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LEGAL SERVICES OFFICE
Job description and selection criteria
Job title
Senior Employment Solicitor
Division
University Administration and Services
Department
Legal Services
Location
University Offices
Grade and salary
Competitive
Hours
Full time
Contract type
Permanent
Reporting to
Vacancy reference
Director of Legal Services and General Counsel
107890
Additional
information
Introduction
The University
The University of Oxford is a complex and stimulating organisation, which enjoys an
international reputation as a world-class centre of excellence in research and teaching. It
employs over 10,000 staff and has a student population of over 21,000.
Most staff are directly appointed and managed by one of the University’s 130 departments or
other units within a highly devolved operational structure - this includes 5,900 ‘academicrelated’ staff (postgraduate research, computing, senior library, and administrative staff) and
2,820 ‘support’ staff (including clerical, library, technical, and manual staff). There are also
over 1,600 academic staff (professors, readers, lecturers), whose appointments are in the
main overseen by a combination of broader divisional and local faculty board/departmental
structures. Academics are generally all also employed by one of the 38 constituent colleges
of the University as well as by the central University itself.
Our annual income in 2011/12 was £1,016.1m. Oxford is one of Europe's most innovative
and entrepreneurial universities: income from external research contracts exceeds £409m
p.a., and more than 70 spin-off companies have been created.
For more information please visit www.ox.ac.uk
University Administration and Services
University Administration and Services (UAS) is the collective term for the central
administrative departments of the University. UAS comprises structures to:



support the University’s core academic purposes of teaching, learning and
research;
ensure the University can meet the requirements of government, funding bodies
and other external agencies; and
facilitate the attainment of the objectives set out in the University’s Strategic
Plan.
The offices of the UAS sections are spread across the city centre, with the main University
Offices located in Wellington Square.
For more information please visit: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/
Legal Services Office
The Legal Services Office provides legal services to the Central Administration of the
University, to the Proctors, to Departments and Faculties, to the Bodleian, Ashmolean, and
other University Museums, to the colleges which do not have separate corporate identity,
and to all of the University’s subsidiary companies.
For more information please visit www.admin.ox.ac.uk/lso
This post offers a qualified solicitor or barrister the opportunity to gain practical experience in
a broad range of legal issues affecting higher education. The postholder will also enjoy the
benefits of an in-house working environment and the post will offer many opportunities for
early responsibility.
The postholder will be located in the University Offices, Wellington Square. It is likely that
the successful candidate will have a proven track record of dealing with a wide range of
employment issues gained from at least 5 years of post-qualification experience.
Although it is envisaged that this post will be full-time, candidates wishing to apply on a parttime basis will be considered subject to a minimum of 80%. Such candidates should make
this preference clear in their application.
Job Description
Responsibilities/duties
The postholder will be the senior employment lawyer in the LSO, advising senior
management across the University from the outset. The postholder will report to the Director
of Legal Services and General Counsel. On a day-to-day basis, the postholder will be
expected to work collaboratively and proactively with Personnel Services and a wide range
of internal clients and external stakeholders. The postholder may be responsible for
managing and monitoring the caseload of a second employment lawyer in the LSO. The key
duties of the postholder will be as follows:
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a) providing expert advice and guidance to Personnel Services in the preparation
and presentation of cases under the University’s Statutes and Regulations
including disciplinary and grievance procedures for all categories of staff;
b) providing professional advice and assistance in the formulation and drafting of
policies and procedures in response to changing legislation and the business
needs of the University;
c) providing strategic advice on the conduct of often sensitive and high profile
litigation and acting as the local expert in employment issues;
d) advising on a range of other legal issues that may affect the University;
e) drafting papers and policy documents, ensuring that policies reflect current legal
and commercial developments;
f)
training those whose responsibilities include compliance with legal obligations;
g) if applicable, managing and supporting a second employment lawyer in the LSO;
h) leading and steering groups of senior officials across departments in the
preparation and presentation of cases under the University’s Statutes and
Regulations;
i)
conducting complex legal research including: researching current legal
documents, case law, and conducting contextual research for litigation cases,
clarifying the implications for departments or the University;
j)
as the University’s expert in employment law issues, dealing with projects of
significant strategic importance to the University and providing strategic advice on
the conduct of sensitive and high profile litigation, involving significant
reputational issues;
k) designing and delivering presentations and briefings to senior officers and
departments;
l)
such other duties as are commensurate with the grade of the post.
Selection criteria
Essential
Applicants should be experienced lawyers qualified to practise in England and Wales with
considerable and demonstrable experience in employment law.
Previous in-house experience is not required.
The postholder will assume primary responsibility for a significant section of the legal
requirements of the Legal Services Office. The successful candidate will therefore be:a) flexible, imaginative and able to identify creative and practical solutions to
complex problems;
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b) clear thinking and able to assimilate large quantities of information quickly and
accurately, to appreciate the implications of proposed courses of action and to
marshal and deploy the appropriate resources;
c) eloquent and able to articulate legal principles and concepts clearly, concisely
and accessibly both in writing and orally;
d) confident and able to deal directly with and gain the trust of senior members of
the University and external professional advisors;
e) well organised and able to assume individual responsibility for matters without
close supervision;
f)
industrious and able to prioritise in-progress work efficiently;
g) intellectually accomplished and keen to obtain, develop and apply fresh
knowledge;
h) accustomed to working in a team and synthesising views from a wide variety of
constituencies in a highly complex organisation, with relevant management
experience;
i)
Demonstrably interested in the higher education sector; adept at identifying and
fulfilling the training needs of a variety of groups, whether or not legally qualified.
Working at the University of Oxford
For further information about working at Oxford, please see:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/jobs/professionalandmanagement/
How to apply
If you consider that you meet the selection criteria, click on the Apply Now button on the
‘Job Details’ page and follow the on-screen instructions to register as a user. You will then
be required to complete a number of screens with your application details, relating to your
skills and experience. When prompted, please provide details of two referees and indicate
whether we can contact them at this stage. You will also be required to upload a CV and
supporting statement. The supporting statement should describe what you have been doing
over at least the last 5 years. This may have been employment, education, or you may have
taken time away from these activities in order to raise a family, care for a dependant, or
travel for example. Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you
demonstrate that that you meet the selection criteria outlined above and we are happy to
consider evidence of transferable skills or experience which you may have gained outside
the context of paid employment or education.
Please save all uploaded documents to show your name and the document type.
All applications must be received by midday on the closing date stated in the online
advertisement.
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Should you experience any difficulties using the online application system, please email
[email protected]
To return to the online application at any stage, please click on the following link
www.recruit.ox.ac.uk
Please note that you will be notified of the progress of your application by automatic e-mails
from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure
that you receive all e-mails.
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