Job description

We are currently recruiting for a Legal Assistant to join our Child Care Teams. We particularly welcome candidates who:

• have previous experience of working in Child Care law and
• are interested in qualifying as a CILEX

Our team is committed to providing the best possible training, leading to you having responsibility for cases. We offer a supportive working environment which is focussed on your learning and development.
Now is the perfect time to join us as we deliver our ambitions to be the best place to practice law in local government; being close to our customers, recruiting the best talent, successfully deploying legal technology and ensuring the continued growth of the business to new customers.
The Joint Legal Team is a long-standing shared legal service for all the Berkshire councils and a recognised centre of excellence for child care law, adults and education law. We are hosted by Reading Borough Council, working from our modern offices in Reading town centre close to the train station and courts.
The purpose of Legal Services is to provide the Council and its partners with the highest quality professional legal advice and representation which allows them to run their organisations well, and to serve our community. Our ambition is to be the best place to practice law in local government; being close to our customers, recruiting the best talent, successfully deploying legal technology and ensuring the continued growth of the business to new customers.
We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and iclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

We have roles in our in our Child Care Court Teams. You’ll be working with colleagues to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable adults, children and young people in Berkshire. You’ll be working other paralegals and legal assistants to support lawyers in a small team led by an experienced Principal Lawyer.
You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As part of Team Reading you will play your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.
In Child Care Court Teams you will have opportunities to work on a wide range of interesting and complex cases to grow your experience. Our long established Adoption and Permanence Team works closely with Adopt Thames Valley to support our clients.
You will report to a Senior Lawyer or a Principal Lawyer who will support you in your work and in your professional development. We encourage our colleagues to develop their legal skills and to move to the next level in their career and offer training arranged by our Professional Skills Lawyer.
Our Legal Operations Team will support you in delivering your work as we invest further in our systems and processes and work towards Lexcel accreditation.
Whatever your specialism or previous experience, you will thrive on the challenge of working in a customer focussed environment and in a team which has an ambitious agenda for the future. You will have opportunities to join in the wider work of the team outside your specialist field in helping us to reach our team objectives.
Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:
Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do
Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential
Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way
Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.
The TEAM Reading values underpin the way we work day-to-day and are the foundation for modern, cost effective services to improve the lives of local people.

To apply for this role, you will have:

• Primary legal qualification: CILEX Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice or equivalent
• General education: Good general education with at least 5 GSCEs at Grade 4-9 (or equivalent) including Maths and English.
• Experience of dealing with a range of legal matters and problems within a legal environment such as a solicitors’ firm, in-house legal department, law centre or citizens advice bureau.
• Knowledge of child care law and the Children Act.
• Good drafting skills and ability to draft both standard and non-standard legal documents using and applying knowledge of legal matters as appropriate.
• Ability to assimilate information rapidly and to present it orally or in writing in a clear unambiguous and concise way. Ability to communicate effectively with customers and stakeholders
• Planning and organisation and able to prioritise work effectively while working autonomously and as part of a team
• A strong quality and customer focus. Evidence of self-motivation and able to work on own initiative with limited supervision. Approachable, co-operative, tactful, diplomatic as appropriate to the confidentiality required.
• Experience of MSWord, Excel, Outlook and computerised case management systems