Senior Solicitor (Regulatory)

Chorley Council and South Ribble Counci; Chorley; Hybrid; GBP 49,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Hybrid/agile working

Local Government pension

Healthcare Cash Plan

Cashback website access

Volunteering days

Free parking

Car Allowance

Job summary

South Ribble Council and Chorley Council seek a Senior Solicitor (Regulatory) to deliver high-quality legal services across two authorities, handling civil and criminal matters, prosecutions, litigation, planning enforcement, licensing, data protection and public procurement.

Join a Shared Legal Services team, enjoy hybrid working from day one, a generous holiday entitlement, and a Local Government pension.

Closing date 11 October 2026; salary £49,373 to £50,524 including a 6% car allowance.

Qualifications

• Qualified legal professional with LPC/ILEX or equivalent.
• Substantial experience in prosecutions, litigation, planning enforcement, licensing, data protection/FOI, contracts and public procurement.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Proactive team player who takes initiative and responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality legal services across two councils, focusing on civil and criminal litigation.
• Advise officers and members on prosecutions, litigation, planning enforcement, licensing, data protection/FOI, contracts and public procurement.
• Lead on major projects.
• Represent the councils in courts, tribunals and committees.
• Prepare and advise on reports for Cabinet, Committees and senior officers.
• Promote legal compliance and good governance in property transactions.
• Collaborate with colleagues to ensure effective operation of Legal Services.

Skills

Drafting and negotiation

Communication skills

Proactive teamwork

Prosecutions & litigation

Public procurement knowledge

Education

LPC or ILEX or equivalent

Job description

About The Role

Role: Senior Solicitor (Regulatory)

Location: South Ribble

Contract: Full time (36.25 hours per week) / Permanent

Salary: £49,373 to £50,524 (including 6% car allowance)

Closing Date: 11 October 2026

Shape Local Communities Through Regulatory Law – Join Our Shared Legal Services Team

Are you an experienced Regulatory lawyer looking to make a meaningful impact in local government? Join our forward-thinking Shared Legal Services team, where you'll provide expert legal advice on a range of functions across two local authorities. This is a fantastic opportunity to work on criminal and civil matters.

If you're passionate about public service and thrive in a collaborative environment, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll be getting up to

• Delivering high-quality legal services across two councils, with a focus on civil and criminal litigation.
• Advising officers and members on prosecutions, litigation, planning enforcement, licensing, data protection/FOI, contracts and public procurement.
• Leading on major projects
• Representing the councils in courts, tribunals and committees.
• Preparing and advising on reports for Cabinet, Committees, and senior officers
• Promoting legal compliance and good governance in property transactions
• Collaborating with colleagues to ensure the effective operation of Legal Services

Who we’re looking for

• A qualified legal professional (LPC, ILEX or equivalent) with a degree
• Substantial experience in one or more of the following areas :-prosecutions, litigation, planning enforcement, licensing, data protection/FOI, contracts and public procurement.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities
• A proactive team player who takes initiative and responsibility

Our Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (and Christmas shutdown)
• Hybrid/agile working from day one
• Local Government pension
• Healthcare Cash Plan for cash back on health treatments
• Cashback website access for savings on brands you love
• Volunteering days
• Free parking
• Car Allowance

Many of our colleagues work flexibly for us. We’re always open to conversations around different working arrangements.

About Us

At South Ribble Council, our mission is to provide a first-class service and improve the quality of life for our communities. Our staff are our greatest resource in helping us achieve this. They’re at the heart of everything we do and are crucial to the delivery of excellent services.

Working Together

We share a number of our services with Chorley Council. This allows for improved resilience across both councils and provides numerous benefits to our operations. Whilst some staff and back-end processes are shared between the Councils, both Councils still retain sovereignty and have separatestrategies and corporate plans.

Additional information

Applicants are advised to apply early. We reserve the right to close a vacancy prior to the closing date.

Equal Opportunities

We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to the elimination of unfair and unlawful discrimination and prejudice in all our policies, procedures, and practices.

We’re committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process, please contact us via the 'Contact Us' page on our website.

If you are disabled or your last employer was the armed forces, and you meet all the essential criteria of a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.