Social Care & Education Adult Care Lawyer

Job Description

Salary range: Grade 12-16 £51,738- £64,839
Contract: Permanent
Hours of work: 36 hours per week
Location: Croydon

Croydon is one of London's largest and most diverse boroughs, home to vibrant communities, businesses and neighbourhoods. As a Council, we continue to transform the way we work, with a strong focus on delivering high-quality, sustainable services for our residents.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Adult Social Care & Judicial Review Lawyer to join our Social Care & Education Legal Team.

This is a varied and interesting role providing specialist legal advice and representation across adult social care, community care, safeguarding, Court of Protection and judicial review matters. You will work closely with Adult Social Care, Children's Services and senior officers, providing clear, practical and solution-focused advice on complex and often sensitive cases.

About this role

You will manage your own varied caseload and provide high-quality legal advice and representation across a range of adult social care and public law matters.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Advising Adult Social Care and Children's Services on complex legal and public law matters, including judicial review.
• Advising on adult safeguarding, community care, mental capacity and related social care issues.
• Managing complex proceedings in the Court of Protection, County Court and High Court, as well as relevant tribunals and inquiries.
• Advising on matters arising under key social care and public law legislation, including mental capacity, community care, mental health and safeguarding.
• Providing advice in relation to challenges to local authority decision-making and threatened or issued judicial review proceedings.
• Identifying legal and litigation risks at an early stage and providing practical and proportionate advice to client departments.
• Undertaking advocacy on contested matters where appropriate.
• Attending and advising at strategy meetings, case conferences, reviews, legal planning meetings and other professional meetings.
• Preparing applications, statements, position statements, court orders and other legal documentation.
• Ensuring cases are prepared and conducted in accordance with relevant legislation, case law, court rules and Practice Directions.
• Negotiating on behalf of the Council with solicitors, Counsel, experts and other parties.
• Instructing Counsel in complex matters and attending conferences where required.
• Developing effective professional relationships with officers, senior managers and colleagues across the Council.
• Preparing and delivering legal briefings and training to client officers, elected Members and other stakeholders.
• Contributing to the continued development of the Social Care & Education Legal Team and wider Legal Services Division.
• Participating in the team's duty arrangements and providing occasional out-of-hours advice where required.

About you

We are looking for a qualified Solicitor or Barrister with a current practicing certificate entitling you to practice in England and Wales.

You will have:

• Strong knowledge and experience of adult social care, community care and public law.
• Experience of advising on judicial review and public law challenges.
• Knowledge and experience of Court of Protection practice and procedure.
• A good understanding of adult safeguarding and mental capacity law.
• The ability to research and advise across a broad range of social care issues, which may include mental health, asylum and immigration-related social care duties, community care and safeguarding.
• An understanding of the legal framework governing local authorities and public sector decision-making.
• Strong legal drafting, analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• The ability to provide clear, confident and persuasive legal advice to officers and senior managers.
• Strong advocacy and negotiation skills.
• The ability to manage a demanding and varied caseload, prioritise effectively and meet court and other statutory deadlines.
• The ability to respond effectively to urgent and unforeseen matters.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A collaborative and flexible approach and the ability to work effectively as part of a busy legal team.
• Competence in the use of ICT and legal case management systems.
• Previous experience of working within a local authority or other public sector organisation would be advantageous, although we welcome applications from candidates with strong and relevant transferable experience.

Why join us?

You will join an experienced and supportive Social Care & Education Legal Team undertaking challenging and important work at the heart of local authority decision-making.

The role offers an excellent opportunity to develop and apply your expertise across a broad range of adult social care and public law matters, including complex Court of Protection and judicial review proceedings.

You will work closely with experienced legal colleagues and client departments and have the opportunity to contribute to legal training, service development and wider improvement initiatives.

Croydon Council supports flexible and hybrid working, subject to the requirements of the role, including attendance at court, client meetings and other in‑person commitments where necessary.

About Us

Croydon Council's priorities

• Get a grip on the finances and make the council financially sustainable
• Become a council which listens to, respects and works in partnership with Croydon's diverse communities and businesses
• Strengthen collaboration and joint working with partner organisations and the voluntary, community and faith sectors
• Ensure good governance is embedded and adopt best practice
• Develop our workforce to deliver in a manner that respects the diversity of our communities

Key business plan outcomes:

• Croydon is a place of opportunity for business, earning and learning
• Children and young people in Croydon have the chance to thrive, learn and fulfil their potential
• Croydon is a cleaner, safer and healthier place, a borough we're proud to call home
• People can lead healthier and independent lives for longer
• Croydon Council's new ways of working

Equal Opportunities Statement

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Subject to business needs, we will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working, whereby staff attend the workplace for part of their working week and work from home, or elsewhere, remotely for the rest of the time.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.
The Successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check, if the role requires one.

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