Senior Homelessness Civil/Litigation Lawyer

Borough of Brent; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 58,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

A vibrant London borough council is seeking to appoint a Senior Civil Litigation / Homelessness Lawyer to join its Housing Litigation Team. This position involves providing expert legal advice, attending court, and managing a team of around four. The successful candidate will have a current practicing certificate and a strong background in housing law and civil litigation. The role offers a competitive salary and flexible working arrangements, along with generous benefits such as extensive annual leave and an excellent pension plan.

Benefits

Up to 33 days annual leave

Excellent pension with generous employer contributions

Hybrid working options available

Health and wellbeing support

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Current practising certificate as a Barrister, Solicitor, or FCILEX with litigation Practice rights.
• Confident and able to lead a team effectively.
• Strong experience in all matters related to housing law and Civil Litigation.
• Dependable and self-reliant with good problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Support management of the Housing Litigation Team.
• Provide expert legal advice on Civil Litigation and homelessness matters.
• Attend court as a Senior Lawyer and conduct high quality advocacy.
• Allocate work and monitor quality of team outputs.

Skills

Strong experience in housing law/Civil Litigation

Ability to lead a team

Problem-solving skills

Confidence in advocacy

Education

Current practising certificate (Barrister, Solicitor, or FCILEX)

Job description

Salary range: £58,461 - £65,181 p.a. inc. London weighting

Contract: Permanent

Hours of work: 36 hours per week

Location: Civic centre and other locations from time to time (There is a requirement to attend the offices in Wembley or Court at least three times per week).

Join an exciting Legal Service

Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up. Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here.

The council is pursuing a far-reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community so it is an exciting time to join us.

The Post

In our Housing Litigation Team, we are looking for a Senior Civil Litigation / Homelessness Lawyer:

• To actively support the management of the department.
• To provide high level and proactive expert legal advice on Civil Litigation/homelessness matters to the Council, its members and officers and to be a point of contact for members and senior officers on legal matters pertaining to Civil litigation/homelessness.
• To attend court or tribunals or public inquiries as a Senior Lawyer and in particular, conduct high quality advocacy.
• Advising the Council and senior officers on Housing Law and related matters
• Allocation of work to appropriate members of staff
• Monitoring the quality of work undertaken by the team
• Managing a team of around 4 and ensuring adequate training and development

The Person

The successful Senior Civil Litigation / Homelessness Lawyer will possess:

• A current practising certificate (either as a Barrister, Solicitor or FCILEX (with litigation Practice rights).
• A can-do attitude with the confidence to lead a team.
• Strong experience in all matters relating to housing law/Civil Litigation
• Ability to anticipate problems and solve them accordingly.
• Must be dependable and self-reliant.

Why join us?

We know people achieve their best when they feed valued. At Brent, you’ll benefit from:

• Up to 33 days annual leave (depending on length of service) plus bank holidays
• Excellent pension with generous employer contributions (LGPS)
• Hybrid and flexible working options available for most roles
• Supportive family-friendly policies for parent, guardians, and carers
• Health and wellbeing support, including access to eye test support and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial support such as education sessions, childcare deposit loans, and season ticket loans
• Travel perks including Zipcar access, affordable parking nearby, a Cycle to Work scheme, and great onsite facilities
• Learning and development opportunities to help you grow your career
• Access to My Brent Rewards with exclusive discounts on shopping, travel, leisure, and entertainment

Closing date: 12 January 2026 (23:59)

Additional Information

If you are interested in applying for this job, please start by clicking the "Apply Now" button below. You must provide a supporting statement as part of your application that clearly shows how you meet the criteria on the Person Specification. We will accept a CV in support of your application, however, you should still provide a supporting statement.

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this and therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community. We positively encourage all applicants to self-identify their characteristics in the diversity survey section in the application.

We are committed to safer recruitment and safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that posts working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are subject to an Enhanced DBS check as well as other employment clearances.

Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.

As a disability confident employer Brent welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including "non-visible" disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us.