Senior Lawyer

Manchester City Council; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Local Government Pension Scheme

Generous annual leave

Professional development

Health and wellbeing support

Employee discounts

Inclusive and collaborative culture

Job summary

Manchester City Council's Legal Services invites applications for a Senior Lawyer to manage a diverse caseload across property litigation, debt recovery and public sector litigation, providing strategic advice to internal clients and senior officers.

You will lead on complex cases in County Court, High Court and tribunals, supervise junior lawyers, and deputise for the Principal Lawyer, contributing to service improvement and cross‑department collaboration.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in civil litigation.
• Strong expertise in property litigation and landlord/tenant matters.
• Experience in debt recovery and enforcement proceedings.
• Excellent advocacy, negotiation and case management skills.
• Clear, practical and solution-focused legal advice.
• Strong drafting, analytical and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Advising on all aspects of property litigation, including trespass, nuisance, rights of way, boundary disputes and land-related enforcement matters.
• Leading on the recovery of Adult Social Care debt and insolvency matters.
• Conducting and managing litigation in the County Court, High Court and tribunals.
• Providing proactive and commercially focused legal advice to internal clients and senior officers.
• Preparing legal documentation, pleadings, witness statements and settlement agreements.
• Instructing counsel and managing external legal support where required.
• Supporting strategic decision-making by identifying and managing legal risk.
• Managing, supervising and mentoring junior lawyers, legal officers and trainees.
• Deputise for the Principal Lawyer.
• Contributing to service improvements and the ongoing development of Legal Services.

Skills

Civil litigation

Property litigation

Debt recovery

Advocacy

Drafting and documentation

Client relationship management

Education

Qualified Solicitor / Barrister / Chartered Legal Executive (litigation rights)

Job description

Working hours: 35 hours per week, full time

Contract type: Permanent

Working style: Hybrid

Closing date: 13 November 2026

Applicants must have existing right to work in the UK, as visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Put Your Legal Experience To Work For Manchester

This is a rare opportunity to join one of the largest and most respected local authority legal teams in the country. You'll work alongside talented and supportive colleagues on a diverse portfolio of property litigation, debt recovery and public sector litigation matters that genuinely make a difference to the city.

We welcome applications from both existing Senior Lawyers seeking a new challenge and experienced litigators who are ready to step into a senior role. If you have the technical expertise, commercial awareness and ambition to take the next step, we can offer high-quality work, genuine responsibility, excellent support and the opportunity to build a rewarding long-term career with Manchester City Council.

You will work closely with colleagues across Legal Services, Adult Social Care, Corporate, Housing and Finance, providing strategic legal advice and representation on matters that directly impact the Council's ability to protect public assets, recover public funds and deliver services effectively.

This is a high performing team working on high profile and exciting work.

About The Role

As a Senior Lawyer, you will manage a complex and diverse caseload and provide expert legal advice across a range of litigation matters. Key responsibilities will include:

• Advising on all aspects of property litigation, including, trespass, nuisance, rights of way, boundary disputes and land-related enforcement matters.
• Leading on the recovery of Adult Social Care debt and insolvency matters.
• Conducting and managing litigation in the County Court, High Court and tribunals.
• Providing proactive and commercially focused legal advice to internal clients and senior officers.
• Preparing legal documentation, pleadings, witness statements and settlement agreements.
• Instructing counsel and managing external legal support where required.
• Supporting strategic decision-making by identifying and managing legal risk.
• Managing, supervising and mentoring junior lawyers, legal officers and trainees.
• Deputise for the Principal Lawyer
• Contributing to service improvements and the ongoing development of Legal Services.

Why Manchester

Our Legal Services team is highly regarded for the quality of its advice, innovation and commitment to delivering excellent outcomes. We support one of the UK's most dynamic and diverse cities and work across a broad range of complex and high-profile matters.

In Return We Offer

• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Generous annual leave entitlement.
• Ongoing professional development and career progression opportunities.
• Health and wellbeing support.
• Employee benefits and discounts.
• A supportive, inclusive and collaborative working environment.

More than a job, this is Manchester

Join us and use your legal expertise to make a real difference to the city, its communities and the residents we serve.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Alison Ellor on [e-mail] or Shaidah Ramzan on [e-mail]

Pre-employment checks

• Qualification and Registration - Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive holding litigation rights and a current practising certificate
• Satisfactory references and other pre-employment checks where applicable.

For more information on these checks, please visit checks page.

You will be a qualified solicitor, barrister or Chartered Legal Executive holding litigation rights and a current practising certificate and will have significant experience of litigation practice.

You Will Be Able To Demonstrate

• Substantial experience in civil litigation.
• Strong expertise in property litigation and landlord and tenant matters.
• Experience of debt recovery and enforcement proceedings.
• Excellent advocacy, negotiation and case management skills.
• The ability to provide clear, practical and solution-focused legal advice.
• Strong drafting, analytical and communication skills.
• Experience of building effective relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Experience of local government legal practice and Adult Social Care debt recovery would be advantageous, although candidates with transferable litigation experience from private practice, central government or other public sector organisations are encouraged to apply.

You may use AI to support your application, but all examples must be your own and based on real experience. Applications may be withdrawn if content is misleading or presents someone else's experience as your own. Internal candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Applicants who meet the essential shortlisting criteria and are eligible under the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme will be progressed to the assessment stage.

If you're successful in securing a role, we'll make every effort to provide the support, equipment and reasonable adjustments you need to carry out your duties. Where needed, we'll consider adapting aspects of the role. Find out more about our inclusion and wellbeing.

Working for Manchester City Council is a chance to make a real difference in a diverse city. You’ll help improve lives and support our local communities. Working together, we can create better public services for everyone.

Benefits we offer

• Up to 26 days’ annual leave, rising to 31 days after five years’ service
• Buy up to two extra weeks’ leave
• Up to 3 days’ volunteering leave
• A 35-hour work week for full-time roles
• We review pay each year and recognise three trade unions
• A defined benefit pension scheme
• Enhanced parental and carers leave
• Employee discounts and perks

Learn more at Careers - Manchester City Council

Our commitment to inclusion

At Manchester City Council, we're dedicated to creating a workplace that fully reflects the diversity of our local communities. We actively encourage applications from people of all ages and backgrounds and are particularly keen to hear from applicants from ethnic minority communities and disabled people, who remain underrepresented in parts of our workforce.

GM Elevate Programme

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the 'Personal Statement' section or 'Supporting Statement' section of your application.

Accessible Formats

Use ReciteMe through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of ourcareers page. It has tools such as text-to-speech, language translations, and adjustable text size and colour.

Calculate your take home pay.

Privacy Notice