Manchester City Council

Work, jobs, training and advice Legal Services, Work Placements Scheme

Placements in the combined Legal Services of Manchester and Salford

Aims and Objectives

The combined Legal Services Division is a large in-house practice providing legal advice and representation to all Council Departments, for both Manchester and Salford City Council through an integrated system and shared services.

The Division deals with a diverse range of legal work for both City Councils and for a range of external bodies. The Division is split into three groups: Regeneration, Neighbourhood Services and Children's Services, along with the Democratic Services Team. 

Our mission statement is to be the first choice provider of legal services to both City Councils.

The combined Legal Services Division is committed to supporting and promoting high quality placements for Students.

Our aims for the placement are:

  • To give the applicant an understanding of how a busy legal practice operates.
  • To demonstrate how we provide a high quality legal service, within a local government setting.
  • To promote interest in the work of local government lawyers.

Application Criteria

  1. Priority for a work placement will be given to applicants who either, live and/or work within the Manchester and Salford Local Authority boundary and/or attend a Manchester or Salford, College or University.
  2. Must have an interest in or currently studying law.
  3. Applicants must be 18 years of age or over (Please note: If you are looking at a placement within Children's Services then you must be at least a second year law student.)
  4. Applicants must not have been subject to any legal proceedings by either Council.

Application Process

  • Applications must be received no later than 4pm on 31 January 2025.
  • All applicants will be contacted to let them know the outcome of their application, and the successful applicants will be provided with a contact within the Legal Department with whom the placement will be arranged.
  • Placements will take place for 5 days during the Easter break 2025.
  • There is a maximum of 6 places available for placement.
  • Applicants will be based in two or a maximum of three departments during the placement and must indicate on the application form the preference for which department they would like to be placed in. If this information is not provided then the application may not be successful. (See list of Departments for areas of Law covered by each)
  • A placement programme will be developed with the successful applicants which will set out the teams that the applicant will be based in, the work that they will cover and what skills will be developed during the placement.
  • Once the placement has taken place then the Applicant will be provided with feedback on the success of their placement and will also provide the Council with feedback for future development of the placement scheme.
  • Applicants do not get paid, as work placements are aimed at providing work experience, and allowing students to sample as wide a range of tasks as possible, whilst under the supervision of experienced staff.
  • All Applicants will be expected to work the normal working hours of the City Council.
  • Applicants will be expected to provide their own lunch.
  • The applicant's dress and appearance must meet our customer care standards.
  • All students on placement are insured, just as all other employees of the Council. However, applicants still have a responsibility for behaving in a sensible and safe manner.

Application Form

  • All Applicants must complete the Legal Services Work Placement Application, which can be obtained by emailing legalworkplacements@manchester.gov.uk.
  • All sections of the Application must be completed providing as much detail as possible.
  • CVs can be attached in support of the application.
  • For assistance in the completing section 5 the areas of law that are covered by the division are as follows:

Community Services

Our Community Services Legal Team advises both Adult Social Care and Education departments. As well as Manchester we work with Salford City Council and Rochdale Borough Council. We also work with schools in Manchester and Salford. 

We give advice on urgent matters. These include safeguarding or immigration issues, forced marriage and threats of judicial review.  

Local Authorities also have a narrow statutory duty under the Mental Health Act. The team are often required to make urgent applications to the County Court. These are generally in respect of people being 'sectioned' under the Act. We also provide advice to Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. 

We get involved in over 20 inquests a year. Some of these are one-day hearings on a narrow set of facts. Others take several weeks and involve a range of parties and constant media attention.  

The main areas that the team covers are:  

  • Adult social care and community care  
  • Mental capacity and the Court of Protection  
  • Mental health and applications to the County Court  
  • Education in general  
  • Special Educational Needs and the SENDIST  
  • Advice to schools under service level agreements  
  • Advice in relation to people with 'no recourse to public funds'  
  • Judicial review matters and the Administrative Court  
  • Matters relating to Coroners and inquests in the Coroner's Court 

Employment
The Team provide legal advice and representation for Manchester City Council in relation to the following aspects of employment law:

  • Disciplinary and grievance procedures
  • Equal pay
  • Discrimination
  • TUPE
  • Employment tribunals
  • Employment contracts
  • Redeployment
  • Dismissals

Housing and Neighbour Nuisance
The Team provide legal advice and representation in relation to:

  • Housing
  • Homelessness and housing allocation
  • Boundary disputes
  • HMO licensing
  • Selective licensing
  • Private sector licensing
  • Tenancy enforcement
  • Anti-social behaviour injunctions and orders
  • Access injunctions
  • Estate management injunctions

Litigation
The Litigation Section of the City Solicitor's Division represents the Council in the majority of civil court work in the County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal. Court work is divided between:

Miscellaneous Claims Team
For all claims on behalf of all departments of the Council:

  • public and employer's liability,
  • motor vehicle,
  • contract disputes,
  • child abuse,
  • bullying,
  • professional negligence,
  • nuisance,
  • industrial disease claims etc
  • GMPA (Salford)

Environment Operations and Contracting Services Claims Team
For all claims on behalf of Environment Operations and Contracting Services Departments:

  • highway tripping claims
  • other public liability claims
  • road traffic claims
  • employer's liability
  • tree root damage claims etc.

Housing Claims Team
For all claims on behalf of Manchester Housing and external clients:

  • claims for disrepair in Council property
  • associated claims for specific performance
  • personal injury claims
  • contract disputes
  • injunctions
  • trip claims on housing land and employer's liability claims etc.

Debt Recovery (Part of Litigation)

  • the recovery by legal process of debts due to the Council
  • handles actions for repossession of commercial premises
  • and renewal of business tenancies.
  • GMP (Salford)
  • Acting on behalf of all departments of the Council:

The team acts on behalf of all Council departments.

Regulatory and Enforcement
Regulatory and Enforcement Services (Legal) provide legal advice and representation in a wide range of areas including:

  • Environmental
  • Health & Safety at Work
  • Food Safety
  • Waste
  • Statutory Nuisance
  • Consumer Protection
  • Trade Marks
  • Trade Descriptions
  • Animal Welfare
  • Building Legislation
  • Planning Enforcement
  • Licensing Act 2003, licences etc
  • Taxi Licensing
  • Gambling
  • Street Trading
  • Collections
  • Markets

We also act as legal advisers to the Licensing and Appeals Committee and to the committees established under the Licensing Act 2003.

Commercial Team

  • Special Projects
    The team acts on behalf of the Council in the delivery of major projects within the City. Examples of projects that the team has been involved in include the Leisure Trust, Wythenshawe Forum, Shudehill Transport Interchange, New Islington and the Central Park. Typically the team will work closely with colleagues in the Property Section of Legal Services (as well as colleagues from other parts of the Council) on the projects, advising in relation to the commercial, strategic and local government considerations.
  • Procurement of Strategic Service Partnerships
    The team acts on behalf of the Council in connection with all issues arising in connection with the procurement of strategic service partnerships. Examples of work undertaken include the Wright Robinson School PFI, the Street Lighting PFI, Framework Agreements and the Parking Enforcement Contract.
  • General Commercial
    This work relates to the procurement of all works, goods and services by the Council. The team advises all departments of the Council in relation to procurement and commercial issues and acts in the preparation of contracts for the Council. The team also plays a role in the Council's overall strategy and procedures, including reviewing the Council's Procurement Rules, Standard Terms and Conditions and procurement policy generally. In addition the team is responsible for highways agreements under sections 38 and 278 of the Highways Act 1980
  • Physical Infrastructure
    The team provides legal services to various Departments and development bodies involved in planning, valuation, development and regeneration. Their main areas of work include advice on regulatory planning matters, compulsory purchase and compensation, section 106 agreements, enforcement, statutory notices and special controls such as listed building and tree preservation orders.
    The team deals with all highway and traffic related legal advice, drafting and representation (excluding highway related claims against the Council). Their main areas of work include highway adoptions, the prosecution of highways related offences, the creation, diversion or stopping up of highways, Traffic Regulation Orders and highway licences.
  • Property
    The Property Section provides legal advice on property based issues, undertakes the making of compulsory purchase orders and also undertakes all City Council related property transactions. The section covers the following areas of work:
    • Compulsory Purchase Orders;
    • Compensation Payments in relation to properties in Compulsory Purchase Orders the Voluntary Registration of Title to the Council's Land Holdings
    • the Closure of Scheme Titles, Large Scale Voluntary Transfers of Council Housing Estates
    • Development Leases
    • the Purchase of Property by Agreement
    • General Property Transactions.
    • Completion of Property Documentation relating to Manchester Airport
    • Termination of Business Tenancies: Leasehold Reform Act Notices
    • Property Matters relating to Special Projects and Strategic Initiatives
    • Development Agreements
    • Enforced Sales
    • The Sale and Acquisition of Property in North and East Manchester under the English
    • Partnership Scheme and New East Manchester Commercial Acquisitions)
    • Right to Buy Sales (including Sales on behalf of Eastlands Homes Partnership Limited)
    • Home Loans
    • Industrial Grants
    • Property Documentation relating to the St. John's Gardens Estate
    • Social Services Charges
    • Pleasure Fair Licences
    • Transfer of School Sites
    • Development Agreements
    • General Property Transactions
  • Children's Services (Only open to second year law students)
    The Child Care Team provides legal advice and representation in the following areas.
    • Care and Supervision Orders
    • Emergency Protection
    • Secure Accommodation
    • Residence and Contact Orders
    • Local Authority Support for Children and Families
    • Adoption and Fostering
    • Private proceedings with local authority involvement
    • Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
    • Advice to the Local Safeguarding Children Board
    • Multi Agency working
    • Support with formulation of policies and procedures
    • Public Interest Immunity

If you are interested in this area of law please note the additional requirement of being a second year law student for a placement within this team.

Additional Information

  • The placement does not cover administrative based placements.
  • All applicants must understand the confidential and sensitive nature of the work undertaken within the Division. Students will be required to confirm that they understand that any information they become aware of during the placement must be treated in confidence. All applicants will be asked to sign a confidentiality statement.
  • Once the application form has been completed, they will be determined by the Workforce Development Group as set out above.
    The completed application form should be emailed to: legalworkplacements@manchester.gov.uk with the Subject of: WORK PLACEMENT APPLICATION.

If you have any questions please email: legalworkplacements@manchester.gov.uk

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