Kirklees Citizens Advice

Kirklees Citizens Advice and Law Centre wishes to appoint a Senior Housing  Caseworker/ Solicitor to provide advice and representation under our Legal Aid contract. The successful candidate will have experience in delivering a casework service in housing law including representation at court, and will preferably have knowledge or experience of working under an LAA contract.

As a member of the KCALC team you will benefit from:

• A salary of £26,342 to £29,765
  
• An 8% non-contributory Pension Scheme
  
• Healthy Work/Life Balance – 37 hour working week and flexible working scheme.
  
• Generous Annual Leave – 33 days holiday, rising to 38 after 5 continuous years’ service plus eight statutory bank holidays.
  
• Commitment to health and wellbeing – access to employee assistance programme, discounts on days out, restaurants and high street shopping, contribution towards eye-tests, glasses, dental care and more.
  
• Discounted and financed travel pass.
  
• Commitment to ongoing development – Regular training workshops and personal development opportunities
  

Application forms can be downloaded from our website at www.kcalc.org.uk. Please do not send CVs or other supporting material as they will not be considered. The website contains other information about KCALC including our latest annual report which may be of use to you.

If you have any queries about this post please email recruitment@kcalc.org.uk. Please return your application form to that email address and remember to include the diversity monitoring form.

Lawstop – Housing Solicitor – Nationwide

Lawstop seeks a dedicated and talented Housing Solicitor to join our dynamic legal aid practice. We require a self-motivated individual with excellent communication and written skills. You will be highly organised, able to manage a varied workload and work well under pressure. Patience and tact are necessary as you will be assisting vulnerable people whose welfare is our priority. Sound knowledge of legal aid funding is required.

As a solicitor joining our friendly and expanding team, we will provide support and on-going training; however, you must have enough experience to hit the ground running.

We are a versatile and adaptive practice with a unique approach to the delivery of legal services, and we work hard to achieve the best results for our clients.

Salary is negotiable

Please contact Natalie Harrington to discuss the role and/or to provide covering letter and CV – natalieh@lawstop.co.uk.

Lawstop is committed to equal opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The firm strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

Lawstop – Legal Aid Housing Paralegal

Lawstop, a dynamic legal aid law practice, is seeking top calibre paralegals/caseworkers to work full-time, starting as soon as possible after interview. Previous experience working in a legal environment and knowledge of legal aid is very desirable.

The position will involve conducting initial client interviews and recording their instructions, advising clients, communicating with external bodies, time recording, and general administrative duties. You will have your own caseload.

We require mature, self-motivated individuals with excellent spoken and written communication skills, the ability to quickly absorb legal information and to conduct legal research. You will have very good organisational and time management skills and be able to produce documents to tight deadlines. Patience and tact are necessary as you will be assisting vulnerable people.

This long-term position would be ideal for individuals committed to legal aid and seeking experience in housing law, and who enjoy working in a fast-paced environment.

Lawstop’s offices are based in Hammersmith and Barnes. Hybrid working is available.

Salary: £24,000.00 per year

Please contact Natalie Harrington to discuss the role and/or to provide covering letter and CV – natalieh@lawstop.co.uk.

Lawstop is committed to equal opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The firm strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

Shelter

Solicitor

£35,090 pa + excellent benefits including 30 days holiday and flexible working

Bristol

Closing date: Wednesday 22^nd March 2023 at 11.30pm

Are you a newly qualified Solicitor who is passionate about standing up for people’s rights and committed to achieving positive outcomes for clients? Then join Shelter as a Solicitor and you could soon be playing a vital role at the heart of our Legal team in Bristol as you develop your own legal practice knowledge and experience.

About Shelter
A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

About the team

With an enviable national reputation for excellence in the provision of housing law and over 100 fee earners and support staff, including over 40 solicitors nationally, Legal Services at Shelter is career enhancing to say the least. We operate a thriving client-focused Hub of services in Bristol, where people can access a range of advice and support provision, all from a city centre location. This is a great chance to develop your skills and be part of the national legal services team at one of the UK’s leading charities.

About the role 
Carrying an active caseload, you will use your legal skills to challenge and fight cases that defend housing rights, challenge discriminatory practices and create systemic change. You will work closely with colleagues in the hub to ensure people in our communities are aware of their rights, how to enforce them and represent people who need specialist legal advice.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About you

Qualified as a Solicitor, you will have housing law knowledge and the ability to manage your own caseload and conduct litigation. Strong communication and writing skills are essential, as is a commitment to developing your skills and knowledge to improve performance. You will have the ability and willingness to undertake your own advocacy either as part of the court duty scheme or for your own clients and be able to work with third party organisations to further the hub’s strategic goals.  We are less interested in your degree classification and where you studied and more interested in your passion and ability to make a difference to our clients and our fight for a fairer housing system.

Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter please visit our website. Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

Shelter

Lead Solicitor

£46,675 pa plus excellent benefits including 30 days holiday and flexible working

Birmingham

Closing date: Thursday 23 March 2023 at 11.30pm

Has your proven post qualification legal experience given you good people management and court advocacy skills and a thorough knowledge of housing law? Then join Shelter as a Lead Solicitor and you could soon be playing a crucial leadership role within our hub communities.

About Shelter
A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

About the team

Consisting of a number of paralegals and support staff, including approximately 40 solicitors, our legal team delivers the highest quality housing advice and litigation services from our network of over 13 offices around the country.  We also work closely with other teams in Shelter’s services, taking referrals of complex casework to bring systemic change in our local communities. This particular role will be based in our Birmingham hub, but comes with national responsibilities.

About the role

As a key member of our Birmingham hub and wider Legal Leadership team, your prime objective will be to lead a specialist team of solicitors and paralegals focused on tackling housing injustice and unfair housing practices by using the law to assist people in our communities with housing need. Each day you’ll be able to use your legal skills to challenge and fight cases that defend housing rights, challenge discriminatory practices relating to housing and create system change by defining or changing the law. You’ll also get to work alongside the hub Strategic Lead, and with colleagues in other hubs, to represent people in our communities who need specialist legal advice and ensure they’re aware of their rights and how to enforce them. And, when it comes to playing a prominent role in the strategic direction of Shelter legal services nationally, or ensuring Legal Aid contract requirements and performance targets are met, again, we’ll count on you to deliver.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About you

To succeed, you’ll need to meet supervisor status and have proven relevant experience that includes having carried your own caseload, preferably in housing litigation matters. Someone who leads by example, you’re used to supervising and managing staff and relish the opportunity to encourage and support teams to meet Shelter’s strategy. What’s more, you have a proven ability to manage, supervise and carry out Independent File reviews and accurately time record and maintain good case management and have good all-round communication and writing skills. Put simply, you have everything it takes to ensure the housing priorities of your local community remain at the forefront of the service’s work, planning and delivery within the Hub, as well as the wider community.

Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter please visit our website. Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.