Closing date: 24 May 2026
Salary: Grade 8, £54,000 per annum (inclusive of £4,718 recruitment allowance)
This role offers the opportunity to apply your legal expertise where it has real purpose, influencing decisions that directly affect children, young people, and families across Somerset.
You’ll take on complex, high‑impact work including representing the Council in court, and be part of a supportive legal service that values collaboration, professionalism and good judgement. With a wide range of challenging matters and clear line of sight to the difference your work makes, this is a role where your contribution genuinely delivers meaningful outcomes.
Role Summary
As our Senior Lawyer, you’ll provide specialist legal advice and advocacy in Children’s Social Care and Education matters, supporting services to make sound, lawful decisions in complex and sensitive situations. Working collaboratively with colleagues across the Council, you’ll help manage risk and uphold strong standards of governance in areas that matter most to our communities.
What You’ll Do – Key Responsibilities
* To be responsible for a mixed caseload of matters regarding Children’s Social Care and Education, including advocacy without supervision.
* Support the Team Leader in the supervision of junior members of the team, including oversight of their casework and advocacy, ensuring that through appropriate delegation and supervision all work is of the correct quality and performed in a timely manner.
* Timely and effective liaison with support staff, building and maintaining synergy working.
* Develop and foster effective working relationships with the Principal Lawyer and other lawyers within the Social Care Legal team, key stakeholders and client departments, acquiring, developing and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the client’s business needs and objectives and sharing this with the team so these are widely understood.
Essential – What we’re looking for – Knowledge, Experience, & Skills
* Strong knowledge of local government law and practice, with an understanding of the public sector context.
* The ability to research complex areas of law and present clear, practical advice to clients.
* Significant post‑qualification experience as a solicitor, barrister or legal executive, with a proven track record of handling complex legal matters and negotiating high‑value or high‑risk issues in a way that protects good governance.
* Excellent analytical, drafting and advocacy skills, including the ability to produce high‑quality legal, transactional and formal documentation and to represent matters clearly and confidently.
* Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and succinctly to a wide range of internal and external audiences.
* Proven ability to manage a varied and demanding workload, work effectively under pressure, meet deadlines, and deliver work in line with agreed objectives and standards.
* Experience of supporting or supervising colleagues, including organising work, monitoring progress and quality, and maintaining agreed service standards.
* Strong risk awareness and judgement, with the ability to identify, assess and manage legal risk, communicate implications effectively and recognise when risk may be justifiable.
* A flexible and resilient approach to work, responding positively to change and taking responsibility for implementing new ways of working.
Desirable
* Knowledge of a specialist area of law relevant to the Council’s functions.
* Experience of working in local government or the wider public sector.
* Experience of delivering training or contributing to service improvement initiatives.
Additional Information
* Permanent, Full-time role (37 hours per week)
* 33 days’ annual leave (additional to Bank Holidays)
* Flexible and Hybrid working opportunities.
* Relocation package up to £8,000 for those moving to Somerset.
* Grade 8 salary of £49,282, and a time limited recruitment allowance of £4,718 per annum until 28/02/2029
* Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for VISA sponsorship.
For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Kehinde Awojobi, Head of Legal, via email: kehinde.awojobi@somerset.gov.uk
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