Just for Kids Law are recruiting for a Community Care Lawyer to join our busy and dynamic Legal Team, which comprises award-winning solicitors, paralegals and trainee solicitors working in the field of Youth Justice, Crime and Public Law.
We are recruiting for a Community Care Lawyer to join our small but influential team, which also includes the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE). The role will assist in the delivery of JFKL’s civil litigation work by representing children and young people to access their community care needs and identifying strategic litigation opportunities while maintaining and managing a caseload.
The post holder will be a qualified solicitor who meets the supervisor standard in public law and/or community care, although there are no requirements for the number of years legal experience. They will have a good understanding and awareness of the principles and practice of representing young people, and of direct client work, providing advice and conducting litigation.
The post holder will be highly motivated and be expected to work with a high degree of autonomy as well as being able to work collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation. They must also be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment in which they will be expected to produce high-quality work at a consistent rate.
Role Summary
Contract term: Full Time, Permanent
Location: Central London with a mix of office and homeworking
Hours: 1.0 FTE (35 hours per week)
Salary: £39,902 – £45,948 depending on experience in a directly equivalent role
Probation period: 6 months
Detailed responsibility and person specification can be found here.
Just for Kids Law believes in the value of a diverse workforce and encourages applications from people from all ethnic, cultural, religious, and social backgrounds: in particular, black and racialised communities, LGBTQI+ communities. We strive to create a diverse working environment where anyone, regardless of background, can thrive.
Responsibilities:
Casework & Litigation
Providing high quality advice and representation for individual clients with a high degree of professionalism, and conducting work in such a way as to meet relevant external standards (e.g. Specialist Quality Mark, SRA, BSB and OISC etc.)
Running and maintaining own caseload of community care and public law cases under supervision.
Meeting a team financial target.
Maintaining a culture of client care in terms of service delivery
Maintaining a caseload of a reasonable size in order to meet team financial targets
Ensuring that all time recording is entered onto the JFKL Case Management System to enable accurate reporting and maximize income
Cross-organisational team working
- Acting as an active member of JFKL legal team, attending meetings and representing the Youth Justice team as and when required
- Contributing to cross organisational communications, campaigns and other projects
- Providing legal advice, guidance and support where appropriate
- Advising other staff within the wider JFKL team on issues relating to their clients where these have a community care component.
- Work closely with the Policy and Campaigning Team to report trends arising from your work and contribute ideas. This may involve contributing to the preparation of written responses on Youth Justice issues and representing JFKL at external meetings.
Knowledge (Essential/ Desirable)
Knowledge of the law and policy as it relates to community care and public law with regards to children and young people. (E)
Detailed knowledge of the duties of the local authority in supporting children and young people in need and in care or leaving care. (E)
Detailed knowledge of the community care needs and entitlements of children and young people in the justice system. (D)
Knowledge of the Human Rights Act, and the UNCRC, and how they can be used to put forward Children Rights’ arguments in court. (E)
Knowledge of the CPR and Judicial Review procedures. (E)
Knowledge of legal aid requirements, public funding applications and billing files. (E)
Understanding of the principles and practice of representing young people. (E)
Qualifications and training
- Degree in law or other Degree and relevant conversion equivalent (E)
- Legal Practice Course or Bar Vocational Course (E)
- Practising solicitor or barrister (E)
How to Apply
To apply, return a completed equal opportunities monitoring form alongside your CV (no more than 2 sides of A4) and a Cover Letter (no more than 2 sides of A4) outlining your suitability for the role and in particular your experience of: community care work, including use of judicial review; managing a case load in compliance with LAA contract; and approaches to strategic litigation.
Applications to humanresources@justforkidslaw.org
Application Deadline: 11:59pm Wednesday 9th July 2025
Interview date: Tuesday 15th July in person, London
If you have any questions about the roles or the recruitment process, please get in touch at humanresources@justforkidslaw.org