Training Contract - April 2025 - Justice First Fellowship/Shelter

Closing date:  Friday 29th November 2024 
Interview period: Wednesday 22nd January 2025,Thursday 30th January 25

The Justice First Fellowship (JFF) is a scheme offering two-year, fully-funded legal training positions and wider development opportunities for the next generation of social justice lawyers. Established by the Legal Education Foundation, since 2014 JFF has supported 125 Fellows to qualify, with the vast majority still working in social justice law. As a JFF Fellow at Shelter, you will complete your legal training with us and the cost of undertaking any mandatory training to qualify will be covered as well. You will also develop a project in collaboration with Shelter and benefit from professional development and wider skills training via JFF alongside wellbeing support. And you will become part of the JFF network, a movement of lawyers using the law for social justice.

About the role

You will be based in our Birmingham Hub, working under the housing and public law legal aid contracts as well as having the opportunity to support Shelter’s test cases and interventions.

The training will give you the opportunity to develop and apply the skills you will need as a qualified solicitor. These include advocacy and oral presentation, case and transaction management, client care and practice support, communication, dispute resolution, drafting, interviewing and advising, legal research and negotiation.

Your role will support the solicitors within Birmingham hub to play a key part in tackling housing injustice and unfair housing practices. You will develop your skills through a mixture of completing work unsupervised, assisting others and observing experienced practitioners.

You will work with colleagues in the Birmingham hub to ensure people in our communities are aware of their rights, know how to enforce them and represent people who need specialist legal advice.

About You

You will need to have passed the Legal Practice Course OR have an undergraduate degree and passed SQE part 1 and be able to demonstrate specialist knowledge and the technical requirements needed for the role. You will be able to reason critically and demonstrate an intellectual aptitude. If you have previous experience of housing advice, litigation and/or legal aid this would be an advantage but it is not essential.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet every day millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything,

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

How to apply

Please apply via the listing on Legal Education Foundation’s website using the link below. Please DO NOT send application directly to Shelter.

Job listing:    https://tlef.my.site.com/JFFFellowApplication/

Application form: https://tlef.my.site.com/JFFFellowApplication/SelfRegister

Safeguarding Statement

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Recruitment Agencies

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.