England and Wales Completed and passed (or expect to pass by 14 March 2024) the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or have an UG degree and completed and passed SQE Part 1.
Areas of Law
Housing
Location
Blackburn Central Library, Town Hall St, Blackburn, BB2 1AG
Starting Salary and Hours
£27,528 p.a. and 37.5 hours per week
Organisational Benefits
- 30 days of annual leave - Pension - Interest free travel loans
Interview Dates
Interview Date 1: Thursday 25 January 2024 Interview Date 2: Thursday 1 February 2024
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Organisation Detail
Home is a fundamental human need. Yet millions of people’s lives across the country are blighted by homelessness, soaring rents, deplorable conditions, discrimination and the threat of eviction.
Shelter exists to defend the right to a safe home. Each year we help millions of people struggling with bad housing or homelessness – and we campaign to prevent it in the first place.
We provide expert information, advice and support to people in housing crisis and tackle root causes of the housing emergency through our campaigning and policy work, which is always informed by the experiences we see on the frontline.
Shelter Legal Services has a national reputation for excellence in housing law and we have a long history of seeking to assist the development of English law in the field of homelessness and issues of inadequate housing through litigation. We use the law to solve people’s problems and test the limits of the law. We want to be able to offer all Shelter clients a complete advice and advocacy service and to fill gaps in existing legal services. In the current challenging funding environment offering legal solutions to enable people to access, keep and improve their homes whilst maintaining cost effectiveness requires innovation, imagination and high calibre financial and problem solving skills.
We have a rare opportunity, funded by the Legal Education Foundation, for a high calibre adaptable Trainee Solicitor to join the legal team in the Blackburn office. You will work under the housing and public law legal aid contracts as well as having the opportunity to support Shelter's test cases and interventions.
What can a trainee expect by training at this organisation?
During training you’ll develop and apply the skills you’ll need as a qualified solicitor:
advocacy and oral presentation
case and transaction management
client care and practice support
communication skills
dispute resolution
drafting
interviewing and advising
legal research
negotiation
The Trainee Solicitor role will support the solicitors within our hub to play a key role in tackling housing injustice and unfair housing practices by using the law to assist people in our communities with housing need. You’ll develop the skills through a mixture of completing work and tasks by yourself, assisting others and observing experienced practitioners
The postholder will support the solicitors and the team using their legal skills to support challenging and fighting cases that defend housing rights, challenge discriminatory practices relating to housing and create system change by defining or changing the law. The postholder will work with colleagues in hubs to ensure people in our communities are aware of their rights, how to enforce them and represent people who need specialist legal advice.
Main Responsibilities & Duties
Legal Advice & Representation
To assist the supervising solicitor to maintain an active caseload, including litigation, which enables homeless people, those with housing problems and (where applicable) those with problems relating to community care to enforce their existing rights. This includes litigation in test and lead cases and taking cases to judicial review.
To carry out such casework tasks as may be assigned or delegated by the solicitor from time to time, including (but not limited to)
Taking instructions from and giving advice to clients
Taking statements from witnesses
Drafting letters, statements, representations and other documents
Liaising, instructing and negotiating with third parties, including opponents, experts and counsel
Attending court with counsel
Research
Other fee earning tasks as required
To ensure time recording and income targets are met
Other tasks as agreed with the Lead solicitor
Actively promote the legal service and identify referrals from internal and external sources.
Meet income, open cases, work in progress, and other targets set by the management team.
Keep informed and up-to-date of changes in legislation, case law and other areas.
Comply with the requirements of the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority in ensuring that training records are kept
Comply with the requirements of the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority in attending the Professional Skills Course by prior arrangement with the supervising solicitor.
General
Ensure all work meets both external and internal Quality Standards and any funding requirements
Support Shelter’s legal team as required
Job Description Download
Click on the following link to download a pdf copy of the job description:
Demonstrates the specialist knowledge and technical requirements of the job.
Applies skills and experience to perform the job effectively, completes work to a high standard and shares knowledge across the organisation.
In addition the candidate should be advised that as our specialism is housing law arrangement will be made with other local legal practice organisations/firms to complete the required number of seats of law for the training contract.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Intellectial aptitude and an ability to reason critically.
Good IT skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel.
Completed the LPC Course or have an UG defree and completed and passed SQE part 1.
You must not be disentitled by way of criminal record or otherwise from becoming a solicitor.
Works Collaboratively with Others
Works collaboratively with others for the good of the business.
Builds a network of good relationships and develops a thorough understanding of the organisation and the wider sector
Required Behaviours
The Shelter Behaviours demonstrate the attitudes and approached we take to ou work; from how we do things, how we treat each other and expect to be treated both internally and externally. They help us to have the culture we need to deliver our ambitious strategy.
We work together to achieve our shared purpose.
We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset.
We enable decision making.
We create change and align behind our strategy.
We are open to risk and learning from our experiences.
Other information
All staff should adhere to Shelter's Equality Policy and will be expected to play a key role in its successful implementation.
This post is not exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
Desirable
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Previous experience of the provision of housing advice or litigation and legal aid.
