Lawyer Opportunities

Overview

Lawyer Opportunities | Adults, Children's, Commercial, Criminal, Education, Highways & Planning Law

Join Buckinghamshire Council’s Legal Services team as we strengthen and grow a service that enables lawyers to focus on legal practice, offers growth and development opportunities for everyone, and recognises the vital contribution of support services in preparing for a digital future.

We are recruiting dynamic and ambitious legal professionals in:

• Adult Social Care
• Children's Social Care
• Commercial Contracts & Procurement
• Criminal, Regulatory & Licensing
• Education
• Highways
• Planning

Whether you are an experienced local government lawyer or bring transferable expertise from private practice, central government or another sector, this is an opportunity to undertake complex, meaningful work that directly supports our residents, communities and businesses.

We offer flexible and hybrid working arrangements, excellent professional development opportunities and the chance to build a rewarding legal career within one of the country's largest unitary authorities.

Want to learn more about working in our Legal Services Team? Explore our Legal Services Candidate Pack to discover more about the team, the work we do, and what makes Buckinghamshire Council a great place to build your career.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

At Buckinghamshire Council, our Legal Services team is central to the delivery of vital public services and strategic priorities.

Our lawyers provide trusted legal advice across a diverse range of expertise, from safeguarding vulnerable children and adults, supporting education and public protection, delivering major regeneration and infrastructure projects, and enabling commercial and procurement activities across the organisation.

We are committed to developing a high-performing, collaborative and supportive legal service where colleagues are empowered to develop, share knowledge and make a meaningful contribution to the communities we serve.

About the role

Successful candidates will manage a varied caseload and provide high-quality legal advice within one of our specialist practice areas.

Adult Social Care

Supporting the Council on Court of Protection matters, Mental Capacity Act issues, DoLS, safeguarding, community care, and judicial review work.

Children's Social Care

Advising and representing the Council on care proceedings, adoption, safeguarding, emergency applications, judicial review and related childcare matters.

Commercial Contracts & Procurement

Drafting and negotiating commercial agreements and advising on procurement, commissioning, construction, ICT, subsidy control and funding arrangements.

Criminal, Regulatory & Licensing

Advising on regulatory enforcement and public protection matters, including prosecutions, licensing hearings, housing enforcement, environmental crime and advocacy before courts and tribunals.

Education

• Providing legal advice on SEND, admissions, exclusions, attendance, governance and related education matters.

• Highways

• Advising on highways agreements, Public Rights of Way, Traffic Regulation Orders, enforcement, and infrastructure projects, providing legal support on complex highways matters that help shape Buckinghamshire's transport network and infrastructure investment.

• Planning

• Supporting development and regeneration through advice on planning applications, appeals, enforcement, Section 106 agreements, highways, infrastructure, and compulsory purchase matters.

Across all specialisms, you will:

• Manage a complex and varied legal caseload.
• Provide clear, practical and solution-focused legal advice.
• Draft and negotiate legal documentation.
• Represent the Council at hearings, tribunals, meetings and court proceedings where appropriate.
• Advise officers, senior managers and elected Members.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Support continuous improvement and professional excellence within Legal Services.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you'll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

You will be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with relevant experience in one or more of the specialist areas listed above.

You will also demonstrate:

• Strong technical legal knowledge.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing a varied caseload.
• Sound judgement and a pragmatic approach to problem solving.
• The ability to build productive working relationships.
• A commitment to delivering excellent client service.
• Effective organisational and time management skills.
• A collaborative approach and commitment to continuous professional development.

We welcome applications from candidates with experience gained in local government, private practice, central government, regulatory organisations and other relevant sectors.

Join Buckinghamshire Council's Legal Services team and help shape the future of Buckinghamshire through exceptional legal advice and public service.

Other information

Closing date: Sunday 22nd November 2026

Interview Date: TBC

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it's important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

Buckinghamshire Council is a new, ambitious Unitary Authority committed to establishing one of the best councils in the country and creating positive change for local people, communities and business. The recently redesigned in-house Legal Service is expanding to support the varied work of this diverse Authority and provide a wider range of in-house specialism.

We are seeking a number of legal professionals who enjoy working collaboratively to offer proactive, innovative and customer-focussed advice and to support the delivery of multi-disciplined, high-profile projects. The directorate is at the heart of the organisation and provides a fast paced and extremely rewarding career in a supportive environment. This is an exciting time to join us, as we grow and develop our service.

With a strong work ethic and a desire to learn from each other, our teams work collaboratively to ensure the best outcomes for our clients. Career development is something we are very passionate about at Bucks; we are committed to building an exceptional in-house Legal Service, utilising our colleague’s talent and making the most of what they have to offer.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why w