Senior Lawyer – Adult Social Care

Are you an experienced Adult Social Care lawyer looking for a rewarding role where your expertise can directly impact the lives of vulnerable adults?

We’re seeking a highly motivated Senior Lawyer – Adult Social Care to join our Legal Services team. This is an exciting opportunity to work on a varied and challenging caseload, providing expert legal advice and representation on complex Adult Social Care matters whilst supporting the delivery of vital services across the Council.

As part of a supportive and forward-thinking legal team, you’ll work closely with Adult Social Care professionals, senior officers and external partners to help achieve positive outcomes for residents whilst ensuring the Council meets its statutory responsibilities.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

We support hybrid working, it’s important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you’ll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.

About The Role:
As part of the Berkshire Joint Legal Team, you’ll join a specialist shared legal service across Berkshire providing expert legal support across Adult Social Care, Children’s Social Care, Education, and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Working alongside experienced colleagues from a range of disciplines, you’ll benefit from a collaborative environment, opportunities to share knowledge and expertise, and exposure to a diverse range of complex and rewarding work.

As Senior Lawyer, you will manage your own caseload, advise on complex legal issues and support the delivery of an effective, responsive legal service. You will work with senior officers, managers, councillors and partners, building trusted relationships and helping navigate challenging issues with confidence and professionalism.

You will also contribute to the development of the wider Legal Services team, supporting colleagues, sharing expertise and identifying opportunities to improve the way legal services are delivered.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing high-quality legal advice on complex, sensitive and potentially politically sensitive matters within your area of expertise.
• Advising officers, senior managers and councillors on legal issues, policies and corporate matters.
• Managing an allocated caseload, ensuring work is delivered efficiently, accurately and within agreed timescales.
• Undertaking advocacy in courts and tribunals appropriate to your qualifications and experience.
• Supervising and supporting colleagues, contributing to their training, development and performance.
• Supporting the Principal Lawyer and deputising for them in casework or team management when required.
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes, make effective use of legal technology and enhance the quality of service delivery.
• Contributing to service development projects, training activities and initiatives that support the Council’s wider objectives.

About You:
You will be an experienced legal professional with strong technical knowledge, excellent judgement and the confidence to manage complex matters independently. You will be able to communicate legal issues clearly, identify risks and practical solutions, and build effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels.

You will bring a collaborative and flexible approach, together with the ability to manage competing demands, meet deadlines and maintain high standards under pressure. You will also be keen to support colleagues, contribute to continuous improvement and help deliver an excellent service to the Council and its partners.

To be successful, you will have:

• A recognised legal qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), with a current practising certificate and entitlement to practise in England.
• In-depth experience of providing legal services across a range of local government services.
• Experience of handling complex legal issues and advising on sensitive matters.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, concise legal advice that identifies risks, issues and solutions.
• The ability to organise and prioritise a demanding workload and work with a high degree of independence.
• A commitment to teamwork, professional development and continuous service improvement.

Experience of supervising colleagues and contributing to service development will also be important.

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

• Work Together as one team – work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do
• Drive Efficiency – show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential.
• Be Ambitious – be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way.
• Make a Difference to Reading – maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.

Our offer:
We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement – 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays – rising to 30 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years’ service, with the option to buy additional leave
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
• Season Ticket Loan – a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax

For more information on this position please contact Jayne La Grua, Director – Legal at Jayne.LaGrua@reading.gov.uk

Closing date: 24 November 2026

For further information or to apply, please click on the ‘Enquire/Apply’ button.