Solicitor

Are you a Solicitor or Chartered Legal Executive with experience of housing management cases? Are you passionate about providing legal services for social housing and engaging with the people of Oldham and the surrounding areas? If so, we have an opportunity for you to join one of the leading employers in Oldham.

About First Choice Homes Oldham

First Choice Homes Oldham is at the heart of providing homes and services in Oldham. We put customers at the heart of everything we do and are committed to providing an excellent service for our customers, supporting the Oldham economy and promoting diversity by building an inclusive and engaging workplace for our colleagues. First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) own and manage around 11,500 homes, we are proud to have the highest regulatory (G1/V1) rating, and it is our vision to improve lives, whether that is by providing our customers with safe, comfortable homes, through the social value work that we do, or by providing our colleagues with a fair deal when they are working with us.

We are looking for motivated, engaged individuals who thrive on working in social housing and are ready to contribute to our organisational journey.

Interested?

Take a look at the role profile, we welcome applications from anyone who can demonstrate the specifications and who possess the values and behaviours to support our goals. Our teams are inclusive and will support you in getting to know our amazing organisation.

What's in it for you ?

Salary of £38,095.00

Hybrid working options

30 days holiday and all UK bank holidays plus one company shut down day as determined by FCHO. Part time employees will receive a pro rata entitlement.

A 37-hour working week

A defined pension contribution scheme with an employer contribution of up to 10%

Automatic enrolment into a healthcare cash plan to help you cover a range of essential healthcare expenses such as dental treatment, optical care, physiotherapy, prescriptions and more.

Automatic enrolment into a private health insurance plan

Access to our colleague benefit platform which offers discounts on hundreds of high street brands as well as providing education, support and tools to help you to live a healthier and happier life.

Access to an Employment Assistance Programme with 24-hour confidential counselling support for both personal and work-related issues.

Access to Doctorline, a 24/7 worldwide GP helpline for you, your partner and your children

Discounted gym membership

Enhanced maternity, paternity, and sick pay

Access to an on-site wellbeing room

Access to an on-site café

Long service vouchers

Death in service benefit

About the team – Legal Services

Our Legal Services team has been through transformation, with the majority of team members having joined fairly recently. We are a team committed to undertaking legal services in the broadest sense, engaging with the client departments to provide early-level legal advice and guidance, mitigating risk and focusing on the values of social housing.

In the current challenging times, we are seeking applicants who can learn quickly, adapt to new landscapes, innovate to find solutions and excel in problem solving. Team members are self-starters, anticipating where client departments need assistance before, they realise its needed.

Foremost, our team is friendly and inclusive. We aim to be greater than the sum of us as individuals and be a pervasive golden thread supporting the organisation throughout its endeavours to serve the people of Oldham. We welcome you to share with us how the experiences you have had to date will support you in delivering excellent legal services.

The Legal Services Team provides legal advice to the departments of First Choice Homes Oldham. We provide property services relating to purchases by residents and litigation services around housing management and general litigation. We deliver training and work closely with client departments to share knowledge, providing an end-to-end service.

Main Objectives:

As a Solicitor for First Choice Homes Oldham, you will have the opportunity to work on a range of housing management cases including possession, anti-social behaviour and disrepair and work with client departments to support the organisation in meeting operational and strategic aims. You will deal with the cases from the outset through to trial, seeking to limit risk to the organisation. You will be able to communicate effectively and engage with colleagues across the business to add value and increase efficiency.

About you

Essential

Solicitor or Barrister, Associate or Fellow of Chartered Institute of Legal Executive

PQE in housing law

Experience of working in housing law

Experience of civil litigation procedures including drafting claims and responses, witness statements, disclosure and advocacy

Experience of handling complex and sensitive cases

Experience of managing risk in a business environment

Ability to work with internal and external customers effectively

Ability to identify customer needs, current and future

Observant of maintaining confidentiality

Ability to consider the teams’ dynamics and encourage cohesion

Ability to adapt delivery to suit diverse recipients

Understanding of the risk environment

Good advocacy skills

Good written and legal drafting skills

Good ICT skills, including the ability to make effective day to day use of Microsoft Office in delivering work outcomes

Ability to manage and maintain a busy and diverse work schedule and re-prioritise as necessary

Able to anticipate problems and find appropriate solutions

Ability to identify and seek out updated knowledge and training

An ability to communicate at all levels appropriately, both verbally and in writing

Ability to deliver verbal presentations to individuals and groups

Demonstrate regard for implementing the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy and the spirit of EDI as an approach to general conduct

Demonstrate trust and accountability in any flexible working arrangements

Commitment to work within and support the operation of policies and procedures

Commitment to continual improvement in service delivery

Occasional attendance/ cover for out of hours matters including committal hearings

Adhering to the ‘No Smoking’ policy within FCHO offices and grounds

Desirable

Have had similar in-house role previously

Experience of complex cases in relation to defending housing associations

Conducts own advocacy at all levels including trials

Higher level advocate

Diverse drafting skills including applications and complex matters, e.g. pleading in the alternative

Ability to use Microsoft Excel to support statistical information

Accustomed to delivering training

Excellent negotiation and persuasive skills

Experience of implementing EDI processes or procedures in a work environment

We are committed to building an organisation that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills & are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. As an equal opportunities employer, FCHO is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective colleagues and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.

We care that you have a great experience with us at FCHO and if you need us to make any reasonable adjustments to make your experience easier, please let us know & we’ll do all we can