Head of Legal - Litigation
Posted 10 days 7 hours ago by Notting Hill Genesis Group
As the Head of Legal (Litigation), you will lead a multi disciplinary legal function within NHG's newly centralised Legal Services team, delivering expert and customer focused litigation services across housing management, landlord and tenant matters, income collection, and debt recovery. You will act as a trusted legal adviser to senior stakeholders, providing authoritative guidance on complex housing litigation matters including disrepair claims, anti social behaviour, tenancy enforcement, service charge disputes, arrears possession proceedings, leasehold disputes, and debt recovery. Your leadership will ensure that NHG maintains high standards of compliance, governance, risk management, and operational effectiveness across all areas of litigation. Reporting into the Director of Legal, you'll lead and develop a high performing team of solicitors, paralegals, and legal administrators, driving a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and service excellence.
How you'll do it- Lead the provision of legal advice and litigation support across housing management and landlord and tenant matters, including disrepair, ASB, tenancy fraud, injunctions, leasehold disputes, and breach of tenancy cases.
- Oversee all debt recovery litigation activity across the organisation, including arrears possession claims and related enforcement actions.
- Manage and supervise a specialist legal team, ensuring high quality legal services are delivered efficiently and compliantly.
- Ensure appropriate legal work is undertaken in house where cost effective, including drafting pleadings, claim forms, witness statements, and legal documentation.
- Develop and improve legal processes, procedures, and governance arrangements to ensure effective and compliant service delivery.
- Manage relationships with external solicitors and barristers, ensuring value for money and strong performance management.
- Deliver legal training and guidance to operational colleagues, supporting teams to proactively manage housing law and debt recovery matters.
- Horizon scan legislative and regulatory developments relating to housing law and litigation, ensuring stakeholders remain informed of emerging risks and changes.
- Monitor team caseloads, KPIs, and reporting requirements to ensure performance standards are achieved.
- Provide senior level legal advice and support to colleagues and stakeholders across NHG.
- Qualified Solicitor of England and Wales with a valid Practising Certificate.
- Minimum 5 years PQE.
- Experience working within a social housing legal department, housing association, local authority, or private practice environment.
- Expert knowledge of housing law, landlord and tenant legislation, debt recovery, and litigation processes.
- Strong leadership and people management experience.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Experience managing complex legal caseloads within a fast paced environment.
- Strong understanding of risk management and compliance frameworks.
- Proficiency using legal databases, case management systems, and Microsoft Office.
- Ability to provide strategic, pragmatic, and resident focused legal advice.
- Excellent annual leave allowance and flexible working opportunities (qualifying period may apply).
- Generous pension scheme.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption pay in addition to statutory entitlements (qualifying period may apply).
- Employee assistance - free confidential advice and counselling services provided by independent specialist organisations.
- Health cash plan.
- Staff discounts - access to discounts at hundreds of major retailers, gyms, restaurants, entertainment, days out, insurance, and much more.
- Interest free loans - season ticket loan, tenancy deposit loan, and training loan.
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Life Assurance four times the annual salary.
We welcome applications from everyone. We actively monitor the diversity of our workforce and strive to show equal representation throughout all levels of the organisation. We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident employer amongst other diversity commitments.