Principal Solicitor - Litigation

Your next role

We now have an opportunity for a Principal Solicitor (Litigation) to join our Property and Litigation Legal team.

Utilising skills and experience gained within similar positions, you will report to the Head of Property and Litigation, carry out day to day management of the Litigation Team, and be responsible for your own caseload, covering a wide range of diverse and interesting matters.

We are looking for an experienced practitioner who will be the lead advisor on a wide variety of complex litigious (and some non-litigious) work including:

• Criminal prosecutions
• Housing possessions
• Anti-social behaviour
• Employment
• Licensing
• Debt recovery
• Public law/judicial reviews
• Information governance
• Governance advice
• General civil litigation
• Education prosecutions and appeals

You will have extensive advocacy experience in various Courts and Tribunals and have experience within a Local Authority setting. Equally we will consider applications from those working in a similar position in private practice or at the Bar.

You will support the Council in a broad range of litigation matters including drafting pleadings, advising on the above areas of law, advocacy on behalf of the Council, and attending Committees/Council meetings, as well as providing legal advice and support to Council departments, committees, members and senior officers. You will also develop a good working knowledge of the Council’s Constitution, the local government legal framework, and the Council’s own decision making and other governance processes, and how they apply to your specialist area as well as the wider service, so that you can assist the Chief Legal Officer with the provision of advice on any matters of governance as may be required to ensure the Council acts within its powers.

You will be responsible for your own caseload which will include complex and novel areas of law and include day to day management of the Litigation Team, and more widely assisting lawyers across the department in litigation matters. You will be assisted by the department’s legal assistants and business support team and will help to support and mentor less experienced colleagues, including the departments trainees.

This is a really interesting and diverse role, and you will have the opportunity to lead on a very wide range of matters reflecting the very wide remit of Council functions. You will arrive at solutions through analytical ability and thorough research, and show tenacity and strong interpersonal skills necessary to build effective working relationships and establish credibility with clients and colleagues. You’ll also be capable of working with limited support and supervision.

If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.

You must be fluent in the English language (as a requirement of Part 7 of the Immigration Act “for the effective performance of a customer-facing role”).

Your next package

Please see our Rewards and Benefits offer for more details.

As an employee, you will be part of a diverse and exciting environment in which to work, encouraging creativity and innovation whilst recognising the need to support ongoing personal development and a flexible work life balance. Our legal team is friendly and welcoming, and colleagues are supportive of each other in achieving common goals.

For Swindon to thrive in the future, we need to lay the foundations now. You’ll be joining us at an exciting time on our journey. We’ll look to you to share your knowledge, influence decisions and drive real, positive change.

Please see our Vision and Values page for more details.

Your next steps

As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from a diverse range of communities, and in particular disabled people and people from ethnic minorities. Read our statement of commitment to equality & inclusion.

Read the role profile and select the Apply button where you will be redirected to the Swindon Borough Council website to complete our online application process. Clicking the ‘Apply’ button on this job website is not an application, you must register on the Swindon Borough Council website in order to be considered for the role.

For further information about the role please contact Bhavna Patel, Head of Property and Litigation on bpatel@swindon.gov.uk

If you are experiencing technical issues submitting your application please email resourcing@swindon.gov.uk