Legal Support Assistant

About Us

North Somerset Council is committed to providing high-quality services to our community. We are committed to creating a fair, green, and more inclusive environment for all our residents. Join us and contribute to making a positive impact on our community.

The Role

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Legal Support Assistant to join our Legal Support Team. This is a permanent post of 21.5 hours per week providing specialist and comprehensive support to the Legal and Democratic Services Team of North Somerset Council. This includes clerking/organising and managing School Admission and Exclusion Appeals. Additionally, Legal Services provides support to Council Solicitors so they can provide legal advice to any Council department that needs it, and act on behalf of those departments in legal actions. We are looking for a confident administrator with excellent organisational skills, knowledge of ICT software packages and a keen eye for detail to join our busy team. Due to the confidential nature of the work, it is important for the successful applicant to be discrete and impartial.

In this role, you will; You will need to be able to work well under pressure, to deal with a variety of people at all levels both within and outside the Council, work as part of a team and under as an individual, willingness to be flexible in your working day.

Key Responsibilities:

• To set up, administer and clerk School Admission and Exclusion Appeals.
• To liaise with parties involved in appeals, and to produce decision letters.
• To assist Council Solicitors with administration so they can act for Council departments.
• To assist with daily Council business

This position is currently based at our Castlewood offices in Clevedon. Please be advised that this office will be closing in 2025, and the Legal Team will be moving by March 2025. Consultation is currently underway to determine the new location for colleagues based in Castlewood. This will be at Weston-super-Mare or within North Somerset.

Work Style

At North Somerset Council, we offer a hybrid working environment based on four distinct work styles. Depending on the role and personal circumstances, you will fall into one of these categories. However, please note that during the induction period, it may be necessary to spend more time in the office to support your learning and development. We are flexible and open to discussions about your preferred working style, and if you wish to be in the office more frequently, this can be negotiated.

This role falls into the category of Flexible Worker which means you can expect to work in the following way:

• 2-3 days in the office
• Works both from home and the office, depending on the task at hand.
• Training is provided to help balance work-life and manage time effectively, with an emphasis on communication for team touchpoints and planning in-office days for collaboration.

About You

We are looking for an individual who is accurate, has a good eye for detail, experienced in using Microsoft (Teams, Word & Excel) and who possesses the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria:

• Works well within a team
• Works efficiently independently
• Good communication skills
• Good IT skills and experienced in Microsoft applications

Desirable Criteria:

• Flexible in working hours to support team during busy times if required.
• Ability to work in the office to support team on designated days.
• Be able to provide suitable method of travel to and from office and/or hearing venues.

What We Offer

At North Somerset Council, we value our employees and provide a supportive and inclusive work environment.

We offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Flexible working arrangements
• Local Government Pension
• Opportunities for professional development
• Inclusive Staff groups including Carers, Disabled, LGBTQ+, REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), and Young Staff Forums
• Opportunity to purchase up to an additional 10 days annual leave each year
• Dedicated in house Wellbeing Team
• Salary sacrifice Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle schemes

Further details of our excellent rewards package can be found in our Benefits booklet .

How to Apply

If you share our vision and values and are ready to make an impact to North Somerset, please select the apply online button below. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please submit your application by 11.59pm on the application closing date. When completing our online application form, please detail how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

Contact Information

For further information about the role, please contact Sara Saunders, Solicitor and Deputy Monitoring Officer at Legal.support@n-somerset.gov.uk or 01275 884180 or Debbie Weids, Senior Legal Assistant at Legal.support@n-somerset.gov.uk on 01934 427390

Important Information

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job role.

Interview Date: Tuesday 01 April 2025.

Interviews will take face to face in the Town Hall, Walliscote Road, Weston-super-Mare.

Please note: We are currently only able to accept applications from candidates who have full permission to work in the UK.

Equal Opportunities

At North Somerset Council we want all our employees to feel valued and appreciated. We aim to ensure equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination irrespective of your sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race, age, disability, including neurodiversity, if you are married or in a civil partnership or are pregnant or currently on maternity leave. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.