Children Law Solicitor – Colchester

Duncan Lewis Solicitors Ltd.; Colchester; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Duncan Lewis Solicitors invites applications for a dedicated Child Care Solicitor to join our Colchester team. This role focuses on a range of child care matters, including protection, adoption, and family proceedings, with oversight of junior lawyers and caseworkers.

We offer a supportive environment with opportunities for professional development, performance bonuses, and a clear progression path within a nationally recognised firm.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor with 1-5 years' PQE in Children Law.
• Experience handling a varied child care caseload and providing high-quality legal advice.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for all aspects of Child Care work including providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members.
• Ability to manage and supervise Solicitors, Trainee Solicitors and Caseworkers to manage appropriate caseload types and complexities.
• Assisting with delivery of appropriate training and development in the department.
• Dealing with a range of public and private children cases including child abduction, child protection issues, and adoption matters.
• Proactive client care and marketing to supplement work volumes.

Skills

Solicitor

Child Care Law

Client care

Team leadership

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Whether you are just starting out or looking for your next challenge, we set your career in motion alongside experts in their field.

Careers Children Law Solicitor – Colchester Vacancies

Regulated by the Solicitor's Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of our key practice areas – a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients. A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice - that is our ethos.

Recognised among The Times 200 Best Law Firms, we have been awarded Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards, reflecting our dedication to legal expertise and client service. We hold Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation for over 15 years, showcasing our commitment to professional development. Duncan Lewis is also Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring excellence in practice management and data security.

We are committed to recruiting dedicated and talented professionals and welcome applications from exceptional candidates. At Duncan Lewis, we value training and diversity, and we take pride in our inclusive workforce.

Child Care Department:

Applauded by The Legal 500 has 'an extremely knowledgeable and hugely capable child care team, our highly specialised Child Care Department is ranked and recommended by The Legal 500 UK and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories for its expertise in all aspects of child care law.

Our Child Care Law department approaches each case with a level of understanding only achievable through specialising in Child Care law. The key aspect of our work is assisting guardians to represent a child and representing parents. We act for children, parents and family members to provide expert advice to adopted parents and the birth parents who are considering adoption. The department also advises same-sex couples on child care matters, including child care arrangements following divorce, separation or dissolution of a civil partnership, adoption, co-parenting and surrogacy.

Setting us apart from other firms, the Child Care Law department consists of members of the Law Society Children and Family Panel Members. The majority are also members of the Association for the Lawyers for Children, and of Resolution (formerly known as the Solicitors Family Law Association). Duncan Lewis is one of few firms in the UK that are on the Lord Chancellor's International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU) referral list. We have acquired a number of kite-marks and accreditations which are testament to the quality of the specialised work our staff undertake. We have had several high profile cases, which have been reported, which include caste, underage marriages and international elements.

Main Responsibilities of the Role

• Responsible for all aspects of Child Care work including providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members
• Ability to manage and supervise Solicitors, Trainee Solicitors and Caseworkers to manage appropriate caseload types and complexities
• Assisting with delivery of appropriate training and development in the department
• Variety of duties including dealing with a range of public and private children cases including child abduction, child protection issues, special guardianship and adoption matters as well as undertaking your own advocacy
• You will have a professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and be interested in Business Development and Marketing to supplement the substantial work volumes brought in by the company

Key Skills Required:

• Qualified Solicitor with 1 - 5 years' PQE in Children Law, with experience managing a varied caseload and delivering high-quality legal advice and representation.
• Have extensive experience in dealing with all Child Care related work
• Must have a clean, valid Practising Certificate at the time of applying
• Committed team player with ability to approach team concerns fairly, foster culture of positive change and encourage cross referrals
• Previous proven supervisory experience and working to key performance indicators
• Professional with a pro-active approach; excellent client care skills and ability to deal with vulnerable clients and resolve complicated practicalities involved in child care issues
• Excellent networking and communication skills with the ability to successfully market the Company and generate new business
• Working knowledge of the publicly funded Child Care work and have the ability to service privately funded cases
• Experience in own advocacy is an advantage
• Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills

What we offer

• A fantastic supportive team
• Strong career progression with support for legal awards and professional recognition

SALARY STRUCTURE (Non-Accredited) - CHILDREN LAW

SOLICITOR SALARY

(London)

(Outside London)

NQ £42,500 £40,000

1 Year PQE £44,000 £42,000

2 Years PQE £45,500 £43,500

3 Years PQE £47,000 £45,000

Law Society Children Accreditation/Resolution:

The Company will support your career progression if you decide to pursue Children, Family or Family Advanced Panel accreditation with the Law Society or Resolution. We will cover the cost of:

• Attending the mandatory training course £1100 (Children Law Accreditation)
• Children Law Reaccreditation every 3 years (approx. £618)
• Family Law Reaccreditation every 5 years (approx. £556)

The total cost of progressing onto the Children panel is approximately £1700.

Children Law Panel Member / Accreditation Salary +Supervision Bonus:-

Moving forward we are looking to offer all new Children and Resolution Panel members a base salary of:

• £55,000 in London and within the M25.

This salary will apply from the date you are registered as a panel member/accredited with the Law Society. Advancement of the above fees will be subject to our terms and conditions in the contract of employment/accreditation agreement.

Supervision Bonus:-

Supervision bonus is payable after panel membership has been attained.

SUPERVISION BONUS STRUCTURE - CHILDREN LAW

(London)

Total (per annum) £8,000 £7,400

The recruitment process will fully comply with GDPR and other applicable laws. Background checks including CRB / DBS checks will establish your eligibility to work in the UK and suitability to the role.

Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce. We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter if this applies.

APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY AGENCIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THE ABOVE VACANCY

Salary: £40,000–£47,000 p.a., based on experience | Panel-Accredited Salary: £50,000–£55,000 p.a.

Job Type: Permanent

Date Posted: 09/10/2026

Last Date for Application: 30/10/2026

Disclaimer

Duncan Lewis Solicitors is an award-winning, nationally recognised law firm, ranked as a top-tier firm in current edition of The Legal 500 UK. With offices across London and the regions, we offer clear, practical and high-quality advice across a broad range of specialist areas. We act for clients on both a legal aid and private-fee basis, supporting individuals, families and businesses with everything from everyday matters to complex and high-profile litigation. Our continued growth, particularly in private client and complex dispute work, is driven by our reputation for professionalism, integrity and exceptional client care.

We are always keen to hear from committed and capable people, in both legal and non-legal roles. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or looking to begin your career, we welcome applications from individuals who want to contribute to the work we do.

Our recruitment and interview process is designed to understand how you think, how you work and what you can bring to the firm, and to assess your skills, knowledge and experience in a fair and consistent way. To support this, candidates must not use AI-based tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini or similar) to write or edit any part of their interview responses or written communication during the process. We want to hear your own experience, insight and perspective.

Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and values the diversity of its staff. We work to ensure that our workforce reflects the communities we serve at every level of the organisation. We offer a guaranteed interview to applicants who disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the role — please highlight this in your covering letter if it applies.