Lawyer - Contracts

WMJobs; Stafford; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement

Flexi time

Annual leave purchase

Employee discounts

Local government pension scheme

Car lease scheme

Staff parking discount

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council's in-house Staffordshire Legal Services is seeking a qualified solicitor or barrister to join on a hybrid basis, handling commercial, contracts and procurement matters with public sector experience.

You will advise on procurement regulations, draft and negotiate contracts, and build strong client relationships while working within the council's governance framework. Flexible working patterns apply with attendance at the Stafford office as required.

Qualifications

• Be a qualified Solicitor/fellow of CILEX with practice rights or Barrister.

Responsibilities

• Providing practical, grounded, legal and commercial advice regarding a wide range of commercial and procurement matters ranging in complexity;
• Negotiating and leading client/project meetings, drafting and advising on a variety of commercial contracts, projects and related issues;
• Advising on the Council's Constitution;
• Building strong internal and external relationships including high standards of honesty and integrity;
• Utilise critical thinking skills and working under minimal supervision;
• Adhering to the Legal Services Unit’s LEXCEL quality standards
• Recording all chargeable time spent on matters and non-chargeable activity in accordance with the council's time recording system;
• Independently managing own caseload and files on the electronic case management system

Skills

Commercial contracts experience

Negotiation

Communication skills

Client meetings experience

Education

Qualified Solicitor or CILEX with practice rights or Barrister

Tools

Case management system

Job description

Staffordshire County Council, We are a modern and progressive authority that is ambitious and empowers its employees to be courageous and innovative in their approach. Staffordshire Legal Services is a large in-house corporate legal team, consisting of lawyers, trainees and support staff, with a key focus on staff training, retention and progression. The service supports the county council in the delivery of its objectives by providing quality services to support the Council's functions. The successful candidate will undertake a rewarding varied caseload of commercial, contracts and procurement matters so previous experience of assisting/managing a commercial contract and procurement caseload within either public sector or private practice is essential. There are a number of benefits to working at Staffordshire County Council including generous holiday entitlement, flexi time, annual leave purchase scheme, employee discounts, local government pension scheme, optional car lease scheme and a staff parking discount scheme. We understand the importance of a work-life balance and currently offer remote working with attendance at our Stafford office on flexible patterns and in accordance with business need.

Main Responsibilities

Main responsibilities will include:

• Providing practical, grounded, legal and commercial advice regarding a wide range of commercial and procurement matters ranging in complexity;
• Negotiating and leading client/project meetings, drafting and advising on a variety of commercial contracts, projects and related issues;
• Advising on the Council's Constitution;
• Building strong internal and external relationships including high standards of honesty and integrity;
• Utilise critical thinking skills and working under minimal supervision;
• Adhering to the Legal Services Unit’s LEXCEL quality standards
• Recording all chargeable time spent on matters and non-chargeable activity in accordance with the council's time recording system;
• Independently managing own caseload and files on the electronic case management system

The Ideal Candidate

The minimum criteria that will be used to shortlist for this role will be:

• Be a qualified Solicitor/fellow of CILEX with practice rights or Barrister with:
• Proven commercial contracts experience, within either the public sector and/or private practice with a comprehensive understanding of the law relating to contracts and knowledge of procurement and local government practices, including advising on internal governance, financial and procurement regulations;
• Experience in representing and advising clients at high level case related meetings and confident in negotiating, leading client/project meetings, drafting and advising on a variety of commercial contracts, projects and related issues;
• The ability to clearly and engagingly communicate whether verbally, digitally or in writing.
• The ability to demonstrate strong critical thinking and the ability to work with minimal supervision.

This is a hybrid role.

Interviews will be held during the week starting 12 October 2026

For more information about this role or if you are unsure if your skills and experience are suitable, please contact Georgina Dean, Team Senior on 01785 854 880 or email at [e-mail] or Vaneeti Walia, Team Senior on 01785 854 854 or email at [e-mail]

Our Recruitment Process:

We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you'll bring to the role.

Please note: The minimum criteria in the ideal candidate section detailed above will be used if you are applying under one of our Interview Guarantee Schemes, detailed below.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy: We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.