Take responsibility for key tasks within departmental project work.
Training and Resource Management:
- Design and deliver training courses and self-help materials to support non-legal colleagues.
- Ensure self-help resources provided by the Legal Services team are current and arrange for updating as appropriate.
- Apply resources in a proportionate way to tasks, ensuring optimal use of time.
- Identify areas for improvements in existing processes to generate efficiencies for the Legal Services team.
About you.
You would have a basic working knowledge of local governance procedures and knowledge of the legal regime within which a Mayoral Combined Authority operates. Some knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas would be hugely beneficial:
- Contracts
- Procurement
- Planning
- Property
- Governance
- Litigation (Contract, Judicial Reviews and/or Employment)
Skills Matrix
Legal Expertise and Knowledge: Requires knowledge of relevant procedures, legislation, and additional professional knowledge. Understanding of relevant legislation, concepts, and principles. Combination of formal training and 1 to 3 years' experience or graduate-level education. You may consider this post as a “newly qualified” position.
Problem-Solving and Mental Skills: Regularly faced with problems requiring resolution, some not covered by existing rules or procedures. Analytical skills needed for complex problems, conflicting information.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Advisory, guiding, negotiating, persuasive, empathic skills required. Exchange of complicated and sensitive information. Restricted to one main subject area.
Initiative and Independence: Interpret policies and procedures for own work. Freedom of action constrained by specific service-related policies.
Responsibility for People: Not required to supervise or manage any other employees.
Join us for an Eventbrite hosted by our Director of Law and Governance, Helen Edwards, and our Head of Legal Services, Kieran Stockley to find out more about WMCA and our roles on the 20th February:
- 1-2pm - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wmca-opportunities-webinar-legal-tickets-811257682567?aff=oddtdtcreator
- 6pm-7pm - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wmca-opportunities-webinar-legal-tickets-835868534287?aff=oddtdtcreator
Creating an Inclusive Workplace.
West Midlands Combined Authority is dedicated to creating a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace that reflects the communities of the West Midlands region. We recognise that certain groups, such as women and people of colour, may be less likely to apply for roles if they feel they do not meet all the requirements. However, we encourage individuals who are passionate about the role and want to make a difference to still apply. We value potential and encourage applicants to highlight their skills, including transferable ones, even if they don't fit the traditional "perfect candidate" mould.
We gladly consider part-time, flexible, and job share arrangements, so please don't let these factors deter you from applying. If your values align with ours and you are dedicated to working towards a future, we can all be proud of, we would love to hear from you.
Salary and Benefits.
We advertise salary ranges for job roles, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, where higher skill levels or experience are applicable, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes a Local Government Pension Scheme, 28 days of paid annual leave, Cycle to Work Scheme, and discounted shopping with over 2,000 big-name retailers. For more details, please visit the benefits page on our careers site.
Location and Working Pattern - what you can expect.
The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane. It is expected that you can split your time between the office and working remotely, with at least 1-2 days each week spent in the office.
About us.
Our vision is to create a better connected, more prosperous, fairer, greener, and healthier region. We aim to achieve this vision by living our values, which include being a partnership organisation, valuing and respecting our people, fostering a can-do attitude, and encouraging innovation. WMCA holds diversity accreditations, such as "Leaders in Diversity," and has been recognized as one of the Inclusive Top 50 Employers and The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. We are also a Disability Confident Employer, committed to interviewing all applicants with disabilities who meet the essential role criteria. WMCA believes that building a team with varied backgrounds and experiences will benefit us as an employer and enhance our work.
Reasonable Adjustments.
If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please reach out to our Recruitment Team at careers@wmca.org.uk. We are here to assist and accommodate your needs.
Thank you for considering joining our team at WMCA. We look forward to receiving your application and the opportunity to work together towards our shared goals.
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