Principal Legal Officer

Job title: Principal Legal Officer - Disrepair

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £44,711 - £47,754

Hours: 37 hours per week

Leeds city Council Legal Services is looking to recruit a full time permanent Principal Legal Officers to practice primarily in the area of Housing Condition/Disrepair Claims.

The section solely covers the defending of Housing Condition/Disrepair claims against the Council but it would be desirable if a candidate also had a broader experience of Housing Law.

The successful candidate will be a Solicitor or Barrister entitled to hold a practising certificate or FCILEX who will work in a lively and busy team.

It is essential that the successful candidate has experience of dealing with issued Housing Disrepair matters, good interpersonal skills, is able to prioritise their own workload, act as an advocate in contested hearings and work to tight court deadlines. They must be able to work as part of a team and be flexible, enthusiastic and committed.

The post attracts local authority benefits including: access to West Yorkshire Pension Scheme; generous annual leave entitlement; training and development; flexible working, including working from home as well as Civic Hall in the Centre of Leeds.

Our council values are at the heart of everything we do:-

• Being open, honest and trusted – being your best
• Treating people fairly – feeling like you count
• Spending money wisely – making every pound go further
• Working as a team for Leeds – being part of a team with a “can do” attitude
• Working with people, engaging all communities – being proud to make a difference

Leeds City Council is an award winning and progressive authority, which works closely with local communities and businesses. At its core is the overall vision to be the Best City, to tackle poverty and inequality and improve quality of life for everyone who calls Leeds home.

Having a workforce that reflects the people of Leeds is important. We value diversity and fair treatment of employees and applicants.

Our Legal Services department reflects the diversity of Leeds, and is a welcoming and inclusive team, with a positive, healthy workplace culture where everyone can be themselves. Our Lexcel accreditation demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing a quality legal service.

Contact Rosemary Keczkes (Team Manager) on tel:0113 5350984 or via email at [email protected] or in her absence Paul Simpson on tel: 0113 3367963 [email protected] for an informal discussion about this post.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £38,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.