Lawyer - Litigation

WMJobs; Stafford; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote working

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is seeking a debt-focused Litigation Lawyer to join its friendly legal team. You will handle moderately complex debt and other litigation work, including local authority debt recovery, high-value claims, and Health & Care debts, with opportunities for broader civil and criminal matters.

You will undertake advocacy in court, draft documents, and contribute to service improvements.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with litigation/advocacy rights.
• Comprehensive understanding of debt recovery and civil litigation.
• Ability to manage complex casework with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Manage moderately complex litigation casework focused on debt recovery.
• Advise client departments and draft court documents.
• Undertake appropriate court hearings with limited supervision.
• Advocate in court in civil and criminal matters.
• Deliver key projects to improve service delivery.
• Maintain Lexcel quality standards and data confidentiality.

Skills

Litigation/advocacy rights

Attention to detail

Time management

Communication skills

Driving licence

Education

Solicitor or Barrister qualification

Fellow of CILEX

Job description

Staffordshire County Council,

This is a fantastic opportunity for a debt-focused Litigation Lawyer to join a friendly and supportive legal team which encourages growth and development at every stage.

Situated in the heart of the Country with fantastic transport links, Staffordshire County Council is a progressive and forward-thinking authority. The post holder must have some demonstrable post-qualification experience of moderately complex debt and other litigation work.

The role will be primarily focused on local authority debt recovery work including general debts, high value claims and Health & Care debts. There may also be scope for general litigation and prosecution work in a wide variety of areas including Trading Standards. You must be able to undertake your own advocacy alongside casework in all areas of litigation undertaken by the Council which includes prosecutions and civil litigation.

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

• Completing all aspects of moderately complex Litigation casework with a focus on debt recovery, advising the client departments, drafting necessary documents including Court documents and undertaking appropriate court hearings with limited supervision
• Conducting advocacy in court in Litigation matters (both civil and criminal)
• Delivering on key projects in order to meet the objectives of the team and in order to improve service delivery
• Adherence to the Legal Services Unit’s quality standards (Lexcel) to maintain professional standards
• To undertake in-service training as required by the training plan and to facilitate in-service training of staff members/client department
• To handle confidential data sensitively and securely in accordance with policy

The Ideal Candidate

• Be a Solicitor, Fellow of CILEX with litigation/advocacy rights or a Barrister with practising certificate authorised to litigate.
• Have a comprehensive understanding of debt recovery and civil litigation and, ideally, some understanding of wider local authority litigation (both civil and criminal).
• Demonstrate meticulous attention to detail.
• Understand how to delegate work in order to generate capacity
• Evidence effective time management, prioritisation skills and an ability to work under the demands of competing pressures.
• Show an ability to clearly communicate in all media forms; verbally, digitally and in writing and to draft complex legal documents.
• Have a clean current driving licence. This is essential for the job as attendance at court is required at a number of courts in Staffordshire and the West Midlands.

In-person interviews will be held during the week starting 28th September 2026.

Our recruitment process

We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.

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.

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.