Vacancy at Clan Childlaw Ltd
Senior Solicitor
Salary
£ 38,726
Glasgow or Edinburgh
Vacancy listed
23/04/2025
Application deadline
13/05/2025
Details
Job Description
Position Title: Senior Solicitor
Reports To: Head of Legal Services
Location: Glasgow or Edinburgh
The role will also require travel between our Edinburgh and Glasgow office locations on a regular basis and throughout Scotland as required.
Salary: £38,726
Role Summary
You will play an active role as a member of the legal team, contributing to the delivery of high-quality, accessible, and child-centred legal information, outreach, advice, and representation services. You will work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure that our legal services are delivered efficiently and effectively, and in a way that reflects the needs and rights of the children and young people we support.
You will be individually responsible for maintaining your own case and training numbers in line with funding and operational strategy outcomes, including strategic litigation.
You will deliver high-quality child-centred legal services (see below for details), including our legal helpline, advocacy service and our legal casework service, ensuring delivery aligns with the overall strategy, aim, vision and values of Clan.
You will be highly effective in managing your time and workload, maintaining capacity to deliver high quality services as part of a team, as well as competently progressing your own caseload. Your file management and administration will be of the highest standard.
You will work independently with a minimum of supervision, reporting and consulting on casework and enquiries appropriately and supporting others learning and development involving them in your casework. You will ensure Clan is a centre of excellence for Strategic Litigation and Child-Centred Legal Practice
Key Responsibilities:
Legal Casework & Client Representation
- Deliver child-centred legal representation and outreach services in Edinburgh, the Lothians, and Glasgow and surrounding areas.
- Provide a high standard of legal services to clients of Clan Childlaw, including representation at Court and Children’s Hearings.
- Responsible for your own client caseload, including all administration, legal aid and feeing, file closing, monthly file reviews, and estimating value of Work In Progress.
- Perform all administrative tasks and functions in relation to your own client casework, ensuring file administration is exemplary and up to date.
- Provide free legal information and guidance on the law affecting children and young people and on children’s rights (“Enquiries”).
- Deliver high-quality responses on our enquiry help line.
- Work as part of the Representation Team, providing support and cover to others as required.
Team Leadership & Management
- Support solicitor and trainee solicitor as required in relation to casework and operation of casework systems to ensure effective delivery of legal outreach, representation and enquiries services.
- Deputise as required for the Lead Solicitor.
- Monitor enquiry responses recorded within the online case management system in line with enquiry policy, focusing on quality control (e.g., timeliness, content, and recording).
- Assist with drafting and developing written procedures relevant for the full representation team.
- Assist in reviewing and progressing improvements to our online case management system.
Training, Outreach & Promotion
- Promote Clan’s expertise in delivering training courses to professionals and stakeholders.
- Develop and deliver learning opportunities, including training courses and provision of information and advice to professionals working with children and young people.
- Represent Clan Childlaw at public forums and assist with the publicity and promotion of the organisation.
Service Development & Partnerships
- Work with the Head of Legal Services, Strategic Litigation, and Legal Policy to develop Representation services and increase access to information and outreach services.
- Develop relationships with organisations and agencies working with children and young people.
- Assist the Lead Solicitor with developing, implementing, and maintaining Clan Childlaw’s accessible information on the law for children and young people (e.g., website, printed information, and social media).
- Assist with facilitating and maintaining Clan Childlaw’s consultation with young people on development and delivery of representation services.
Policy & Strategic Litigation
- Identify and communicate effectively with the Head of Legal Policy and Head of Strategic Litigation on strategic cases within your caseload.
- Use your initiative to manage and progress strategic cases relevant to Clan’s aims.
- Make specific practice-based contributions on agreed aspects of policy development.
Continuous Improvement & Development
- Maintain awareness of developments in all relevant areas of law and undertake appropriate Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
- Plan, arrange, and record CPD in line with Law Society of Scotland requirements.
- Advance all the aims and objectives of Clan Childlaw.
General
· Work positively and effectively as part of a team and with colleagues at every level.
· Able to support and supervise others in a way that supports their development and ability to work on own initiative and in a flexible way to meet the demands of the role.
· Maintain a flexible approach to work and adapt to changing circumstances and expectations.
· Represent Clan at public forums and assist with the publicity and promotion of the organisation.
Essential Criteria
· Experienced lawyer (min 3 years) with a demonstrable track-record in working with clients who are disproportionately affected by inequity and injustice. Experience in working with children and young people is not essential but it may be helpful for the candidate to have relevant knowledge and experience in this area.
· Experience in training professionals and practitioners on legal issues
· Experience in providing helpline, outreach or other services that increase access to justice.
· Knowledge of impact reporting, monitoring, and evaluation.
· Effective communicator with the ability to communicate complex legal issues in a child centred way, and support others to develop their ability to do so.
· Effective problem solver – able to work independently, seeking assistance and guidance from peers and managers appropriately and timeously.
· consulting and instructing as appropriate and notifying other managers of risks and opportunities as they arise.
· Ability to work on own initiative and in a flexible way to meet the demands of the role and the wider work of Clan Childlaw.
· Well organised with the ability to complete work under pressure whilst dealing with often urgent and complex casework
· Knowledge of IT in a day-to-day legal context including use of email, Microsoft and case management system
· Excellent legal research skills
Knowledge and qualifications
· An enrolled solicitor with a full, post-qualified and unrestricted practising certificate from the Law Society of Scotland.
· In-depth knowledge of the civil justice systems including the Children’s Hearing System
· Experience in at least one of the following: immigration law, housing and homelessness, the law on care and social work duties to children, Children’s Hearings, judicial review, public family law, criminal law, and a motivation to develop your knowledge to advance children’s rights and child-centred working.
· Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and digital technologies such as SharePoint and case management systems.
· High level of professionalism and discretion with the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with integrity.