Legal Support Officer

About Us

Mid Kent Legal Services (MKLS) is part of Mid Kent Services, a shared services directorate formed by Swale, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Borough Councils. MKLS provides high quality legal services across the three Authorities encompassing Property and Regeneration, Planning, Contentious, Contracts & Commissioning and Corporate Governance. MKLS’s vision is aligned to the Partner Authorities for which it acts which is forward thinking, progressive and innovative. We look at utilising technology to maximise lawyers' time to deliver an efficient service to our clients.

About the Role

As a Legal Support Officer, you will work within the Business Support Team at the heart of the Service, providing a top-class service to the legal staff and supporting them in delivering high quality legal services across all three local authorities, in compliance with Lexcel accreditation.

No two days are the same and you will work with all legal teams. Amongst other tasks, you will undertake land registry and land charges searches, prepare court bundles and arrange for sealing of documents. In addition, each Legal Support Officer will undertake some non-complex legal work such as preparing licences, tenancy agreements or charges and provide support with Councillor and Officer declarations of interest.

There will be opportunities for you to gain substantial knowledge and skills. At MKLS, we are committed to developing our employees. For full details of the duties you will undertake, please refer to the job description.

This is a full time position working 34 hours per week on a permanent basis. The role will be based across the various sites of the Shared Service, primarily Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone.

About Swale Borough Council

Swale Borough Council is a progressive and ambitious Local Authority, located less than an hour from Central London in an attractive and diverse part of Kent involving urban, rural, and coastal areas. We believe that staff are our most valuable asset and we’re committed to attracting and retaining the very best. In recent times we have adapted and evolved to meet the current world by introducing a 34-hour week, recognising that staff wellbeing and work life balance is high on our agenda.

Our Offer

A range of benefits including:

• 34-hour full time working week with the offices closing at 1:30pm on Friday
• 7am to 7pm flexi time to suit personal circumstances for most roles
• Generous holiday entitlement which increases after 5 years LG service plus bank holidays with the option to buy additional leave.
• Additional 3 days leave given to enable a close down of the offices between Christmas and New year.
• Free parking
• Range of flexible working opportunities to accommodate people’s home/work life balance including compressed hours, 9-day fortnight, part time.
• Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
• Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax.
• Annual flu vaccine
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff benefits discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays and shopping
• Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
• A professional fee payment, if required for the role

About You

To be considered as a Legal Support Officer, you will need:

• Administrative experience which has included posting, printing, scanning, taking notes etc.
• An organised approach and an ability to prioritise multiple tasks.
• Good written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft 365 software, including Word, Outlook and Excel and general good IT literacy.
• Experience of using a case management system.
• Legal experience as a legal secretary or administrator, whether within a law firm, in an industry or public sector environment, is desirable.

This is the ideal opportunity for a legal administrator or secretary with excellent administrative skills to progress their career within our forward-thinking shared service.

You’ll have the chance to develop your skills and to gain expertise and develop in your career.

Selection Process

Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those that are successful in securing an interview can expect job specific interview assessment, followed by an interview.

Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells local authorities are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells local authorities are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employee and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Timothy Pyant on 01622 602155.