Key responsibilities:

1. To provide legal advice and services to the organisation in the areas of Planning, Property & Regeneration to ensure compliance with statutory duties and obligations and to protect the best interests of the organisation.
2. To provide high quality, innovative, well researched and comprehensive specialist legal advice to clients including elected members and senior officers, managing a complex caseload and delivering advice within the timescales required by the client.
3. To lead, direct, develop and improve the service to client organisations to ensure the provision an excellent standard of client care and value for money.
4. To manage the activities of the team to include performance, caseloads and productivity, motivation and development, recruitment and selection and appraisals.
5. To supervise other members of the team in a line management capacity. To provide overall management of the teams complex and politically sensitive case load to ensure the provision of high quality, well researched and comprehensive legal advice within the timescales required by the client.
6. To provide supervision and manage the work of the team to ensure that professional guidance is given, that expertise is employed and work is allocated appropriately within the team.
7. To act as a legal advisor to organisation to ensure compliance with statutory duties and obligations and to protect the best interests of the organisation.
8. To act as a legal advisor to organisation to ensure awareness of their safeguarding responsibilities and ensure compliance with statutory duties and obligations and to protect the best interest of the client organisations.
9. To build highly effective working relationships with clients to ensure that Legal Services delivers a seamless and client focussed service to all its clients.
10. To liaise with heads of service to ensure that the legal service provided to them meets their needs and is focused on delivering high quality legal services, customer care and service improvements.
11. To develop effective partnerships, networks and joint working arrangements to ensure the most effective provision of Legal Services to meet the needs and aspirations of clients.
12. Where required, to provide training to clients in specialist areas of law.
13. To ensure the effective identification and management of risks associated with the relevant areas of legal practice.
14. To deputise for the AD of Legal Services where required.
15. Act as a source of legal advice and support to any of the client Committees and Directorates as directed to cover the absence of colleagues.