Senior Lawyer (Litigation)

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A progressive local authority is seeking a Senior Litigation Lawyer to manage housing disrepair claims and other civil litigation matters. This full-time role is ideal for candidates with experience in local government or a desire to contribute to a dynamic legal team. The position offers exposure to diverse legal services across various council departments, fostering professional development in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Employee benefits package

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

Support during the application process

Qualifications

• Experience in litigation, particularly housing and civil litigation.
• Ability to handle judicial review matters and advocacy at County Court/High Court.
• Commitment to providing excellent legal services in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Handling housing disrepair claims and possession claims.
• Providing advice on commercial tenancies and assisting with insurance claims.
• Training and supervising Paralegals and Legal Assistants as required.

Skills

Litigation experience

Housing matters expertise

Advocacy skills

Familiarity with criminal litigation

Job description

Are you ready to take the next step in your career, in an organisation where you will be supported to excel professionally? If so, join the new Legal Team at West Northants Council, one of the newest and the fourth biggest Unitary Councils in England. We are continuing with the growth of the new team with the addition of a Senior Litigation Lawyer to sit within the Corporate legal area. For more information please contact Nicki Agalamanyi, Head of Legal (Corporate) on 07901931853 for a confidential discussion. Due to the nature of the role, we will require the successful candidate to work on a full time basis.

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

What will you be doing?

If you have experience in litigation, particularly housing matters and general civil litigation, we want to hear from you. Skills in criminal litigation would be welcome but are not essential for this role.

• Housing disrepair claims
• Possession claims for antisocial behaviour, rent arrears etc
• Advice on commercial tenancies
• Judicial Review matters
• Advocacy at the County Court/High Court as may be required
• Defending general litigation matters initiated against the council
• Assisting with policy and procedures related to civil litigation
• Assisting with insurance claims for personal injury
• Assisting with criminal litigation and/or licensing matters as may be required
• Assisting in the training and supervision of Paralegals and Legal Assistants as may be required

About you

No two days are the same at West Northants. We deliver legal services across a wide range of council departments giving you exposure to a broad range of legal work. Therefore, if you are looking to further develop your existing local government experience, change sector into local government or return to work after a career break, you won’t find a better place to do so. Whilst local government experience is not essential, a passion for delivering an excellent legal service in a fast‑paced environment and a desire to help shape and deliver an exemplar local authority legal service is.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people. Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what its like to work at West Northants Council.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner. If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support. West Northants Council, where careers thrive.