We are looking for a Property Solicitor

Permanent Property Lawyer (Part time) 

£41,732 – £46,474 pro-rata (inclusive of a market supplement) + £2,856 per annum car allowance 

East Midlands 

Hybrid Working

About the Property Lawyer role:

We have teamed up with Sellick Partnership who are assisting us to find our newest member of the NWL Legal team.

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals with initiative, a proactive approach to problem solving and a real commitment to the job. This is a great opportunity to join a tight- nit, friendly team.

The successful Property Lawyer will be responsible for, but not limited to:

  • Holding an interesting and varied caseload
  • To carry out line management responsibilities in respect of the Property Legal Officer
  • Providing legal advice in relation to commercial and residential property areas such as: due diligence; property transactions; regeneration projects; and compulsory purchase orders.
  • Assist the Head of Department on issues of corporate governance including training, review of the constitution and providing advice on compliance and corporate governance.
  • To ensure legality in the Council’s decision-making process
  • Be part of the Practice Management team
  • To develop the team, ensuring a culture of excellent customer service is a key focus
  • To build pride, passion and reputation by creating a Council of excellence through strong motivational leadership.
  • To promote the Council’s Equality and Diversity Policy to ensure service provision and employment practices are non-discriminatory.

The role is predominantly remote working however the council host a number of team days and meetings where in-person attendance is encouraged which are on a monthly cycle.

Benefits of the Property Lawyer role include:

  • Competitive and advantageous salary
  • Generous annual leave with the opportunity to purchase extra
  • Local government pension
  • Hybrid working options
  • Flexible working patterns to suit other commitments
  • Vehicle allowances

Experience required for the Property Lawyer role:

Prospective candidates need to be a qualified solicitor, legal executive, or barrister and to have previous experience of Commercial and /or Residential Property law, Compulsory Purchase Orders, Regeneration Projects. Local Authority experience is desirable but not a deal breaker.

How to apply for the Property Lawyer role:

We encourage interested applicants seeking part time (21 hours per week) to apply immediately to be considered for short listing.

Alternatively, should you require further information or wish to discuss your suitability before applying, please contact Ellie Warde in our Manchester office on 0161 834 1642 for a confidential discussion.

https://www.sellickpartnership.co.uk/job/permanent-property-lawyer-part-time/

Are you interested in joining the team?

Permanent Senior Planning Lawyer 

£41,732 – £46,474 (inclusive of a market supplement) + £2,856 per annum car allowance 

East Midlands 

Hybrid Working

About the Planning Lawyer role:

We have teamed up with Sellick Partnership who are assisting us to find our newest member of the NWL Legal team.

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals with initiative, a proactive approach to problem solving and a real commitment to the job. This is a great opportunity to join a tight- nit, friendly team.

The successful Planning Lawyer will be responsible for, but not limited to:

  • General planning and regional matters such as s106s, Tree Preservation Orders, Footpaths, Highways, Planning Enforcement
  • Attending planning committees in person which are around every 6-8 weeks
  • This role will also be a managerial role for the trainee solicitor, general line managing responsibilities.
  • To be part of the legal practice team and help them with governance and how they are as an authority.
  • Briefing of the chairman/portfolio holder/members as required
  • Liaise with a number of internal and external professionals

The role is predominantly remote working however the council host a number of team days and meetings where in-person attendance is a must. The committee meetings are ran on a cycle with other employees and take place every 6-8 weeks.

Benefits of the Planning Lawyer role include:

  • Competitive and advantageous salary
  • Generous annual leave with the opportunity to purchase extra
  • Local government pension
  • Hybrid working options
  • Flexible working patterns to suit other commitments
  • Vehicle allowances

Experience required for the Planning Lawyer role:

Prospective candidates need to be a qualified solicitor, legal executive, or barrister and to have previous experience of Planning Law, Advising Committees and Local Authority Law

How to apply for the Planning Lawyer role:

We encourage interested applicants to apply immediately to be considered for short listing.

Alternatively, should you require further information or wish to discuss your suitability before applying, please contact Ellie Warde in our Manchester office on 0161 834 1642 for a confidential discussion.

https://www.sellickpartnership.co.uk/job/permanent-senior-planning-lawyer-/

 

I Agree to the Terms and Conditions

by Tom Pickwell, Trainee Solicitor

Most of us are guilty when it comes to seeing the box that says ‘I confirm I have read and agree to the terms and conditions’, of simply clicking it without paying much attention to it. However when doing it on behalf of a Local Authority, Education Institution or other company should we be wearier? The simple answer is ‘yes’. Whilst we get some protection ourselves as individuals from the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations, there is less protection when acting on behalf of a business. In this article, some of the particularly onerous and dangerous clauses will be looked at as well as ways to protect ourselves and our businesses.

What actually are Terms and Conditions?

Terms and Conditions are the things that we agree to do and not to do when entering into some sort or agreement or contract. Whilst some of these will be very simple such as agreeing to pay the purchase price when we buy something, some terms are much less clear. Particular caution should be given to these as we may be binding our businesses into something that we don’t fully understand.

The Auto-Renewal Clause

This clause is mainly found in subscription or service based agreements and contracts, and can often be hard to spot. It may come under a duration, termination or other heading rather than on its own. This clause works as a type of ‘rolling contract’, and effectively starts a new contract after the previous one ends. Common terms may be that if the contract is not terminated 90 days before a certain date, it shall run again for the same amount of time as the original one.

The danger of this is that if you miss the date to terminate the contract, you are likely to be locked in again and have to pay up. It is therefore worth making a list of important dates of contracts and agreements when entering into them. Having a note of when to terminate and when the contract ends will ensure that you do not accidentally lock yourself in to something you don’t really want again.

The Penalty Clause

You may recall a previous article discussing penalty clauses in employment agency contracts in some detail and the same principles apply here. Often found around cancellation and termination clauses, a penalty clause is when a party has to pay a fee for doing something that is more than the cost of the loss.

If for example a contract to supply goods for the value of £100 has a clause stating that if the delivery is one hour late, a fee of £1000 shall be payable, the penalty appears to be more than a relative and reasonable foreseeable loss. The courts have recently however taken a more lenient approach and allows for some penalty clauses when the clause is ‘commercially acceptable’.

Termination Clause

When wanting to get out of or end an agreement or contract, this clause will state how to do it and how long it will take. Sometimes termination can take place by simply writing to the other party to let them know and that’s it, but often there will be notice periods that have to be given first and sometimes costs that have to be paid when terminating. Understanding this clause is therefore very important as getting out of something might not be anywhere near as easy as it was to get in.

Post-Termination Clauses

Even after an agreement or contract has ended, there may still be things that have to be done or things that cannot be done. A common example of this type of clause is a restraint of trade clause. This may be that after providing services to a company to do something, you are not allowed to offer the same services to another company within 100 miles for 3 years. Knowing and understanding how these restraints work and if they are enforceable is vital in making sure that you are not faced with big costs or being preventing from working even after you think the agreement or contract has ended.

Conclusion

From all of the examples given above, it is clear that there are a lot of traps in agreements and contracts that can have potentially severe financial consequences. When entering into agreements and contracts, it may be worth first checking with a solicitor or in house legal team before doing so. The small cost of spending some time double checking could save a lot more in the future!

If you are a public sector client and would like your contracts or agreements reviewed, drafted or even have a dispute, then contact the team at NWL Legal who will be happy to help.

Commercial Contracts for Apprenticeship Training Providers

From May 2017 the way apprenticeships in England are funded and structured will change. Government reforms mean that employers will be able to access funding from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to place their apprentices with training providers such as Further Education Colleges. This is a reversal of the current system where the training providers are funded directly to offer courses which employers tap into.  Read more