YL8119 - Civil Litigation Lawyer ** Internal - External + 4 Forces **

West Yorkshire Police; Wakefield; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Generous annual leave

Flexi time

Occupational health facilities

Employee Assistance Service

Job summary

West Yorkshire Police is seeking a Civil Litigation Lawyer to join its Legal Services team in Wakefield. The role offers full-time, hybrid working and a permanent contract, with a salary structure based on the Solicitors Grade Scheme.

The post involves handling civil litigation work, with opportunities to progress to higher rights of audience and contribute to high-profile cases across the force area.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor/ Barrister/Legal Executive with 2 years’ experience in civil litigation.
• Full UK Driving Licence and/or ability to travel around the Force area.
• Has access to a vehicle and willing to use it for business purposes.
• Experience of police work is not essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide civil litigation advice and representation for West Yorkshire Police across a range of matters including claims, appeals and frontline policing scenarios.
• Support high-profile investigations, inquiries and operational policing matters.
• Contribute to a varied caseload with opportunities to advance higher rights of audience.

Job description

YL8119 - Civil Litigation Lawyer ** Internal - External + 4 Forces **

Civil Litigation Solicitor- to join Legal Services at West Yorkshire Police

Location: Wakefield

Hours: Full time - 37 hours per week – flexible and hybrid working

Type of Contract: Permanent

Salary: Solicitors Grade Scheme - starting salary between £47,385 - £68,322 dependent on experience and transferrable skills

We are one of the largest in-house police legal teams in the country and are expanding further.

We provide a range of legal advice and support to the whole of West Yorkshire Police. We undertake a vast range of work from civil litigation and commercial to operational policing, and police misconduct cases.

Our lawyers have worked on some very high-profile cases. This includes inquests and inquiries, real time support to manage major operations including protests, class actions, employment tribunals and multi hander misconduct cases.

We can provide a varied caseload, career progression including an opportunity to gain higher rights of audience, flexible working (including a blend of home and office working), and an opportunity to earn a salary of up to £75,537 (starting salary will be between £47,385 - £68,322 and will be determined by experience and transferable skills).

The scope of the role is flexible; however, applications are particularly invited from candidates with experience in civil litigation - claimant or defendant. Experience of police work is not essential.

Key requirements of the role include:

• Qualified Solicitor/ Barrister/Legal Executive with 2 years’ experience in civil litigation.
• Has full UK Driving Licence and/or is able to travel around the Force area.
• Has access to a vehicle and willing to use it for business purposes.

We offer generous entitlements and supportive policies to enable a better work-life balance, some of which are listed below:

• Hybrid working (Agile working following an initial period of supervision/training).
• Generous annual leave allowance plus statutory Bank Holidays.
• Flexi time scheme based on a standard working day of 7 hours 24 minutes and a 37-hour week.
• Access to a range of Occupational Health facilities.
• Employee Assistance Service (accessible 24/7).

For further information about this role please contact Helene Harvey or Alison Walker – 01924 292190

Application closes 6th December 2026 at 23:55pm

West Yorkshire Police is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all minority groups and individuals who identify with one or more of the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

Applicants should be aware that it is not always possible to carry out adequate vetting checks on persons who have not been resident within the UK for the last five years. Therefore, where this applies, applicants may be refused because it was not possible to vet them to the appropriate standard.