£55,041 per annum inclusive of MFS

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people and the difference they make. This is an exciting time to join our growing Legal Services team as a Senior Lawyer (Child Care), supporting the delivery of high-quality legal services to Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and helping to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and families.

As part of our dedicated in-house legal team, you’ll work closely with Children’s Services, providing expert legal advice on matters that have a direct impact on the lives of children and young people. You’ll be joining one of England’s newest and largest unitary authorities, and the fourth biggest unitary council in the country, with the opportunity to help shape and develop a modern, ambitious and forward-thinking legal service.

This is a rewarding opportunity for an experienced child care lawyer looking to further develop their career in a supportive environment. Whether you are already working in local government, looking to move from private practice, or returning to the profession after a career break, we would love to hear from you.
What will you be doing?

You’ll manage a varied and complex caseload, advising on and conducting proceedings relating to the care and protection of children and young people. Working closely with client departments, senior officers and external partners, you’ll provide clear, practical legal advice and representation that supports effective decision-making and delivers positive outcomes.

Alongside your casework, you’ll play a key role in supporting the wider team, sharing knowledge, providing guidance to colleagues and contributing to the ongoing development of a high-performing, customer-focused legal service. You’ll also support service improvements, ensuring advice remains current and responsive to legislative and policy changes.

It’s an exciting time to join our legal team as we continue to invest in and strengthen our services. To find out more about working in our Legal teams, please visit: https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/working-our-legal-teams
About you

You’re a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with experience in childcare law and a passion for delivering excellent legal services. You’re confident managing complex matters, providing clear advice and building effective working relationships with colleagues, clients and partners.

Local government experience is welcome but not essential. We are equally interested in hearing from candidates with relevant experience from other sectors who are looking to bring their expertise to local government. What matters most is your commitment to high standards, your ability to work in a fast-paced environment and your desire to help shape and deliver an exceptional legal service.

West Northants is a great place to build your career. We are committed to helping our people thrive through mentoring, buddying, coaching, training and development opportunities, providing the support you need to succeed in your role and progress your career. Above all, you’ll share our THRIVE values and our ambition to deliver high-quality services that make a real difference to our communities.

About us
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. 

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us. 



If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Closing date: 2 August 2026

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