Overview

We are looking for a Senior Lawyer to join our General Counsel Advice team. This is a hybrid role working from home and in our Birmingham or London Office.

Responsibilities

• Work in a fast-paced environment at the forefront of legal services regulation; supporting the delivery of the SRA's strategic objectives
• Deal with intellectually challenging matters in a complex legal framework
• Support the regulation of the profession, protecting and promoting the public interest, and help shape and implement our responses to new challenges
• Work on a variety of projects with teams across the SRA, using problem solving and analytical thinking to solve legal and practical problems
• A broad and varied workload, with a core focus on public law and regulatory policy development
• Advise colleagues from across the business on a whole range of discrete legal issues affecting the business, working within a close knit, friendly and supportive team

Team Overview

The General Counsel Advice team is part of the General Counsel Directorate within the SRA. It is responsible for the provision of legal advice (apart from enforcement and employment law matters) to the SRA, staff, operational units and senior management. The team plays a major role in providing strategic advice on a wide range of regulatory policy development projects for the SRA. It also provides support to the wider organisation and the operations of the SRA, dealing with legal issues and queries which arise. In recent years it has played a key role in:

• The development and implementation of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination including policy and operational matters
• Advising on the impact of recent and ongoing activity in the space of sanctions and anti-money laundering
• Our most recent consultation on "Protecting the client money that solicitors hold"
• Supporting the development of changes to our regulatory arrangements including the implementation of new fining powers and the creation of the new rules and guidance related to wellbeing at work
• Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, a high profile case which looked at the work a non- authorised individual is able to undertake.

Role Details

As a Senior Lawyer (Senior Legal Adviser as the role is known internally) in the General Counsel Advice team, you will provide high quality, effective and timely advice on queries received by the team. This will include advising upon the legal obligations and regulatory powers available to the organisation, including interpreting statutes (including the Solicitors Act 1974, Administration of Justice Act 1985, and Legal Services Act 2007), delegated legislation and procedures, and how they practically apply to the work of the SRA. You will help to provide innovative solutions to complex legal problems, touching on a variety of areas of law. This may include drafting new professional rules and guidance and advising on the SRA's own operations. You will work closely with our team members and others across the organisation, as well as with external stakeholders including external counsel and solicitors. You will supervise, mentor and coach others in the team, encouraging a high-performance culture by sharing knowledge and expertise across the team and wider business. In the future there may also be the opportunity to line manage other lawyers in the team.

The General Counsel Advice team is primarily based in our Birmingham offices. We are recruiting for this role in our Birmingham and London offices. This is a hybrid role. You will be based in the office nearest to your location, with the expectation of working 1-2 days a week in the office and the remainder of the week from home. If based in London, regular travel will be required to our Headquarters office in Birmingham.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or CILEX lawyer, admitted in England and Wales
• Experience of providing high quality strategic regulatory/public law advice and drafting in an equivalent regulatory and / or public law environment
• Track record of leading and delivering solutions, taking accountability for the successful and timely resolution of very complex issues
• Understanding of SRA objectives, key deliverables and how to connect this with the political landscape
• Pragmatic and able to work collaboratively with legal and non-legal colleagues, including at senior level

Benefits

We offer an inclusive, supportive and friendly working environment and the chance to develop your career within a professional organisation. We are committed to the health and wellbeing of staff, helping everyone to strike a good balance between personal and professional life. Additionally, we provide a generous flexible benefits package, an excellent defined contribution pension scheme and an additional 3% of annual basic salary upon successful completion of probation.

Outstanding people are at the heart of our organisation. It is through them that we achieve our aim - to give the public full confidence in the solicitors' profession. We recognise and reward achievement, providing a working environment which allows people to develop their skills and fulfil their potential. Our diverse departments attract a wide spectrum of people from various specialisms - there is no single route into a career at the SRA. Whatever your background, you can be sure that a career at the SRA will provide you with challenging and enjoyable work.

Working Hours and Flexibility

We welcome applicants who may be looking to achieve a balance between their personal and professional life. We are looking to appoint on a full-time basis (35 hours per week), however will consider candidates seeking part time work. The team has a variety of working patterns, including compressed hours, and we would be happy to talk about flexible working.