Social Care Lawyer

Hull City Council; Swansea; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 53,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS pension

23 days annual leave + eight public/9+

Career development

Supportive culture

Great career opportunities

Job summary

Hull City Council is seeking a Full-time Lawyer (Solicitor, Barrister or CILEX) to join the Social Care Legal team in Hull. The successful candidate will provide legal advice and represent the Council on matters including care, private law, and pre-proceedings for children and families.

Strong court advocacy rights and the ability to manage a large caseload are essential. The role is permanent, based at the Guildhall, with a competitive LGPS pension, generous leave, and opportunities for

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor, barrister or CILEX lawyer with rights of audience in Magistrates and County Court.
• Experience providing legal advice to children, young people and families.
• Ability to manage a large caseload in a busy environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive legal advice to Council departments and external clients.
• Advise on complex and high-profile matters, often confidential or sensitive.
• Prepare, draft and advise on standard legal documents and court proceedings.
• Instruct experts and barristers and negotiate fees where appropriate.
• Supervise and support Legal Officers and Assistant Legal Officers as required.
• Contribute to training and development within the Legal Services team.

Skills

Court advocacy

Legal advice

Case management

Job description

Number of Vacancies:

1

Time Type:

Full time

Worker Type:

Regular

Proposed Interview Date:

Monday, November 9, 2026

Hours of Work:

37

Hiring Manager:

Louise Ede

Contact Number:

01482 613218

Job Description Summary:

This is a Full Time, Permanent position.

Proposed Interview dates: 9th & 10th November 2026

An opportunity has arisen for a candidate to join the Social Care Legal team in a permanent role as a Lawyer. The Social Care team provides legal advice and support to Children, Young People & Family Services.

The successful candidate will be a Solicitor, barrister or CILEX lawyer and will provide legal advice and represent the Council on a range of matters relating to children inclusive of, but not limited to, care proceedings, private law proceedings, adoption proceedings and pre-proceedings work. As the position requires you to conduct hearings on behalf of the Council you will be a confident court advocate and have the necessary rights of audience to appear in the Magistrates and County Court.

The successful candidate must be a team player with a pro‑active approach to their work, have excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a busy environment and hold a large caseload. The successful candidate will be based at the Guildhall offices in Hull City Centre.

The Council provides a range of benefits to motivate, reward and recognise the valuable work of its officers. This includes flexible working policies to help balance home life with work commitments, generous annual leave and an excellent defined benefit pension scheme. Note the role is not suitable for fully remote working and therefore the successful applicant will need to be willing to attend the Guildhall offices in Hull.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Louise Garner on 01482 613 218 or e‑mail [e-mail].

ROLE AND PURPOSE

To provide Council departments and external clients with comprehensive legal advice and to advise upon complex and sensitive cases.

To advise on legal matters which are complex and may have a high profile. These are often highly confidential and sensitive.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Strategy – To assist in the development of strategies and plans for implementing new legislation by assisting in the provision of advice to the Council in relation to it’s legal obligations and timescales for implementation. Work under the supervision of other staff to formulate plans to establish revised systems and structures to respond within the timescales.

2. Customer Focus – To prepare, advise on and contribute to reports for committees, which have a legal dimension to ensure compliance with relevant law and Council’s policies and to check the legality and accuracy of new Council policy and committee minutes.

To negotiate, draft, prepare, review and agree as necessary, standard legal documents, including thresholds, court documents and statements. Clients can be service departments and a range of outside authorities, bodies and organisations.

To provide oral and written legal advice and assistance to officers and departments and external bodies. The advice is sometimes required urgently with little or no time for research.

To undertake the preparation of legal proceedings and present less complex cases on behalf of the Council in the courts, public inquiries or other tribunals to achieve the best outcome for the client in the circumstances. To be responsible for less complex cases run on behalf of the Council and advice given under the guidance of experienced staff, where decisions taken upon the advice given can have far-reaching effects. This work has an impact on the lives of vulnerable people, children and their families, employees, housing tenants and those who have been subjected to antisocial behaviour. To work in a way that minimises the personal risk and ensures the safety of him/herself and other team members when dealing with violent and abusive clients - for example, when evictions take place or when children are removed from parental or others’ care. To instruct experts and Barristers in matters as appropriate and to obtain approval and negotiate their fees.

Assist as instructed in the supervision and manage work carried out by Legal Officers and Assistant Legal Officers, providing assistance on points of law and procedure relevant to their workload.

1. Performance Management – To assist the Head of Legal Services by undertaking legal work other tasks as directed. To be proactive in providing support to him/her and the Council. To provide support to the Team Leaders.

To work with other staff in dealing with routine casework, and work as part of a project team when working collaboratively on cases. To ensure compliance with all managerial requirements and quality standards.

1. Leadership – To participate in the corporate workings of the Council by taking part in inter service groups and working parties and by developing an understanding of local government affairs generally and current issues of Kingston upon Hull City Council. To support the Head of Legal Services, other Senior Officers and Team Leaders in their roles.

To assist in the preparation, prepare and deliver in-house legal training and development for colleagues, other Council departments and members of the Council to develop their knowledge and understanding of legal matters resulting in effective delivery of the Council’s services.

NC4475.NC4646.Lawyer.docx

Compensation Grades:

GRADES 10 TO 11

Pay Ranges:

£45,091.00 - £53,460.00

Job Classifications:

2 - Designated As Politically Sensitive - Designated As Politically Sensitive (Politically Restricted Posts), Casual - (Travel Allowance Policy), No - (Childcare Disqualification Requirement), No - (Statutory Post)

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:

• A competitive salary
• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

We reserve the right to amend the dates associated with this advert, which may include closing the advert early where required.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.