Lawyer - Litigator

Cheshire East Council; Crewe; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 56,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 34 days

Buy extra leave up to 10 days

Flexible working pattern with 37-hour

Green car salary sacrifice

White goods salary sacrifice

Career average pension

Cycle to work scheme

Employee assistance programme

Discounted gym membership

Job summary

Cheshire East Council is seeking a Litigation Lawyer to join the Litigation, Regulatory and Employment team on a part-time, permanent basis. You will provide expert legal advice across complex civil and criminal litigation, with opportunities for advocacy and training support.

The successful candidate will have experience in prosecution work, regulatory matters, and advising on enforcement, with a strong focus on collaboration and high professional standards within a public service context.

Qualifications

• Qualified legal professional with current practising certificate in England and Wales (Solicitor, Barrister, Chartered Legal Executive or equivalent).
• In-depth knowledge of civil and criminal litigation law relevant to the role.
• Ability to work under minimal supervision and use the case management system.
• Willingness to undertake advocacy or related areas with training support.
• Strong oral and written communication, negotiation, drafting and persuasive skills.
• Proven track record, adherence to deadlines, and team collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality expert legal advice and representation across diverse litigation and regulatory matters.
• Experience in prosecution work from start to finish and some debt recovery experience.
• Prepare and represent the Council in civil and criminal proceedings, including advocacy.
• Advise client departments on regulatory matters and enforcement.
• Attend committees and advise panel members.

Skills

Civil litigation

Criminal litigation

Case management

Advocacy

Negotiation

Oral & written communication

Education

Solicitor with practising certificate

Tools

Case management system

Job description

The legal team at Cheshire East Council supports all functions and services within Cheshire East Council. As part of our transformation, the Council has recently embarked on a programme of organisational change aimed at modernising services and ensuring long‑term financial resilience. At this crucial time, a number of exciting legal opportunities have arisen within Cheshire East Council's Legal Services, providing a genuine opportunity for career growth in local government and regional collaboration.

We are ambitious and our values shape the way we work to deliver public services. We need people that are driven and ready to make a difference. At this pivotal moment in the transformation of the Council, we are seeking a Litigation Lawyer in our Litigation, Regulatory and Employment legal team on a part time and permanent basis.

About you

You will be: -

• A qualified legal professional - admitted Solicitor entitled to a current practising certificate in England and Wales, Barrister, Chartered Legal Executive or equivalent legal qualification within the relevant field.
• Able to demonstrate proven in-depth knowledge of both civil and criminal litigation law commensurate with the role.
• Capable of conducting a range of legal work under minimum supervision and utilise the case management system.
• Able to represent the Council, with a willingness to undertake advocacy or such areas of law covered by the team, which will be supported by training to enhance your skills.
• Able to demonstrate a good knowledge of the law and have good oral and written communication skills as well as demonstrable skills in negotiation, drafting, and persuading.
• Able to demonstrate a proven track record and work to deadlines.
• Ability to work confidently and effectively as part of a team.
• A desire to develop your legal skills and to progress in your legal career.

The successful candidate will have:

• the capability to provide high-quality expert legal advice and representation across a wide range of complex litigation and regulatory matters to the Council’s services areas, officers and members
• experience of prosecution work from start to finish, as well as some experience in debt recovery
• experience in preparing and representing the Council in civil and criminal proceedings, including advocacy
• ability to advise client departments on regulatory matters and enforcement
• willingness to attend committees and advise panel members

The role is diverse with no one day the same, for more information on the role please view the 'In this job you will' section within the attached job description specification document.

In return we are able to offer:

• Enhanced annual leave- Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
• Purchase of annual leave -Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Flexible working pattern- Enjoy a 37-hour standard full-time work week with the added perks of flexi-time and hybrid/remote working arrangements where possible. Your work-life balance just got a whole lot better
• Salary sacrifice green car scheme- Drive green and save green! Lease a brand-new electric or hybrid car through our salary sacrifice scheme. There's no credit checks, no deposits, just significant savings and exclusive offers on a three-year lease
• White goods salary sacrifice scheme -Upgrade your home with ease. Purchase home and electronic items through our salary sacrifice scheme, spreading the cost of big-ticket purchases like appliances, computers, and tech gadgets directly from your salary
• Enhanced public pension-Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
• Cycle to work scheme -Save up to 25-39% on the retail price of bikes and safety equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings. Get fit and save money!
• Employee assistance programme- Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life's challenges, both at work and in your personal life
• Discounted gym membership -Stay active and healthy with corporate membership prices for Everybody Leisure, including:
• Gym, Swim and Group Fitness at all 16 facilities
• Off-Peak Racket Sports
• Athletics Tracks
• Sauna/Steam/Spa

Join us and experience a workplace that truly values and supports you!

Cheshire East is an amazing place to live and work. As one of the largest employers in the borough, we are able to offer you a wide range of challenging and rewarding career opportunities.

We are working for a brighter future - together and our commitment to you is that our workplace culture will provide a shared purpose, a well‑led organisation with valued people succeeding together as one team and one council to deliver the best service for our customers and communities.

If you want to be part of our award-winning council and contribute to our ongoing success, have the flexibility and drive to enable us to innovate, are committed to working as part of a team and striving to deliver exceptional service wherever you can, we would especially like to hear from you.

As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and want our workforce to reflect the diversity of our local communities so that we can all work for a brighter future - together.

For an informal discussion contact Jessica Adeniran - [e-mail] or Louise Price on 01270 371309

For any technical enquiries please email [e-mail]