Senior Lawyer PO6-PO7 (Child Care)

Senior Child Care Lawyer

Location: Greater London | Hybrid WorkingPermanent | Full Time

We are seeking a talented and motivated Senior Child Care Lawyer to provide expert legal advice across a wide range of children's social care matters, lead on complex cases, and support the management and development of a dedicated Child Care team.

The Role

As a Senior Child Care Lawyer, you will be a trusted legal adviser to senior officers, elected members and Children's Services, delivering high-quality legal support on matters including:

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• Child protection proceedings
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• Public law children cases
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• Adoption matters
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• Children Act 1989 issues
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• Care proceedings and related litigation
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• Judicial reviews and complex public law matters
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• Corporate parenting and safeguarding responsibilities
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Key Responsibilities

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• Provide specialist legal advice on all aspects of children's social care law.
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• Conduct complex litigation and advocacy in court proceedings.
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• Manage a demanding caseload of high-risk and high-profile matters.
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• Advise senior officers, committees and elected members.
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• Supervise and develop lawyers and legal assistants within the team.
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• Assist in the operational management of the legal service.
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• Draft and review reports, policies and strategic legal guidance.
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• Support organisational decision-making while ensuring legal compliance.
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• Deliver training and legal updates to internal stakeholders.
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• Build effective relationships with external partners, counsel and stakeholders.
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To be successful, you will be:

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• A qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive (FCILEX).
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• An experienced child care lawyer with significant knowledge of children's social care law and practice.
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• Confident handling complex care proceedings from inception through to final hearing.
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• Skilled at providing pragmatic, solution-focused legal advice.
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• Experienced in advocacy and court attendance across family law proceedings.
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• Comfortable advising senior stakeholders and presenting complex legal issues clearly.
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• An effective people manager or supervisor with the ability to develop and support others.
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• Organised, resilient and capable of managing a varied and demanding workload.
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Essential Experience

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• Extensive experience of children's social care law within local government or a similar public sector environment.
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• Experience conducting complex, high-risk child care cases.
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• Experience advising senior leaders, boards, committees or elected members.
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• Experience contributing to policy development and strategic decision-making.
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• Experience supervising or mentoring legal staff.
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What's on Offer

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• Opportunity to undertake challenging and meaningful legal work that directly impacts the lives of children and families.
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• Exposure to complex and high-profile cases.
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• Leadership and management responsibilities.
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• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
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• Professional development and career progression opportunities.
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• Supportive and collaborative legal team environment.
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If you're looking for a senior legal role where you can combine technical excellence, advocacy, leadership and strategic influence, we'd love to hear from you.