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Job Purpose

This is an exciting opportunity for a Commercial Property Lawyer. The role requires regular attendance at the office, working collaboratively face-to-face with colleagues across the organisation. You will demonstrate excellent legal practice management skills, including accurate and timely time recording, strong file management, and compliance standards.

You should be confident working independently with a high degree of personal responsibility when required. The role encourages creative thinking and active contribution to evolving approaches to risk and governance within a modern, digitally focused organisation.

You will bring a thoughtful perspective on the role of the legal profession in contemporary public services, contributing to ongoing discussions around its future direction and how it adapts to organisational priorities and ways of working.

Your new role

• You will be a trusted advisor and provide comprehensive, high quality legal advice within the area of specialism for the role set out.
• You will advise services and senior officers on the best course of action, drawing on your experience of developing innovative and creative solutions within the law.
• You will work both independently and in partnership with colleagues as part of a collaborative team in the delivery of the legal service and in respect of complex work or projects. You will build partnerships with officers (including Senior officers) within service directorates, to build good working relationships and you will provide high quality solution focused legal advice to officers.
• You will be proactive in your approach, identifying areas for improvement within work processes or opportunities for earlier intervention in council projects and activities to ensure effective delivery of the Councils priorities
• You will prepare and process a large volume of all casework related matters and find solutions for clients and members to achieve their goals and ensure compliance with the law.
• You will undertake effective case management to ensure relevant deadlines are met.
• You will be an effective advocate for the Council and sole legal advisor on legal issues the council faces often on contested applications/matters. This could involve appearing in open court or in chambers on litigious matters as appropriate, making representations to the judge when appropriate
• You will make sound judgments on case progression based on all the evidence and identify any areas of risk to client officers and the Senior Managers and to personally ensure that all time limits and steps are complied with ensuring the council achieves its goals in a way which is legally compliant, risk - aware but not adverse. You will be politically aware and bring any politically contentious matters to the attention of the Senior Managers.
• You will be proactive in undertaking legal research and in particular in respect of new legislation, court practice and procedures. You will support the wider team by preparing briefing notes and delivering training to others about the implications of that legislation on Camden or clients.
• You will feel confident having robust discussions with external clients and lawyers, who at times may be challenging, taking a lead on correspondence and negotiations with them
• You will work closely with the Senior Lawyer, Principal Lawyers and Head of Legal Services, notifying them of any instructions or events that would result in a breach by the Council or an individual of any legislation, common law, standing order or rule or propriety or would constitute a course of action amounting to maladministration.
• You will be flexible and confident adopting new skills where required to meet renewed corporate or member priorities within your area. At times this may relate to high profile matters which have significant media and/or public attention. You may also be required to undertake any other duties and requirements appropriate to the grading of the post including other areas across the service.
• You will enable the effective decision-making process of the council by checking and preparing reports for, and attending committee meetings, working party meetings and other meetings (which may be held outside standard working hours) in order to provide legal advice as and when required. You will therefore be confident building relationships with elected Members and other senior stakeholders
• You will be an exemplar of a legal services team which adopts best practice, making recommendations on any changes in policy or practice as and when appropriate. Proactive in your approach, you will seek out solutions rather than provide advice or support compliance as a default, acting as a role model for colleagues to adopt a similar way of working.
• You will mentor more junior staff as and when required to assist them in developing skills.
• You will be an active and compliant user of the teams case management and IT systems, ensuring you are using the system effectively to ensure proper records are maintained relating to all work undertaken. You will be an exemplar of time recording (and meet these targets), file compliance, risk management and other related good practice requirements of an in house legal service.
• You will focus on the delivery of outcomes and the priorities of the Council.
• You will undertake any of the responsibilities within this job profile for any other Council or other body which the Council has agreed to provide such services to.

What you will need to succeed

• Be qualified to practice in England and Wales as a Solicitor, Barrister, or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.
• Demonstrable detailed knowledge of property law, particularly commercial property conveyancing.
• Demonstrable working knowledge of local government law in the context of property law.
• Ability to undertake, and experience of, the full range of land and property transactions arising from the council's property portfolio, including the preparation, negotiation and completion of: Leases; Licences to assign, underlet, occupy, carry out alterations etc.; the grant of easements and wayleaves; the sale, acquisition, and registration of freehold and leasehold properties, both residential and commercial; and development agreements.
• You will have a sound level of knowledge on the Building Safety Act, Fire Safety Act and related legislation around local authority building safety as well as a sound knowledge of various local government regulators and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, particularly Part II, including experience of the grant and termination of protected and excluded tenancies.
• Knowledge and experience of statutory provisions and guidance on regeneration projects, particularly the law and practice on compulsory purchase orders, and the ability to advise internal clients on issues around them.
• Knowledge of the law and procedure of land registrations, particularly the Land Registration Act 2002 and Land Registry Practice Guides.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral) including literacy, tact and diplomacy and ability to advise competently on relevant legal matters.
• Experience of advising clients on complex and /or sensitive matters and meeting deadlines.
• Excellent demonstrable IT skills to include familiarity with the Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Teams, ideally Excel and Powerpoint).
• Excellent skills in complying with in-house legal practice system requirements, to include, use of case management systems for effective file management (preferably iCasework), meeting time recording targets, file auditing, compliance and risk management practices.
• Excellent professional confidence to lead on difficult and high profile property and development local government cases when appropriate.
• Excellent organisational skills able to manage a complex and varied workload with a flexible and innovative approach to work, ensuring that deadlines and court directed deadlines are adhered to.
• Ability to work on own initiative and with minimal supervision, to undertake research and be able to make accurate, considered judgements and decisions.
• You will be an effective leader who is comfortable acting as an ambassador for legal services across the council, sharing good practice and encouraging innovation amongst colleagues, to include training/mentoring junior members of the team.
• Excellent demonstrable ability to build partnerships and good working relationships both within the service, council and with third parties.
• Excellent flexibility and confidence to adopt new skills where required to meet renewed corporate or member priorities within your area. At times this may relate to high profile matters which have significant media and/or public attention.
• An ability to make accurate, considered judgements and decisions which supports the council to achieve its goals in a way which is legally compliant, risk - aware but not adverse.
• An understanding and commitment to the Councils policies on valuing diversity, equality and inclusion.
• Experience of handling sensitive information under the Data Protection Act and the UK General Data Protection Regulation and ensuring confidentiality.

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' or call us on 020 7096 2981 for further details.