Trainee Solicitor

8th December Interview period: 15th January – 2nd February About Shelter A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. 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 through our expert advice and support services, we help millions of people struggling with bad housing or homelessness – and we campaign to prevent it in the first place. Through our helpline, online services, and network of local hubs, we provide expert information, advice and support to people in housing crisis. Alongside this, we are committed to tackling the root causes of the current housing emergency. We do this through our wider campaigning and policy work which is always informed by the experiences we’re seeing on the frontline. We’re here so no-one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own. About the role We have a rare opportunity, funded by the Legal Education Foundation, for a high calibre adaptable Trainee Solicitor to join the team. You will have completed your LPC or completed your SQE1 and 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.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. The postholder will support solicitors and advisers with casework on behalf of Shelter’s clients on a range of specialist housing issues and be able to identify social welfare and debt issues in order to signpost/refer to internal/external agencies. The work will be conducted under Legal Aid Agency funding and to Specialist Quality Mark standards. The postholder may also be expected to undertake work under Shelter Voluntary Income or other funding sources from time to time. Where appropriate the Trainee Solicitor will support the conduct of legal representation in court including shadowing counsel or solicitors in court. More generally the postholder may be required to work in a range of different physical locations throughout their community and to engage on behalf Shelter with external stakeholders (e.g., Local Authority, Community partners).

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