Civil Litigation Lawyer
Are you an experienced civil litigator ready to lead on complex, high‑profile work within a dynamic London borough? The council is seeking a skilled and confident Civil Litigation Lawyer (Litigation) to join their busy and respected in‑house Legal Services team. This is a permanent role, full- time for 36 hours per week.
About the role
As the Council’s Civil Litigation Lawyer, you will provide specialist civil litigation support, providing expert legal advice, advocacy, and case management across a diverse and complex caseload. You will play a key role in upholding good governance, minimising financial and reputational risk, and ensuring that the council meets its statutory duties.
You will:
* Manage the Council’s civil litigation work, including housing law, civil claims, appeals and inquiries
* Provide advocacy before tribunals, public inquiries and civil courts
* Handle the Council’s complex and sensitive cases, advising at all corporate levels
* Draft, negotiate and execute legal documentation
* Develop and review policies, procedures, precedents, protocols and case‑management tools
* Provide legal updates, policy advice and governance guidance to officers and elected Members
* Represent the Council at internal and external meetings, inter‑agency forums and with government partners
* Instruct, liaise with and brief Counsel and external solicitors
* Help safeguard the Council’s financial resilience by managing risks, advising on income generation and supporting budget monitoring
About you
We’re looking for a confident, civil litgation legal professional with strong technical expertise and excellent judgement.
You will bring:
* A qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or FILEX, authorised to conduct legal work. Ideally 3+ PQE.
* Significant experience handling complex civil litigation matters
* Advocacy experience before courts or tribunals
* Experience advising in a local government or similarly regulated environment
* Strong understanding of governance, probity and public‑sector decision‑making
* Excellent analytical, drafting, communication and influencing skills
* A collaborative, flexible and proactive approach
* A commitment to equality, diversity and excellent public service
The council is a progressive, ambitious and diverse borough with a strong vision for the future. You’ll join a legal team that values expertise, teamwork and continuous professional growth.
The council offers:
* High‑quality, varied and strategic litigation work
* Flexible and hybrid working arrangements- 2 days per week in the office
* Opportunities to influence corporate decision‑making
* A supportive and collaborative legal team environment
* Professional development, training and leadership opportunities
Apply now
If you’re ready to take the next step in your legal career and lead on some of the most significant litigation matters affecting the borough, we’d love to hear from you. Please send an updated CV to
Working through LAW Absolute
As the first recruitment agency to specialise only in placing interim lawyers, LAW Absolute has a long history in supporting lawyers who want to work flexibly and in control of their career.
We are able to offer our contractors a range of challenging opportunities across private practice, corporates, financial services and within the not-for-profit sector. With over 20 years of placing contract lawyers in these markets, we have built excellent networks and many of the lawyers that we work with are contract lawyers that we have successfully placed on multiple assignments, allowing them to work with autonomy and build their career in the way they choose to. For our clients, we have worked closely with legal teams to help them plan and manage delivery of their services in a more efficient way in terms of resources, costs and timescales.
To find out more about how LAW Absolute can assist you, or your team, through flexible working, please contact us or visit www.lawabsolute.com
Please note our advertisements use PQE/salary levels purely as a guide. However we are happy to consider applications from all candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills necessary to fulfil the role.
At LAW Absolute we endeavour to respond to all applications within 48 hours. However due to the volume of applications we receive we may not be able to respond to every candidate individually.
If you have not heard from us within a 48 hour timeframe your application has not been successful and your details have not been retained. LAW Absolute acts as an employment business for temporary recruitment and as an employment agency for fixed term contract and permanent recruitment.