Central England Law Centre (Coventry) – Housing Rights Lawyer

Central England Law Centre (Coventry) Housing Rights Lawyer

• Job title: Housing solicitor
• Contract: Permanent (Full-time 37 hrs/wk or Part-time min 30 hrs considered)

CELC is looking for a housing rights lawyer to strengthen our work on housing rights by acting as an internal resource, providing specialist casework/representation, and collaborating with community groups to achieve systemic change.

About the Role

The purpose of the Community Housing Rights Lawyer is to strengthen CELC's work on housing rights, early intervention and community-led change.

The role will act as a resource for colleagues across CELC and for community and VCSE partners. You will help non-housing specialists recognise housing issues earlier, provide appropriate initial advice and understand when specialist intervention is needed. You will also work with colleagues across different areas of law at CELC to identify intersecting issues and ensure people receive more joined-up, holistic support.

The postholder will build trusted relationships with community groups and partner organisations, helping them to understand housing rights, identify recurring problems and connect people to legal support. By bringing together insight from casework, enquiries, partner knowledge and the experiences of affected communities, you will help CELC identify unmet legal need, spot patterns of systemic injustice and with communities develop practical and legal responses that improve access to rights and contribute to wider change.

Key Responsibilities

Housing rights advice

• Act as CELC's internal housing resource for our frontline projects, supporting and supervising non-housing specialist caseworkers to identify housing issues, undertake appropriate initial advice and casework, and recognise when they can progress a matter themselves and when a specialist referral is required.
• Work with colleagues across CELC to identify intersecting legal issues and provide coordinated, holistic support for clients.
• Provide some specialist housing advice, casework and court representation through telephone, face-to-face and community-based appointments.
• Provide specialist housing input to CELC's community partnerships and projects, including advice sessions, legal health checks and providing accessible legal information where appropriate.
• Maintain high standards of case management, recording and client care in accordance with CELC's quality requirements, Lexcel and Legal Aid Agency requirements.

Creating systemic change in partnership with communities

• Build trusted relationships with community groups and VCSE organisations, spending time in community settings to understand the housing and related rights issues people are experiencing.
• Build partners' capability to recognise housing rights issues, identify recurring or systemic problems and connect people with appropriate legal support.
• Help analyse evidence from individual cases, organisational data including insight from colleagues and experiences and priorities of affected communities to identify patterns and emerging problems.
• Work with colleagues, communities and partners to develop ideas for using legal expertise and legal interventions to address identified systemic issues and achieve strategic change.
• Represent CELC at relevant housing, community and partnership networks and forums and bring a legal and rights-based perspective to wider conversations about housing, homelessness, poverty and inequality.

What We Are Looking For (Please see the recruitment pack for full details)

• Senior Caseworker with 5+ years’ housing casework experience,ora Qualified Solicitor with 3+ years’ PQE in housing law.
• Deep understanding of housing and homelessness law.
• Proven ability to supervise others and handle a complex caseload.
• Strong dedication to social justice, client confidentiality, and non-judgemental client care.