We strive every day to give people struggling with bad housing or homelessness the help they need, through our advice, support and legal services. We campaign relentlessly to achieve our vision of a safe, secure, affordable home for everyone. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are aiming to achieve.
Organisation Detail
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.
Above all we seek a transformation in housing policy, including investment in homes people on low incomes can actually afford – an investment that has been missing for decades and from all political parties, so that now the human cost has become intolerable.
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.
Why Join Shelter?
We welcome anyone to apply who possess the qualities and behaviours outlined or who believes they have the propensity
to learn them fast. You will be joining an inclusive and supportive team who welcome people from all backgrounds. What’s
important isn’t your the opportunities which you have had, it’s about you and how you seize the opportunities ahead of
you.
- 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. We also offer the following benefits:
- Flexible working hours
- Flexible working practices
- 30 days paid holiday plus bank holidays
- Competitive pension scheme
- Salary sacrifice schemes
Diversity Statement
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 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
Shelter Scotland Housing Law Service comprises 11 solicitors, lay representative and experienced legal support staff. We
deliver the highest quality housing advice and litigation services throughout Scotland.
We work closely with other teams in Shelter Scotland’s services, taking referrals of complex cases to ensure that Shelter can
provide an end-to-end service to its clients. In addition to supporting individual clients, we also provide digital advice and
training to other solicitors and advice agencies as well as supporting the organisational priorities of policy and campaigning
on social welfare law and access to justice issues.
We have a national reputation for excellence in housing law and a long history of seeking to assist the development of Scots
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 challenging current 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.
About the Role
To provide a specialist casework service in Housing and Public law and related areas including advice and litigation work.
For further information, visit our website.
Any questions regarding this organisation or the position should be directed to recruitment@shelter.org.uk
Person Specification
About you
You will hold an LLB in Scots Law and have completed the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice. You will have a strong
commitment to social justice and a keen interest in human rights and equalities litigation. Experience of the third/voluntary
advice sector is desirable bit not essential, as would be experience or knowledge of the housing law sector. While you will be
given a high level of professional support and training from expert housing solicitors, you must be pro-active and confident
in managing your own legal caseload, and keen to develop a skillset drafting written pleadings and defences, oral and written
advocacy, along with a technical ability to interpret and utilise relevant housing law before the Courts. At the appropriate
time, you will be keen to appear personally at the Sheriff Courts and Tribunals, and instruct Counsel in the higher courts
wherever required. You will have strong communication skills, and an ability to explain complex legal issues to vulnerable
clients in a way which can be easily understood, and an ability to empathise with a client group who are often vulnerable.
Required behaviours
The Shelter Behaviours demonstrate the attitudes and approaches we take to our 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.
At Shelter we have 5 overall behaviours, that are each made up of 3 descriptors, these are outlined below.
We work together to achieve our shared purpose
- by actively collaborating and putting trust in the people we work with
- by recognising the contribution of others
- by carefully considering the “how” when taking on new projects and initiatives
We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset
- by not tolerating and actively tackling racism and any other forms of hate and discrimination
- by creating safe spaces for people to be their authentic self, challenge each other and learn
- by being compassionate towards the people we work with and prioritising each other’s wellbeing
We enable decision making
- by giving people the tools, they need to make well informed decisions
- by being accountable for the decisions we make
- by delegating authority to those closest to the work
We create change and align behind our strategy
- by participating in change initiatives that deliver our strategy
- by supporting tough strategic choices
- by saying no to work that does not serve our purpose
We are open to risk and learning from our experiences
- by learning from our failures and successes
- by being reflective and giving and receiving feedback
- by being proactive and taking initiative
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
