The principal responsibility of the Legal Advisor is to provide a comprehensive legal service to the Chief Constables of both Forces, their officers and staff and the Offices of the Police and Crime Commissioners (OPCC).

Legal Advisors report to Senior Legal Advisors within the Legal Services Department and provide tactical and strategic advice on a wide and varied range of legal issues.

Legal Advisors operate within the three teams that exist within the Legal Services Department; Litigation, Operations and Vulnerability. The skillset required within each area is commensurate with the level of work across the entire remit of the role. Each Legal Advisor will primarily work within one of the three teams but will be required to undertake work in the other areas when necessary, according to business need.

Litigation

The role holder will deal with a range of contentious matters. This will involve investigating, advising upon, and managing a caseload of issued and complex pre-issue civil claims, Employment Tribunals, Inquests, and Judicial Review applications against, and on behalf of, the Chief Constable and the OPCC. Additionally, the role holder will provide proactive legal advice at a tactical and strategic level, as required, regarding these legal practice areas. 

Operations

The role holder will deal with a range of operational case files, including preparation for and presentation of police officer gross misconduct cases, providing commercial and disclosure advice, presenting applications (such as Football Banning Orders and Proceeds of Crime Act applications) and advising upon/presenting other operational matters such as Liquor and Firearms Licensing and Family Court disclosure. Additionally, the role holder will provide proactive operational legal advice at a tactical and strategic level, as required, including for protest matters, policing events and reputational operational matters. 

Vulnerability

The role holder will work directly with police officers, police staff and partner agencies to obtain civil preventative orders such as Domestic Violence Protection Orders, Closure Orders, Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, Sexual Risk Orders, Civil Injunctions and Stalking Protection Orders. This will include proactively identifying opportunities for civil prevention, building cases, presenting applications in Court and supporting officers in responding to breaches of orders. The role holder will develop relationships with partner agencies such as the local authorities and the CPS and review/respond to statistical data to target areas where particular types of offending are significant.

In addition to their work within the relevant team, as set out above, all role holders will oversee the provision of general advice by way of the ‘duty advice scheme’ to officers and staff throughout the two Forces, as part of which the role holder must review and approve advice drafted by Paralegals before it is sent, within the required timescales.  

The role of Legal Advisor will support the Forces by undertaking the following:

• Liaise with, advise and influence the decision making of staff at all levels of the organisations, including the Chief Constable, Police and Crime Commissioner, and other members of the Executive.
• Investigate, research, and advise upon a range of contentious and non-contentious legal issues, including high profile and high-risk matters.
• Manage a large and varied caseload of files.
• Sit as a member of strategic boards to proactively identify and mitigate strategic legal risks.
• Prepare for and carry out advocacy representing the Chief Constable in a variety of legal proceedings including Civil Litigation, Employment Tribunals, Inquests, internal misconduct hearings, Family Court proceedings and obtaining Civil Preventative Orders.
• Provide tactical and real-time advice on police operations.
• Task and direct individuals within other business areas within the Force and external agencies to undertake tasks in order to provide a comprehensive legal service, including the development and delivery of problem-solving initiatives.
• Ensure that appropriate organisational learning is identified and progressed.
• Deputise for the Senior Legal Advisors and take on some responsibilities of the role in their absence.
• Prepare and deliver training on relevant legal issues within the Forces.
• Consider appropriate safeguarding referrals in respect of individuals which the role holder comes into contact with.
• Attendance at national Association of Police Lawyers sub-committee meetings dealing with a range of strategic and tactical issues, either as chair or a formal representative of both Forces.
• Represent the Forces at meetings with external agencies such as local authorities, Mental Health Services, Coroners Services, Employment Tribunal User Group, and Probation Services dealing with strategic issues, influencing decision making and providing support on behalf of the Police across multi-agencies.
• Supervise, monitor, and assist the wider team of Paralegals in the provision of general advice to officers and staff on a range of legal issues.
• Supervise, monitor, and assist Legal Administrators when tasking and directing them to carry out legal tasks in support of the provision of legal services.
• Provide support to new Paralegals and Legal Advisors including the provision of ongoing support through the departmental buddy system and identifying training needs.
• Prepare and present to the wider internal team monthly legal updates, including supporting Paralegals to deliver such regular updates.
• Work as part of a team to deliver departmental projects.
• Draft articles for the Legal Services newsletter and blog.

This list of duties is not restrictive or exhaustive and the post-holder may be required to carry out duties from time to time that are either commensurate with/or lower than the grade of the post.  In some posts this might include the ad-hoc provision of guidance and informal training of new colleagues.

Additional Information:

Applications welcomed from qualified Solicitors, Barristers or Chartered Fellows of the Institute of Legal Executives with Civil Litigation practising rights