Trainee Solicitor - Legal Services

Are you ready to take the next step in your legal career within a supportive and forward-thinking local authority? Join our dedicated Legal Services team at Reading Borough Council as a Trainee Solicitor and gain invaluable experience in public sector law while working towards full qualification.

Reading Borough Council is a Unitary Authority that hosts the Joint Legal Team, a long-standing shared legal service for all the Berkshire councils and a recognised centre of excellence for childcare, adults, and education law. As well as leading a highly regarded internal Corporate Legal Team, serving the needs of the Council across a wide range of functions.

On the 6th June 2025 the Joint Legal Team was highly commended in the category Legal Team of the Year for the Lawyers in Local Government Awards.

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 are open to flexible working patterns and can provide a hybrid working environment which utilises the best of both worlds with a mix of office working in central Reading and homeworking according to the needs of the Service.

About the Role:

Legal Services are thinking proactively about planning for our future workforce, particularly in the adult social care, education and children’s safeguarding disciplines of law. As part of this process, we are looking for 2 Trainee Solicitors, who have a keen interest in these dynamic and fascinating areas of legal practice and someone who is interested in practising in these areas of law in the future.

You will be working within a friendly and supportive team environment where your professional development will be nurtured and appreciated. You will be involved with advising the Local Authorities on all aspects of adult social care, and children’s safeguarding law and Local Authorities and our school clients on education law.

Accordingly, we are looking to primarily grow our own adult social care/ education / children’s safeguarding lawyer, so a significant part of the training contract will be within those areas of practice. The successful candidate will therefore be required to demonstrate advocacy skills and a willingness to undertake advocacy.

However, in order to comply with the Law Society requirements, the successful candidate will not be based exclusively in the Adult Social Care and Education and the Childcare Teams and will have an opportunity to gain substantial pre-qualification experience in other areas of contentious and non-contentious Local Government legal practice with the aim of developing public sector lawyers with a strong working knowledge of the practice of law in local government

We will provide you with excellent training and support, the opportunity to take on responsibility from an early stage (including advocacy) and strong foundations for your future career.

The purpose of the Legal Services is to provide 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. Our ambition is 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.

As a Trainee Solicitor you will have an opportunity to gain substantial pre-qualification experience in other areas of contentious and non-contentious Local Government legal practice with the aim of developing public sector lawyers with a strong working knowledge of the practice of law in local government. You’ll gain hands-on experience across a broad range of legal matters, contribute to service improvement projects, and even have the opportunity to undertake advocacy work.

Your day-to-day will include:

• Supporting lawyers with legal advice to Members, Officers, and Partners
• Managing a caseload of varied legal work under supervision
• Contributing to service planning and improvement initiatives
• Using technology and case management systems effectively
• Supporting mentoring and training activities within the team

About you:

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Has completed and passed their LPC and has a strong academic record.
• Is organised and committed, with good communication and inter-personal skills with an interest in pursuing a career in local government.
• Committed to a career in local government legal work
• A strong communicator with excellent research and time management skills
• Able to handle a varied workload with growing independence and responsibility
• Motivated to work as part of a team delivering public services with integrity and ambition

During your training contract you will:

• Undertake work in various areas of law. These areas will be agreed based on the interests of the Trainee and the needs of the department.
• Take clear instructions from the clients and to identify the client’s objectives and further them in a professional and ethical manner.
• Develop the skill to give legal advice that is informed by appropriate legal and factual analysis and identifies the consequences of the different options.
• Develop the skills to undertake advocacy and oral presentations and, if required, to represent the Council in Court.
• Maintain a training record, keeping track of the work that has been done and the skills that have used
• Attend the Professional Skills Course
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with other service areas within the Council and the organisations that work in partnership with the Council.

From the commencement of your training contract, you will be a fee earner within our practice. You will be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you will also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.

Our offer:

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• 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)
• 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 contact Lindsey Marks – Strategic Lead fort Adult Social Care and Education Law - lindsey.marks@reading.gov.uk

Closing Date: Monday 30th June 2025

Interview Date: To be confirmed. Please note that there will be a 2 stage interview process with the second part of the interview consisting of a presentation and an in person interview with the Assistant Director of Law and the Legal Manager.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.