Senior Lawyer - Adult Social Care and Education

About the role

London Borough of Hillingdon is seeking an experienced Senior Lawyer to join our well regarded Legal Services People Team, specialising in Adult Social Care and Education.

This is an excellent opportunity for a confident local government lawyer to work at the heart of a large and complex authority, advising on high impact matters that directly affect residents' lives.

You will provide expert legal advice and advocacy to the Council's Adult Social Care and Education teams, as well as elected Members. Managing a varied and often complex caseload, you will undertake court and tribunal work, support and supervise junior colleagues, and contribute to delivering a high quality, solution focused legal service.

Key Responsibilities

• Advising Adult Social Care on complex and sensitive legal matters
• Conducting cases and advocacy in courts, tribunals and inquiries
• Providing legal input to Cabinet and Committee reports
• Advising on developments in adult social care and asylum law
• Delivering training to officers and working collaboratively across the Council

About You

You will be a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with strong experience in Adult Social Care law, ideally gained within local government or a similar public sector environment.

• At least two years' experience in adult social care law, including asylum matters
• Strong advocacy, drafting and advisory skills
• The confidence to advise senior officers and elected Members
• Experience supervising or supporting junior staff
• A pragmatic, solutions focused approach

Why Join Hillingdon?

• High quality, meaningful legal work with real public impact
• A supportive and experienced in house legal team
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Local Government Pension Scheme and generous annual leave
• A strong organisational commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

Benefits

• Flexible Working Hours - We recognise the importance of flexibility in managing your work and personal life.
• 36 Hour Week - Enjoy a standard 36 hour workweek for all full time staff.
• Generous Holiday Entitlement - increasing with length of service (for non casual roles).
• Hillingdon Sports & Leisure - Stay active and healthy with discounts at council owned leisure centres and swimming pools across the borough.
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes - option to join schemes for cycle purchase, electric vehicle leasing and additional voluntary pension contributions (subject to scheme rules).
• Cycle to Work - Eco friendly commuting with our cycle purchase scheme. We also provide bicycle parking, lockers, and showers at the Civic Centre.
• Local Government Pension Scheme - access to Local Government Pension Scheme and membership to the Credit Union.
• Vivup Benefits - Access a variety of offers and discounts through our Vivup Benefits.
• Mental Health Support and Counselling Services - Our mental health first aiders are trained to identify, understand, and help employees experiencing mental health issues. Access free 24 hour confidential advice and counselling as well as a legal advice service for you and your immediate family.
• Travel Support - Make your daily commute easier with our season ticket loans and free car parking.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. This commitment means that all employees, job applicants and others who work for us will be treated fairly.

The aim is for our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and Hillingdon residents so we welcome applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We strive to ensure that our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias, and we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants with disabilities.

Join us in building a workplace where everyone feels respected, able to give their best and be themselves at work, whilst contributing meaningfully to our organisation's success.

Recruitment Information

Hillingdon Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities that meet the essential criteria for the role and wish to be considered under this scheme. We believe in the option to choose, so candidates declaring a disability have the choice to opt in for consideration under this scheme, on a 'per application' basis.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Some posts are subject to The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2019 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

In addition to verifying Right to Work in the UK and a new starter health questionnaire, the post is subject to the following pre employment screening:

• Basic DBS Check
• Qualifications Check
• 2 years of Referencing

Please note: Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Hillingdon Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised. It may be necessary due to a high volume of applications to close this role early. We therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.