Join our Legal Services team and play a key role in delivering high-quality legal advice and support across a range of civil law matters. You'll manage your own caseload, provide practical legal guidance, prepare legal documents, and represent clients where appropriate. This is an excellent opportunity to work on varied and interesting cases while contributing to the success and development of the service.

Special requirements for this post

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister, FILEX or equivalent.
• Strong experience in civil law practice.
• Ability to manage a complex caseload independently.
• Excellent legal drafting, negotiation and advocacy skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience advising on legal risk and governance matters.
• Effective stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Commitment to public service and delivering client-focused legal solutions.
• Ability to mentor and support less experienced colleagues.
• Proactive, adaptable and committed to continuous professional development.

About you

The ideal candidate will have strong technical legal knowledge, excellent drafting and negotiation skills, and experience handling complex and sensitive matters. 

They will be confident representing clients in court and tribunal proceedings and able to develop clear legal strategies that effectively manage risk and support organisational objectives. 

Candidates should demonstrate the ability to build positive working relationships with colleagues, senior managers, elected members and external stakeholders. 
Experience of governance work, committee support and preparing legal implications for reports would be advantageous. A commitment to delivering excellent client service and contributing to the development of a modern, high-performing legal service is essential. 

The role requires a proactive and collaborative individual who can work with minimal supervision, supervise and support junior colleagues, and contribute to service improvement initiatives. 

The successful candidate will be commercially aware, willing to undertake traded legal work, and committed to maintaining up-to-date knowledge of legal and policy developments.

About us

Barking & Dagenham is changing. It Starts Here.

Think you know Barking and Dagenham? Think again. While this small corner of east London might have a reputation for needing development, scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find active communities and a place that consistently punches above its weight. The borough is changing – and changing for the better. And It Starts Here.

Yes, the borough has its challenges. But it’s on the cusp of something exciting. With one of the youngest populations in the country, ambitions are high and rightly so. 98% of our schools are rated Good or Outstanding and every year more of our talented teenagers get into Russell Group Universities and hotly sought after apprenticeship schemes.

We have award winning parks, centuries old manor houses full of relics and artifacts you can go and see, and the ruins of one of Anglo-Saxon England's most powerful and wealthiest religious sites. We’re even bringing beavers and white storks to the borough to help rewild the local landscape and boost biodiversity.

Over the past few years, we’ve been working hard to improve how we deliver services and support our community. From tackling inequality to making sure our services are the best they can be, we’re focused on what matters most to local people. 

We’re creating the conditions for people to thrive - so everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, feel proud to call this place home, and be part of something bigger.  

#ItStartsHere - with our streets, our schools, our neighbourhoods. And with your application to join our determined team who are passionate about doing what’s best for the future of Barking and Dagenham. 

As an Investors in People Gold Award employer, we’re serious about supporting our staff. From flexible working, professional training and career development to wellbeing initiatives, we want our people to feel valued and supported in everything they do.

Our values, known as

• DRIVE, shape how we work: Deliver our best every day – and do what we promise
• Respond in a prompt, positive way to our community’s needs
• Inspire others with our attitudes and actions
• Value people for who they are and what they can do
• Engage with others to improve our resilience and flexibility We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences.