Salary: £58,000 per annum (inclusive of £8,718 recruitment allowance until 29/02/2029) + Relocation package up to £8,000 for those moving to Somerset

33 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.

Location: Taunton, Somerset (Dynamic Working – flexible arrangements including working from home).

Regretfully we cannot offer sponsorship for this role. You must already have the right to work in the UK without needing visa sponsorship.

What will I be doing?

We need a specialist Children Social Care Lawyer with experience of leading and managing a legal team comprising Children Social Care lawyers. The ideal candidate will have experience in Children Social Care legal work, Education and experience of advocacy in court.

Your day-to-day work will involve:

• To act as deputy for the Principal Lawyer – Social Care, lead and manage a team of Children Social Care lawyers on all aspects of Children Social Care legal work, Education, including undertaking their own cases, and advocacy; ensuring through appropriate delegation and supervision that all work is of the correct quality and performed in a timely manner.
• To line-manage the legal officers within the Children Social Care legal team that are responsible for a mixed caseload of matters regarding Children Social Care and Education.
• To ensure through robust performance management, the delivery of value for money services to high practice standards within a culture of continuous improvement, including providing clear succession planning measures to ensure staff development, progression and effective service continuity.
• Timely and effective liaison with support staff, building and maintaining synergy working.
• Responsible for their own case load of matters regarding Children Social Care and Education and as determined by the Principal Lawyer – Social Care.
• Develop and foster effective working relationships with the Principal Lawyer and other lawyers within the Social Care Legal team, key stakeholders and client departments, acquiring, developing and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the client’s business needs and objectives and sharing this with the team so these are widely understood.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But you will need to have:

• A Solicitor, Barrister (Supreme Court of England and Wales/English Bar) or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives or equivalent relevant qualification with relevant experience.
• Evidence of work related continuing professional development in your specialist field.
• Significant experience of working successfully with Members and Directors on complex issues and the development of strategic direction.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What's in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

• We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:
• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.

Anything else I should know?

The salary for this role is £58,000 per annum (Inclusive of a £8,718 recruitment allowance until 28/02/2029)

For more information about the role, you can contact Kehinde Awojobi, Head of Legal, on kehinde.awojobi@somerset.gov.uk.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

Supporting documents and information

Please read any attached documents before applying for this job

Job description

For further information or to apply, please click on the 'Enquire/Apply' button below. We can’t wait to hear from you

Closing date for applications: Monday 6th April 2026