Senior Lawyer

Kirklees Metropolitan Council; Ely; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Childcare scheme

Training & development

Occupational health programme

Holiday & sickness scheme

LGPS

Job summary

East Cambridgeshire District Council in Ely is seeking a Senior Lawyer to join the Legal Services team. You will provide practical, timely legal advice across a varied local government caseload, including conveyancing and leases, planning obligations, contracts and litigation.

You must be admitted as a solicitor or a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, with strong local government experience and the ability to advise officers, elected Members and senior leaders.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives with local government law knowledge.
• Experience in conveyancing, leases, planning obligations, contracts and litigation.
• Able to advise a wide range of internal clients with clear, pragmatic advice.

Responsibilities

• Provide accurate, timely and solution-focused legal advice to officers, Members, Committees and the Corporate Management Team.
• Draft, negotiate and complete legal documents, contracts and property-related reports.
• Advise on and draft planning obligations under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
• Prepare and conduct civil and criminal litigation and instruct barristers as required.
• Represent the council at inquiries, tribunals, meetings and other forums.
• Manage a varied workload independently, prioritising deadlines and adapting to service needs.
• Contribute to development and implementation of Legal Services policies and improvements.

Skills

Legal advice

Contract drafting

Litigation

Planning law

Conveyancing

Local government law

Education

Qualified solicitor or CILEX Fellow

Job description

Senior Lawyer
Post number: LGS016
£47,665 to £51,928 per annum plus benefits

Permanent, full time, with flexible working arrangements considered subject to service needs

We are looking for a confident and experienced Senior Lawyer to join our Legal Services team and provide high quality, practical and timely legal advice across a varied local government caseload.

This is an excellent opportunity for a qualified legal professional who enjoys variety, responsibility and working closely with officers, elected members and senior leaders. You will support the Director Legal and contribute to the delivery of a comprehensive legal service for the council, with work spanning conveyancing and leases, planning obligations, civil and criminal litigation, contracts and wider local government matters.

What you will be doing

• Providing accurate, timely and solution-focused legal advice to officers, Members, Committees and the Corporate Management Team.
• Drafting, negotiating and completing legal documentation, correspondence, reports, contracts and property-related documents.
• Advising on and drafting planning obligations under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
• Preparing and conducting civil and criminal litigation, including drafting pleadings and instructing barristers where required.
• Representing the council at inquiries, tribunals, meetings and other forums as required.
• Managing a varied workload independently, prioritising competing deadlines and adapting to changing service needs.
• Contributing positively to the development and implementation of Legal Services policies, procedures and service improvements.

About you

You will be an admitted Solicitor or a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, with a good understanding of local government law and practice. You will bring complex legal knowledge in relevant areas such as conveyancing and leases, planning obligations, litigation and contracts, and will be comfortable advising a wide range of internal clients.

We are looking for someone who is organised, accurate and able to work independently, with excellent communication skills and the confidence to provide clear, pragmatic advice. You will be customer focused, flexible in your approach and committed to delivering a high quality legal service in a busy local authority environment.

This post is politically restricted. The postholder will be required to maintain absolute confidentiality and exercise sound judgement and discretion at all times. The role may require attendance at meetings or events outside standard working hours, subject to business needs. Business travel may also be required in accordance with council policies and procedures.

Document

Senior Lawyer – Job profile (PDF, 129.4KB)

Benefits

In return, the council offers a range of benefits including:

• flexible working
• childcare scheme (in approved cases)
• training and development
• occupational health programme
• holiday and sickness scheme entitlements
• local government pension scheme

If you are looking to work for an organisation that prioritises environmental sustainability, the council has made a clear commitment to operate in a responsible and sustainable manner and has recently been awarded the silver accreditation of the Investors in the Environment scheme as well as coming 43rd (out of 164) on the latest national council climate scorecard.

For an informal discussion regarding the post please contact Maggie Camp, Director (Legal Services) on 01353 665555.

Adverts for posts that don’t require a DBS check or a Basic DBS check

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended 2023) and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and/or convictions. You can find more details about our policies for ex-offenders in the Recruitment Policy available on the on the website.

Closing date for completed applications is:Monday 2 November 2026

The selection process will be held on: Thursday 12 and Friday 13 November 2026

Please note that only candidates selected for interview will be contacted by the HR Department with the confirmation of an interview. If you have not been contacted by that date, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.

Document

Job application form – downloadable version (PDF, 175.05KB)

Document

Job application: Equality monitoring form (PDF, 96.79KB)

Document

Job application: Criminal record declaration form (PDF, 94.87KB)

The council is an equal opportunities employer and operates a no smoking policy.

Company: East Cambridgeshire District Council

Salary: £47,665 to £51,928 per annum plus benefits

Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire

Sector: Corporate Services

Sector: Legal

Job Role: Solicitor