Are you looking to progress your career in Law? If so, we are looking for a Lawyer working within our Children, Adults and Health Team within Legal Services. WHAT IS INVOLVED? You will be responsible for initiating and conducting care proceedings under the Children Act 1989. You will have experience of running matters within Public Law Outline and advising Children’s Services, generally, on all issues of childcare law. Experience of adults legislation, including mental health, mental capacity and the Care Act would be welcome but not essential as the role will not be undertaking adult work. You will also undertake high quality advocacy, representing the Council before courts and tribunals. You can contact Julian Wilson via email at julian.wilson@durham.gov.uk or Andrea Fletcher at andrea.fletcher@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role, should you wish to do so. WHAT WILL I NEED? You must be a Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or CILEx Litigator and Chartered Legal Executive Advocate (Family Open Court) with current practising certificate (will consider those about to qualify having completed all academic stages). Please refer to the attached person specification for the full criteria. INTERVIEWS Interviews will be held week commencing 1st December 2025. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. OUR OFFER TO YOU We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website. Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process. HOW TO APPLY Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website. If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email RecruitmentCES@durham.gov.uk All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates. CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Visit our website THIS IS AN INTERNAL VACANCY This vacancy is restricted to employees of Durham County Council which includes all permanent, temporary, fixed term employees and agency workers. Please note that the interview date must be prior to your contract end date if temporary. Anyone currently listed on the Redeployment Register who would like to be considered for this vacancy should contact the Resourcing team via email alternativeemployment@durham.gov.uk. VPRS/161