Local Government Lawyer

Weightmans; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job description

About your new role

Our Casualty team provides a full, expert service in defending public (PL) and employers' liability (EL) claims, across the private sector and the public sector. Weightmans' team is second-to-none in providing defendant litigation services in these and other specialist Casualty areas. We operate on a national basis with dedicated commercial insurance and public sector teams.

We are currently recruiting for an experienced NQ-3 year PQE Solicitor to join our Casualty Local Government Team in Birmingham.

Working in the dedicated Local Government team based out of Birmingham with your own caseload of predominantly fast-track claims (and/or multi track depending on experience). We receive direct instructions from both insureds and insurers for a wide range of cases involving public sector and insurance clients nationally.

You will be responsible for the running of the day to day of your cases including liaising with clients, opponents, court, witnesses and undertaking your own liability investigations. The role will also be assisting more senior fee earners with more complex matters, including data breach and social care.

Types of law/responsibilities:

• Predominantly PI including EL, PL and Highways
• Housing disrepair
• Property damage
• Social care
• Data breach
• Complete MI procedures as and when required
• Achieve set financial and chargeable targets
• Ensure relevant deadlines, SLAs, quality measures and KPI’s are adhered to
• Comply with relevant policies and procedures
• Work in accordance with Weightmans’ values

This list is not intended to be exhaustive and you will be expected to perform other duties and have other responsibilities that fall within the wider remit of the role.

About You

You will be a qualified Solicitor and a genuine and demonstrable interest in the above area of work. As the role is varied, we are looking for you to have a flexible approach to the work you do and be able to adapt to different tasks. We also require you to have:

• Current experience at handling/ managing defendant EL/PL casualty claims is essential
• Previous experience at managing defendant EL/PL.
• Previous experience of social care claims would be advantageous but is not essential
• Genuine interest in claims validation
• Working knowledge of PL, EL, Highways and Housing Law
• Experience of handling own casualty caseload
• Good drafting skills
• Good influencing skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and team working skills

Why work for us

Weightmans is a Top 40 law firm with offices throughout the UK. Having been recognised as the leading legal employer and 5th overall employer at the annual Britain's Top Employers awards 2025 and achieved record rankings in Chambers UK.

We are proud to be an accredited living wage employer.

Click here to find out more about industry recognition for excellence, through our achievements, awards and accreditations.

The independent research showed "Weightmans provides exceptional employee conditions, nurtures and develops talent throughout all levels of the organisation." We are truly committed to fostering a culture of equality and diversity, where everyone in the firm is respected and recognised on merit for the work that they do.

We strongly encourage applications from people of all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and disabilities. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustment at any stage of the application process.

Please feel free to note your preferred pronouns in your application.

Work for a firm where people matter – work for Weightmans – We See the possibility in you.

As well as being immensely proud of the work we carry out for our clients and the culture we provide to our people we offer a wide range of benefits including;

• 28 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rated for part time) / Lateral Hires will differ*
• Hybrid working including provision of home office equipment*
• Healthcare cover/ Medicash
• Pension plan
• Life Insurance 4 x salary
• Interest free travel loan scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme including counselling, legal and consumer advice service
• Discounted gym membership
• Discounted dental scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Offers & discounts
• Great reward and recognition scheme

*there are a small number of roles that cannot be performed from home, your Recruitment Adviser can confirm.

* lateral hires and Legal Director’s annual holiday entitlement and benefits will differ from those above

Please note

• We encourage candidates to speak to us direct/apply direct for the opportunities we have available.
• Any reference to experience or PQE in our adverts or job descriptions is to be used as a guideline only. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and with different levels of experience who can demonstrate that they fulfil the requirements of the role.
• The successful candidate appointed to this role will be subject to our standard background checking process, and any offer of employment made is conditional upon successful completion of those checks. Further details can be obtained from the Recruitment team.
• We are open to part time/job share applicants.

Recruitment agencies (PSL /non-PSL)

Weightmans operates a strict 'preferred supplier list' (PSL) and is committed to working closely with the recruitment agencies that feature on that list. As such, Weightmans does not accept speculative or unsolicited CVs, profiles or any other introductions from both our PSL and non-PSL agencies. If a PSL or non-PSL agency chooses to submit a speculative or unsolicited CV, profile or introduction without instruction from a member of Weightmans’ recruitment team, we will reserve the right to treat the introduction as a gift and contact the candidate directly without accepting or entering into the agency’s terms nor being liable for a recruitment fee.

Eligibility to work in the UK

Eligibility to work in the UK will be verified in the final stages of the selection process. All candidates must either already have a right to work in the UK before commencing employment, or meet the Home office criteria for Visa sponsorship. Candidates who require sponsorship should evaluate the Home Office eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa before applying.