Education Solicitor

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Hybrid working

Job summary

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council is seeking an Education Solicitor with a strong SEND focus to provide clear legal advice on education matters for children, young people and families. The role involves advocacy in Tribunal proceedings, advising on disability issues, attendance, admissions, exclusions and school changes, while managing a caseload in a supportive team.

You will translate complex legal issues into practical guidance, work with client departments and external

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor or barrister with entitlement to practise in England and Wales.
• Experience or strong interest in education law and public service.

Responsibilities

• Provide clear, practical legal advice on education law matters with a focus on SEND cases and Tribunal proceedings.
• Advise on other education-related matters including disability issues, school attendance, admissions, exclusions, transport, safeguarding, and school openings/closures.
• Manage own caseload, draft legal advice and documents, undertake advocacy, and instruct Counsel and experts when needed.
• Work with client departments, schools and partners to deliver practical, robust, child-focused solutions and ensure compliant processes.
• Keep up to date with developments in education and public law and explain implications for practice.

Skills

Education law

SEND expertise

Advocacy

Legal advice

Drafting

Education

Qualified Solicitor

Barrister

Chartered Legal Executive

Job description

What you'll be doing:

Use your education law expertise to make a real difference for children, young people and families

As our Education Solicitor, you'll provide clear, practical legal advice on a broad range of education law matters, with a particular focus on special educational needs and disability (SEND) cases and Tribunal proceedings. You'll help the Council make lawful, fair and robust decisions that stand up to scrutiny and support positive outcomes for children and young people.

This is a hands-on role where SEND work will be a key focus. You'll provide high-quality legal advice on special educational needs cases and represent the Council in Tribunal proceedings. You'll also advise on other education-related matters, including disability issues, school attendance, admissions, exclusions, transport, safeguarding, and school openings, closures and amalgamations.

You'll manage your own caseload, draft clear legal advice and legal documents, undertake advocacy, and instruct Counsel and experts where appropriate. Working closely with client departments, schools, senior officers and external partners, you'll find practical, legally sound and child-focused solutions and contribute to efficient and compliant processes across the team.

You'll handle complex and sensitive matters with confidence, making sure deadlines are met and procedures are followed. You'll keep pace with developments in education and public law and help client departments understand what those changes mean in practice.

This is an opportunity to use your legal expertise where it really counts - supporting lawful decision-making and helping secure positive outcomes for children, young people, families and the wider community.

For further details, please review the Job Description and Person Specification.

What you'll bring

You must be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive entitled to practise in England and Wales. You'll have experience of, or a strong interest in, education law and public service, with the ability to provide clear and pragmatic legal advice on education matters.

You’ll have the confidence to advise on sensitive matters, exercise sound judgement and work constructively with client departments, schools, senior officers and external partners. You'll be able to translate complex legal issues into clear, practical advice that supports robust decision-making.

Strong drafting, advocacy and communication skills are essential. You'll be organised, resilient and able to manage competing priorities and your own caseload, while working collaboratively as part of a supportive legal team. You'll also be keen to learn, share knowledge and contribute to team development and service improvement.

We're looking for someone who combines attention to detail with a practical, collaborative approach and a commitment to achieving good outcomes for children, young people, families and the wider community.

Why join us

At RBKC, we're all in - investing in our people, our communities and our future.

You'll join our talented and diverse Bi-borough Legal Services team, shared with Westminster City Council, working alongside solicitors and support colleagues to help both Councils deliver their priorities for the communities they serve. You'll have the opportunity to develop specialist expertise in education law, contribute to service improvement and undertake meaningful, varied and intellectually engaging work where your advice makes a direct difference.

You’ll benefit from a supportive, results-focused working environment, learning and development opportunities, a contributory pension scheme, generous annual leave and scope for flexible and hybrid working, subject to service needs.

About us

Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough.

As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.

This role is a clear example of what being 'all in' means. You'll bring your education law expertise and commitment to public service to work that matters - supporting lawful, child-focused decision-making and helping deliver positive outcomes for children and young people across our communities.

Interview Details

Interviews will take place on W/C 30th November 2026.

Working Style:

You’ll work flexibly and on a hybrid basis, subject to service needs, collaborating closely with colleagues, client departments and schools to provide a responsive legal service.

We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.

We are committed to fair, transparent, and consistent pay practices.

New hires will normally start at the minimum of the pay scale. However, a higher starting salary may be negotiated where a candidate demonstrates exceptional skills, knowledge, or experience.

Employees receive annual salary increments until they reach the top of the pay scale, as well as any agreed cost of living pay awards.