Oxfordshire County Council

OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

CORPORATE SERVICES

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Chief Legal Officer and Monitoring Officer

Service Area: Legal Services

Grade: Grade xxx

Responsible to: County Director

Responsible for: 5 Principal Solicitors and Legal Practice Manager

Budget responsibilities: Income of £4m

To be reviewed: March 2017

PURPOSE:

As Chief Legal Officer you will take responsibility for a designated service area and provide a customer-focused service based on efficient management of resources and effective leadership of staff. This will be carried out through:

·  Strategic leadership

·  Manage Legal Services

·  Act as the council’s monitoring officer

·  Be the council lead for Information Governance

·  Act as the council’s Caldecott guardian

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership

·  Responsibility for the strategic support and performance of Legal Services.

·  Align the Council's objectives and vision with service delivery so that customer needs are met

·  Lead, inspire and motivate managers and teams across the Service, through the efficient and effective management of services, staff and resources

·  Co-ordinate and work effectively with other Services to ensure that the Council’s strategic objectives, Directorate priorities and deadlines are met.

Managing Legal Services

·  Lead, manage and direct a comprehensive legal service to the County Council.

·  Provide legal advice and representation to all Services and Directorates, and to the Council in the form of its Committees and Members; including specialist advice on strategic issues.

·  Provide and develop the delivery of a legal service for other bodies, including District and Town Councils, West Berkshire Council, Thames Valley Probation Service, HM Coroner for Oxfordshire.

·  Responsibility for staff compliance with Solicitor Regulation Authority requirements.

·  Ensure the legal work of the Service is of a high standard and ensure the Team’s compliance with the Office Procedures Manual formulated in accordance with the Law Society’s Practice Management Standards (LEXCEL) and the professional requirements of the Law Society.

·  Handle a personal caseload of high level legal work and to take the professional lead in highly complex or sensitive legal matters.

·  Monitor and manage the legal budget on a trading account basis which is financially viable including income generation where appropriate.

·  Conduct formal staff supervision, work reviews and annual appraisals for team members; ensuring development and professional needs are met.

·  Manage the team in such a way as to ensure full compliance with the Office Procedures Manual formulated in accordance with LEXCEL requirements

·  To negotiate the Service Level Agreement and negotiate on behalf of the service.

Act as the council’s monitoring officer

·  Ensure the lawful decision making powers of the Council are exercised properly.

·  Consider whether any decision taken by the Council is contrary to or not held in accordance with the budget and policy framework as approved by the Council or any contravention of law of maladministration.

·  Ensure the maintenance of ethical standards and behaviours of all Members and Officers and to conduct any necessary investigations into their behaviour, actions and conduct.

Be the council lead for Information Governance

·  To be the Council’s named Data Controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office, a Statutory Proper Officer post under the Data Protection Act 1998.

·  To be directly accountable for all corporate information governance policies and procedures for securing compliance with the information governance requirements within Oxfordshire County Council.

·  To adhere to all relevant County policies and procedures and concerns are raised in accordance with these policies

·  Ensuring good Corporate Governance practice is in place by ensuring that the Council acts lawfully, both in its decision making and with regards to Officer and Member conduct.

·  To fulfil the role of the Council’s Caldicott Guardian and advise the Council on matters that relate to that role.

For all staff - You have specific responsibilities under Health & Safety legislation to ensure that you:

·  Take reasonable care for your own health and safety, and that of others affected by what you do, or do not do

·  Cooperate on all issues involving health and safety

·  Use work items provided for you correctly, in accordance with training and instructions

·  Do not interfere with or misuse anything provided for your health, safety or welfare

·  Report any health and safety concerns to your line manager as soon as practicable

This job description is not an exhaustive list of tasks and responsibilities, and the post-holder may be required to undertake additional tasks and responsibilities which are commensurate with the grade of the job.

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