Family (Childcare) Solicitor

Are you an experienced childcare solicitor/member of the Children’s Panel, looking for a new challenge?

Our client is seeking a Childcare Solicitor to join their Public Family Team at their Preston office.

Committed to being a law firm that is a supporting organisation that keeps the people at the focus, they offer a fantastic range of benefits that include competitive salary. 33 days annual leave including bank holidays, remote working, annual leave purchase scheme (subject to T&Cs) and celebration leave are some of the many benefits on offer.

This is a great opportunity for a Childcare Solicitor to bring their current skills and knowledge to a collaborative and professional team. Whilst the role will be working to the fast-pace, customer focus and high standards of a law firm, the role will also provide a sustainable work-life balance, and relate to the regional area in which it is based.

The firm offers the full range of legal services to individuals, commercial clients and a number of specialist sectors where they excel nationally. Firmly based in Lancashire, they are passionate about getting the best results. Working together and listening to their clients, they provide genuine and practical advice.

Responsibilities of the position will include:

Own caseload dealing with a mix of Public Law Family matters, PLO, care proceedings etc;
Provision of written and verbal legal advice;
Communications with client, opponents, Courts/Tribunals and third parties to progress files;
Advocacy at Court;
Supporting other Family advisors on their own cases, and the delivery of the departmental strategy and business objectives;
Management, supervision, training, coaching and mentoring of (and delegation of work to)  Paralegals – to facilitate the achievement of their business objectives and professional development goals;
Ensuring compliance with internal and external business requirements including ISO:9001 quality control, SRA Principles / Code of Conduct, Court & Tribunal deadlines;
Monitoring and reporting on own financial and business performance, to deliver work in a profitable manner;
Contributing towards internal continuous improvement, innovation and knowledge sharing;
Inter-departmental support and collaboration on joint files, projects and events;
Contributing to the development of the departmental business plan;
Building positive relationships with current/prospective clients and enhancing the firm’s profile, to drive business growth;
Contributing to business development including training events, articles/newsletters, Chambers & Legal 500 submissions, etc.

If you are interested in this role you need to be a qualified Solicitor/Legal Executive (or equivalent), ideally 2 years PQE and have previous experience of working with Childcare matters and court proceedings, along with previous experience within a childcare family department.

The ability to work as part of a team, good client care skills, providing professional and competent legal advice in accordance with SRA Code of Conduct, and proven experience of handling own caseload, working to and managing deadlines, alongside the Capability to generate fees in accordance with agreed targets is also essential.

This is a great opportunity to work for a leading firm where you can build upon your skillset further and progress your career and if you are interested in an informal discussion please call Justine on 0161 914 7357 or forward your most recent CV to j.forshaw@clayton-legal.co.uk