Overview:

Barnsley Council are seeking 4 experienced Senior Legal Officers to join the team based in Barnsley. You will be working on a permanent basis (37 hours per week) and in return, you will receive a competitive salary of £42,503 - £45,495 per annum.

The Senior Legal Officer Role:

Barnsley Council is an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and your talent will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

There has never been a more exciting time to work for Barnsley! We boast a town of modern regeneration and welcome our employees to embrace ‘Barnsley as their office’.  Our location is central to nearby cities such as Sheffield and Leeds; our town centre is located just minutes away from the M1 and beyond the M62.  We offer low-cost parking and accessible networks of public transport.

As a Council we pride ourselves in being an inclusive employer where a people-centred culture is at the forefront of supporting our people’s well-being, motivation, and productivity.  We understand the importance of flexibility and we offer a range of flexible working patterns to aid a work life balance that accommodates individual needs. 

As a modern employer we actively remove the barriers to employment.  Whether you are a retired professional looking for a part-time opportunity, a working parent or carer, living with a disability or long-term health condition, we welcome and value your application to join our team.

About The Posts:

We’re seeking a number of Senior Legal Officers to Join our team. These roles will cover multiple specialisms – Children’s Social Care, Adult Service, Litigation and Commercial.

As a Senior Legal Officer (Solicitor, Barrister, Legal Executive) you will provide a comprehensive, specialist legal service to the area of specialism. These are richly varied and rewarding roles, with responsibilities ranging from research and analysis to dealing with case work, drafting documentations, and attending court to conduct advocacy, where applicable. You will have a track record of problem solving, advising senior managers and keeping abreast of legislative changes.  You will provide both professional advice and challenge to Council services and will demonstrate a flair for liaising, negotiating, influencing and collaborating with people at all levels, across departmental and organisational boundaries.

You will demonstrate excellent technical knowledge of relevant law / legislation. You will advise and assist the client at all levels, in writing, orally and by attending meetings as required.  You will have energy, innovation, and significant experience (ideally) in the area of specialism.

Professional development (including payment of your Practising Certificate fee) and training opportunities will be encouraged and nurtured as part of our offer to you and your future career.

You’ll receive an excellent pension scheme, flexibility in your work pattern (including home working and flexi leave), 35 holidays per annum on appointment (inclusive of statutory entitlement), pay progression scheme and a commitment to progress your career with us.

About You:

You are passionate about legal services and helping people and communities and are either a qualified Solicitor, Barrister, or a Legal Executive (CILEx) with a level 6 qualification. You will have relevant specialist experience in your chosen area and legal experience ideally (but not necessarily) in local government.  You’ll show a commitment to contributing towards achieving our priorities and ambitions. Taking pride in what we do by demonstrating our values of honesty, teamwork, and excellent service.

We are willing to consider applications whose legal specialism is out of this field if the applicant can demonstrate an interest of career development in this area of law.

Join our friendly and welcoming team, where we make a real difference in people’s lives by bringing them together and helping them to be the best they can be.

A lot to look forward to:

Here at Barnsley, we live and work by four important values: honesty, teamwork, excellent service, and taking pride in what we do. As part of our team, you can be sure we’ll do all we can to support you in being truly excellent. We prioritise learning and enabling you to achieve your potential.

If you think this role is for you then we would very much welcome your application, apply now to become our Senior Legal Officer.