THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF ARUNA’S DEDICATION TO TRANSFORMING LIVES

The Bi-Borough Legal Services Department at Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where people like Aruna work on projects that are helping to regenerate our borough and transform residents’ lives.

The Church Street Estate is an exciting, vibrant area and home to a diverse range of people, but has a number of issues that have led to social and economic exclusion for many. So a few years ago we decided to create a masterplan with the aim of improving the lives of everyone who lives and works here, while building on the unique qualities of the neighbourhood.

Our ambition is to improve the quality of life for everyone in the area, and we aim to do this by building 1,750 high quality homes, creating new green spaces and playgrounds, and providing services that will support the community’s health and wellbeing.

But such massive changes bring worry and conflict. Flats and houses will have to be demolished to make way for the new, and as many people have lived in their homes for decades they don’t want to say goodbye to cherished memories and familiar surroundings. Which is where Aruna and her team came into their own.

In the summer of 2024 a public inquiry was held into the compulsory purchase order made for Site A of Church Street, and it was her role to support the development team as they put forward the case for regeneration. Many of the people who objected were understandably afraid at the prospect of losing their homes, but Aruna was passionate in her defence of the project and stressed the fact that everyone in the area deserves better. And she was reassuring too, as she explained that compulsory powers would only be used as a last resort and anyone who is moved out of their current home has a range of options to remain in the area should they wish to, and the regenerated Church Street will offer unique opportunities, new jobs and an exciting feeling of optimism.

Aruna’s commitment to a positive world of renewal for our residents is Westminster City Council’s commitment too, and the Church Street of the future will hopefully be a blueprint for progressive regeneration throughout our city.

The Role:

We are expanding our Contracts & Procurement Legal Team and are recruiting three new roles in response to increasing workload, demand and a growing portfolio of interesting projects.  As a Paralegal for the Contracts and Procurement Legal Team, you too can make a powerful contribution. You’ll be joining our growing team which provides legal services to our local authority clients, Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Each council has its own priorities to deliver. We assist with a range of legal situations and requests for advice, including some that are in the public eye.

This role is an ideal opportunity for aspiring lawyers wanting to develop in the field of commercial contracts and public procurement. Plus, the Council could support your completion of the SQE qualification, enabling you to qualify as a solicitor.

On a day-to-day basis, you’ll bring your energy and skillset to a routine caseload. You will support lawyers with drafting legal documentation and preparing contract engrossments. There will also be opportunities to conduct legal research, write reports and proof-read documents. This will enable you to build expertise and create connections with a wide range of client directorates and legal colleagues. You’ll seek to understand the requirements on public sector legal services, so that you can serve our clients to the best of your ability.  Alongside this, you will develop and maintain efficient administrative systems for the team, ensuring compliance and working on improvements.

You will have a can-do attitude and a commitment to supporting clients to achieve their objectives. As our work is deadline orientated and we often have multiple pressing at once, you’ll be skilled at time management.

Our working environment is supportive, inclusive and flexible. Our agile way of working harnesses the expertise of both lawyers and support staff so that we can efficiently deliver for the Councils. Teamworking and knowledge sharing to find an innovative solution is crucial to us. From juniors to those with 30+ years’ experience, we have a wide range of expertise, and so there are many minds that you can learn from.

About You:

To be a good fit for this role, you’ll have worked in a similar professional office environment before. You can confidently use your own initiative and prioritise your own workload.

You can work easily with computer packages such as Word, Excel and case management systems. Plus, you’re comfortable dealing with queries in person and over the phone. You’ve dealt with confidential and sensitive correspondence, issues and documents.

On the legal side, we’d like to know about your experience in preparing contract engrossments, both services contracts and construction contracts. We’d be interested to hear about any research or report preparation that you’ve undertaken.

As we work with competing demands, we’d like to hear about times that you’ve managed multiple matters and still met deadlines. Experience in a local government legal practice would be a plus.

To be eligible for this role, you have a legal degree or equivalent alternate qualifications.

Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role.

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe. At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is Our Westminster Way.

As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.