Solicitor (Commercial Team) - Ref: RT06223

• Practice Area(s): Commercial Team, Legal Services
• Location: Walsall, West Midlands and Agile Working from Home
• Role: Qualified Solicitor
• Employment Type: Permanent Full-Time

Commercial Team (Legal Services)

G11: £44,539 - £49,590 per annum plus pay award pending

• Minimum 28 days annual leave plus 9 concessionary days
• Flexible working scheme that allows up to a further 12 days leave per year
• Access to an award winning pension scheme
• Fully enabled agile working with Microsoft Teams, virtual telephony and Office 365
• Genuine commitment to equality of opportunity – we aim to employ a representative workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

The Role

This vacancy relates to the Commercial Team, which provides legal advice and assistance on a wide range of issues, to the Council’s Procurement Team and commissioning staff throughout the Council’s directorates, in particular Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Regeneration.

You will work remotely from home most of the time, with occasional attendance at the Council House in Walsall, to carry out specific tasks, attend meetings and undertake training and personal development.

You

It is essential that you are a qualified solicitor, preferably with experience in procurements, drafting and interpretation of contracts and local government law. However, if you have limited experience, don’t let that put you off as Walsall is committed to training and development and growing its own expertise.

If you enjoy working in a supportive team focused environment, where sharing knowledge and experience is at the centre of a team ethos, then you will enjoy work at Walsall.

You will be expected to manage a wide ranging caseload of legal work of any nature relating to commercial contracts and procurement, with a bias towards supporting the carrying out of fast moving and high value compliant procurements under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. You must be able to work under pressure, manage competing deadlines and act with diligence and integrity at all times. Your caseload will be varied and interesting, including giving advice about the interpretation and variation of existing contracts, drafting and approving Memoranda of Understanding, Grant Agreements, Deeds of Variation, drafting complex call-off contracts and framework agreements, managing and resolving contract disputes and legal challenges, assisting with the development of tender modes and heads of terms and drafting all manner of ancillary documents such as disclaimers, collateral warranties, indemnities, receipts, etc.

You will provide high quality well researched legal advice and assistance to client departments, to senior officers and members of the Council.

This role will suit a solicitor with an aptitude for research, problem solving, versatility and good drafting and communication skills. The role focuses on providing timely, customer friendly, accessible and reliable legal advice. You will develop close and trusting working relationship with other teams across the council, particularly those that come to you for advice on a daily or weekly basis.

Walsall

Walsall is a unitary authority, with responsibility for the provision of all local government services within its administrative area. Its current focus is to deliver a visionary framework of physical changes over the next 15-20 years in Walsall and Willenhall town centres, bringing ongoing investment into the area and a new passenger railway service linking Walsall to Wolverhampton via Darlaston and Willenhall.

Walsall was a regional market town with the first grant of royal charter in approximately 1220. It played a major part in the heavy industry of the Black Country during the industrial revolution, producing significant growth in the town and leaving a lasting legacy. More recently Walsall has benefitted from substantial regeneration with the delivery of a rebuilt hospital, new college and Waterfront, offering residential, hotels and leisure. The Council has a diverse friendly cosmopolitan workforce and officers are committed to providing excellent public services in a testing and innovative best value environment.

Next Steps

This is an opportunity to bring your skills to bear and really make a difference.

View Job Description & Employee Specification

To have a confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact:
Richard Ackroyd – Principal Solicitor, Commercial Team
Email: richard.ackroyd@walsall.gov.uk

Closing date: 3 September 2023

This post is covered by the Government’s Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers. The postholder will be required to communicate verbally with customers and provide advice and/or information in accurate spoken English.