Solicitor - Public Law & Human Rights

Irwin Mitchell; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent law firm in the UK is seeking a Solicitor with expertise in Court of Protection and/or Health and Social Care. This role offers the opportunity to manage your own caseload, supervise junior colleagues, and work collaboratively across national offices. Ideal candidates will have experience in public law and a strong commitment to client service, providing support to vulnerable clients. The firm offers a range of benefits including generous leave, pension schemes, and well-being initiatives.

Benefits

25 days holidays plus bank holidays

Generous pension schemes

Volunteering days

Health membership benefits

Qualifications

• Experience in public law and human rights is highly desirable.
• Ability to work under pressure and achieve the best outcomes for clients.
• Confidence to work independently and manage your own caseload.

Responsibilities

• Manage a diverse caseload and assist senior team members.
• Supervise junior colleagues and take on management responsibilities.
• Build relationships to deliver exceptional client service.

Skills

Public law expertise

Human rights law experience

Ability to manage caseload

Teamwork

Empathy

Education

0-4 years PQE

Job description

Your Role

and What You’ll Be Doing

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Solicitor with expertise in Court of Protection and / or Health and Social Care to join our nationally recognised Public Law and Human Rights department. We also welcome applications from solicitors with experience in Civil Liberties and Education law.

This role can be based at any of our national offices (excluding London), with an expectation of two days per week on site. We operate as a collaborative national department across all offices and offer opportunities for relocation during your career.

Our department is ranked by the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners in the areas of Court of Protection, Healthcare, Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Police Law (Claimant), and Administrative Law. Several of our lawyers hold individual rankings.

You will manage your own caseload and supervise junior colleagues. You should be commercially aware, with an interest in business development and media engagement, supported by our press team where this aligns with client interests.

Our Court of Protection and Health and Social Care lawyers work closely with colleagues in other public law practice areas, including Education and Personal Injury, and have opportunities to bring human rights cases arising from those areas. We offer clients a range of funding options, including legal aid and conditional fee arrangements, and have the expertise to bring important and complex cases before the courts. Our lawyers are encouraged to develop their own areas of interest.

Given the nature of the work, you will support vulnerable clients. The role is highly rewarding, requiring resilience, calmness, and a strong commitment to putting clients’ needs first.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage an interesting and diverse caseload from the outset, while assisting partners and senior team members on high-value cases.
• Supervise junior colleagues and potentially take on other management responsibilities.
• Build relationships with relevant groups and organisations to deliver exceptional client service and generate new cases.
• Review cases and other matters with your supervisor to ensure high-quality legal advice is provided.

About You

• Ideally 0-4 years PQE with experience in public law and human rights,
• Proven experience of handling your own cases.
• The confidence to hit the ground running and work independently.
• A clear enthusiasm for this area of law and a commitment to securing the best outcomes for your clients whilst working under pressure.
• The ability to operate independently and as part of a team to deliver the best outcomes for our clients and develop other team members.
• The ability to work with empathy and integrity.

Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well‑being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands : Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.