£54,205 - £57,863 (Bar at £56,684) per annum

We are looking for a dynamic qualified solicitor, barrister or Chartered Lawyer or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives holding a current practising certificate to join our Children and Families Legal Team.

Having investment into our structure we are growing our already effective team of lawyers, legal officer and business support team who produce amazing, outstanding results with an enhanced vision for the future.  Aligning ourselves with Children’s Services to deliver safe, efficient, and effective services to families, the enhanced vision is supported by new team structures, an enriched training, mentoring and coaching tool and a new Case Management System.  Highly valued by our clients, our excellent relationships and continual looking for better ways of doing things and achieving greater heights produces an innovative, responsive, inclusive and transparent legal service.  

At the heart of everything we do is:

• the safety and needs of children
• high-quality representation of Children’s Services.

There is little else in life graver than a parent or carer losing a child from their care. How do we do this emotionally demanding work? It’s through teamwork – working together, trusting each other, combining our experience, and sharing our knowledge and expertise to get the right result. 

We support each other, laugh, interact, problem-solve and have difficult conversations. This promotes deep learning and a strong sense of belonging and common purpose, creating effective mutual relationships that achieve our team’s goals.  We feed on one another’s contagious enthusiasm for our projects with a dynamic team spirit made possible by the synergism between us all.
 
Why work with us?
We offer our lawyers flexible start and finish times with an effective hybrid working-practice model.  There’s opportunity for development and variety thanks to the way our teams practise in our Lexcel-accredited and supported legal service.

Legal work for public services in Manchester, Salford and Rochdale Councils and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority puts you among the few practitioners in England’s first, and biggest, devolved region, where major decisions are now taken in-house rather than in Whitehall and by NHS administrations. 

If practising in a supportive public service legal team is the right cultural fit for you, please get in touch for an informal discussion.
 
To arrange an informal discussion on these roles please contact Jennifer Heason on email at jennifer.heason@manchester.gov.uk

About the Candidate
As part your application, please submit your Curriculum Vitae and detailed Expression of Interest setting out how your skills and experience meet the role profile:

• Communication Skills - Negotiates more complex agreements with Council wide impact. Is able to influence and persuade key Council decision makers. Utilises enhanced advocacy skills.
• Analytical Skills - Application of strong analytical reasoning skills and intellectual focus, taking in the wider external and internal environments. proactively think through problems rather than reactively following a procedure-driven approach
• Planning and Organising - Ability to maintain focus and objectivity under various conditions and skill in managing and maintaining a multi-priority workload, progressing various ideas and plans concurrently.
• Problem Solving and Decision Making - Ability to react to immediate problems of a highly complex nature with associated risk factors and deliver pragmatic solutions sometimes under extreme pressure.
• Creative skills - Uses creative ability to find solutions and whilst considering policy and procedure is also confident in adopting (and justifying) novel or non standard approaches.
• Strategic Thinking - Excellent planning skills and ability to link strategy to policy which meets both internal and external requirements.
• Policy Skills - Ability to demonstrate how policy options deliver or align with wider political objectives at a national, regional and sub-regional level
• People Management - Has ability to secure and direct resources for a wide area with diverse staff with clear risks attached to decisions. Ability to define and articulate a strong sense of purpose and engender commitment across individuals and groups to a set of shared objectives.
• Qualified solicitor, barrister, Chartered Lawyer or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives holding a current practising certificate.
• Within Groups, Chartered Lawyers or Fellows may need to hold such regulatory practice rights in accordance with the business needs of the Group
• Relevant experience and expertise of dealing with a broad range of complex, highly value and sensitive cases relating to the group’s specific area of law
• Managerial experience via direct management of people or project delivery related management

About Us
We’re the local council for one of the UK’s most vibrant and diverse cities. 

Working for Manchester isn’t just a job – it’s an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it’s strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you’ll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone. 

Our Manchester is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city – a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
• We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer 

• Generous holiday allowance - Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks. 
• A buzzing pension - You’ll be enrolled in the UK’s largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum. 
• Enhanced parental and carers leave - Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events. 
• Brilliant perks - Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more. 
• Learn and grow - We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process. 
• A Good Employment Charter member - We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life. 
• Up to 3 days volunteering leave - Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits. 

Closing date: 30 June 2025

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