Lawyer - Property Team

Overview

We have an excellent opportunity for a lawyer to join the Property Legal Team on a casual basis. As a Property Lawyer you will specialise in providing advice and assistance to manage the Council's large property portfolio, and the Landlord and Tenant issues that arise.

The work of the property legal team is varied, and you will have the opportunity to be part of large regeneration projects within Buckinghamshire, which have a direct impact on the local community and where you will provide property legal advice to Officers and Members.

Are you committed to making a difference? Do you want the work you do to have a real impact for the local community? Are you looking for an opportunity to develop your career to undertake varied and complex case work?

This is a casual appointment and you will be paid an hourly rate of £29.80. Holiday entitlement is 12.07% on top for every hour worked.

About us

Legal Services is at the heart of the Organisation and provides a fast paced and rewarding career in a supportive environment. Career development is something we are very passionate about; we are committed to building an exceptional in-house Legal Service, utilising our colleague’s talent and making the most of what they have to offer.

This is an exciting time to join us, as we continue to grow and develop our service. The recently redesigned in-house legal service is expanding to support the varied work of this diverse authority and to provide a wider range of in-house specialism.

Please see further information about Legal Services here: Legal Recruitment - 1

If that’s not enough reason to join us, you will be entitled to a range of benefits from Buckinghamshire Council including a very competitive employer pension contribution, generous annual leave allowance and discounts in a range of services and restaurants.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

About the role

We are seeking someone with a legal background who enjoys working collaboratively to offer pro-active, innovative and customer-focussed advice to support the delivery of multi-disciplined, high-profile projects. This will not be a client facing role. The role involves undertaking due diligence for projects, preparation of legal advice and report writing. This role is for one day a week and you will be expected to work from the Walton Street Offices in Aylesbury. Attendance is expected for team collaboration days, departmental and service meetings.

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

You will have in depth knowledge of property education law including Academy transfers under the Academies Act 2010 and statutory vestings under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, be familiar with the Education Acts and the role of the Department for Education including obtaining consent for disposals of education land. You will understand and have previous dealings with a variety of schools including maintained, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled schools and academies.

We welcome applications from applicants who have built a career in the public sector. Naturally, you’ll be highly motivated and proactive, with a developed knowledge in property law. You will bring experience, knowledge and excellent drafting skills to the role, as well as the ability to provide sound legal advice. You will be collaborative and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and will actively participate and support the team.

We offer a vibrant and stimulating legal environment, fostering a culture of learning and knowledge sharing.  We aim to inspire and develop our in-house lawyers to be leaders in their field.  Our in-house lawyers take pride in their professional approach and the quality of the service provided.  This role is an opportunity for a lawyer who shares that ethos to join a team which provides a pathway to a dynamic and rewarding professional future.

Other information

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact: Preetinder Cheema on 01895 837231.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

This post is politically restricted under the terms of the Local Government Act 1989.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

a fair and inclusive culture

• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

 

About the Business Unit

The Assistant Chief Executive directorate is central to Buckinghamshire Council’s journey to establish itself as one of the best councils in the country. With a clear focus on service improvement through transformation and a drive to build better relationships with the local community, the directorate is fast-paced; but extremely rewarding. Our teams are not only proactively delivering on projects and plans but also reacting to developing situations. If you are ambitious, innovative, and would relish the opportunity to influence change - a role within our service area could be your next career move.

The team includes exciting areas of work, including a brand new localities model – delivering 16 community boards across the county to make it easy for our residents to engage with us as we work together to plan for the future. Other teams include our Policy and Communications and Legal and Democratic Services teams – innovating the way we communicate with our colleagues, Members and the local community, and role-modelling best practice through policy, planning and legal services. If you think you can help us achieve our goals, and want to be a part of this exciting journey, we would love to hear from you!

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/