Vacancies

Lawyer - Childcare

Main Responsibility

You will be involved in:

• Completing all aspects of straightforward to moderately complex legal casework including drafting and negotiating complex documents and working under limited levels of supervision in order to contribute to the service delivery outcomes.
• Representing the relevant client at all case related meetings and conduct advocacy, including contested hearings at appropriate court hearings. 
• Achieving chargeable hour targets and maintain strict adherence to the Lexcel quality standard including time-recording. 
• Supervising and managing junior staff as requested.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for you to have the following minimum essential criteria:

• A Solicitor with practising certificate, Fellow of CILEX with litigation/advocacy rights or a Barrister with practising certificate and authorisation to conduct litigation. 
• Have proven experience in the relevant legal area and demonstrate an understanding of the law relating to the role.
• Demonstrate experience of completing all aspects of relevant legal casework with limited supervision.
• Show an ability to clearly communicate in all media forms; verbally, digitally and in writing and an ability to draft straightforward to moderately complex legal documents.
• Ability to se their own initiative and will work well under pressure, meeting competing demands, and consistently maintaining a high standard of work.

No previous local government experience is necessary but you will be able to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the work done by this Council and operate comfortably alongside a professional client.

Interviews will be held on the 26th August 2026 in Stafford.

For an informal chat about the role please contact Farzana Bi, Senior Team Solicitor at: farzana.bi@staffordshire.gov.uk

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.

Please note: The minimum essential criteria in the ideal candidate section detailed above will be used if you are applying under one of our Interview Guarantee Schemes.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. 

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. 

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.