Strategic Lead - Advocacy

We are currently recruiting for an inspirational leader to join Reading Legal Services. This is a senior role and will sit with the senior legal management team and have responsibility for our growing in-house advocacy team.

Now is the perfect time to join us as we deliver our ambitions to be the best place to practice law in local government; being close to our customers, recruiting the best talent, successfully deploying legal technology and ensuring the continued growth of the business to new customers.

Reading Borough Council is proud to be the first local authority in the UK to be able offer dedicated pupillage training after being awarded accreditation as an Authorised Education and Training Organisation by the Bar Standards Board. This pioneering scheme reflects our commitment to nurturing legal talent, investing in professional development, and strengthening in-house advocacy in local government. Our pupillage programme provides ambitious law graduates with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience to develop their advocacy all within a dynamic in-house team.

In addition, we have recruited dedicated senior advocates to work together in our long-standing and successful shared legal service, JLT. The Joint Legal Team provides legal support to the six Berkshire councils.

This person will provide overall leadership to the Advocacy team following the retirement of the current postholder. We are looking for a dynamic leader who will lead a team of advocates in the delivery of services to our Joint Legal Team Partners. This is also a unique opportunity to shape a new generation of barristers qualifying and working in public service.

This is a leadership role with a real business influence, where you will:

Build and Lead a High Performing Advocacy Team – recruit, mentor and develop a team of advocates ensuring they deliver outstanding advocacy services.

Drive and growth and efficiency – develop and implement strategies to expand the team, enhance performance and deliver cost effective services

Embed a growth mindset – Supervise, train and upskill the team to handle complex advocacy with confidence and expertise.

Develop Business Strategies – work closely with key stakeholders to align advocacy services with business objectives and client needs.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

We support hybrid working, it’s important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you’ll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.

Reading’s Legal Service provides the Council and its partners with the highest quality professional legal advice and representation which allows them to run their organisations well, and to serve our community.

About the role:

We are looking for dynamic and commercially driven legal leader who has expertise to scale and develop the in-house advocacy team, shaping its strategy, training future advocates, delivering cost-effective and high-quality advocacy.

At present the work includes child care proceedings, adult social care and education work. You will enjoy working in a fast paced and diverse environment and be able to work under your own initiative and under pressure in an objective, calm and efficient manner.

You must also be able to develop and maintain good relationships with clients and key stakeholders who you engage with. You will report to the Legal Services Manager and be part of Team Reading.

We are looking for a visionary leader with skills and experience to build, inspire and expand our advocacy team., A current practising certificate and be entitled to practice in England as a Solicitor, Barrister, or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executive

A commercially focused leader who will be able to grow this team and deliver efficiencies to our Partners

Proven experience of leading and growing a team

Strong strategic thinking and the ability to drive business-focussed legal solutions

A collaborative and results driven approach ensuring advocacy services deliver real value to our Partners, Disability Confident

About Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to .

A leadership role with influence – shape and grow a thriving in-house advocacy team

Opportunity to train the next generation – mentor and develop future barristers

Impact and innovation – be at the forefront of transforming our in-house legal team

Competitive salary and career growth – work in a forward-thinking environment with real progression opportunities.

Generous holiday entitlement – 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays – rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service, with the option to buy additional leave

A wide range of flexible working opportunities

Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)

On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted

Season Ticket Loan – to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work

Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax

For more information on this position please the Reading Borough Council – Shaidah Ramzan (Legal Services Manager) shaidah.ramzan@reading.gov.uk