Careers News

Remote and hybrid working to become standard practice, research suggests, as growth of remote working shakes up jobs market

Two years on from the imposition of remote working as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the majority of local government lawyers are set to continue working from home most of the week, new research by Local Government Lawyer in association with LexisNexis has found. Read more

Principal In-House Advocate (Child Protection)

leicestershire adult social care june 22

nottingham june 22 team leader contracts and commercial

nottingham june 22 senior solicitor contracts and commercial

Jun 29, 2022

Devonshires bolsters Leeds office with hire of landlord and tenant specialist from local authority

Law firm Devonshires has bolstered its Leeds office with the hire of experienced landlord and tenant lawyer Sara Mondon from Kirklees Council.

Jun 27, 2022

Two councils in Hertfordshire to share legal services as part of wider deal

St Albans City and District Council (SADC) and Watford Borough Council are set to share legal services as part of a wider agreement that also covers planning enforcement and building control.

Jun 21, 2022

Solicitor becomes interim chief executive at North West council after predecessor departs following controversial tweet

Tameside Council has appointed its Borough Solicitor, Sandra Stewart, as interim chief executive after the council's longstanding chief executive, Steven Pleasant, stepped down over a derogatory tweet about the Conservative party.

Jun 06, 2022

Public law specialist Lindsay Johnson joins Cornerstone Barristers

Lindsay Johnson, a specialist in public law whose experience spans multiple areas including local government, community care and the Court of Protection, has joined Cornerstone Barristers.

Jun 01, 2022

Law Society questions need for extra regulation as SRA consults on changes to approach on treatment of work colleagues

The Law Society has questioned the need for additional regulation in its response to a Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) consultation on proposed changes to its rules and Codes of Conduct aimed at clarifying the SRA’s approach to issues around…

Jun 01, 2022

Borough council in Essex appoints solicitor as chief executive

Angela Hutchings, a qualified solicitor, has been appointed Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service for Castle Point Borough Council.

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Starting out in Law within Local Government

Susan Desfontaines shares her experience of progressing a legal career within a local government setting.

From leaving school with no O-levels to nominee for Legal Personality of the Year

Pauline Campbell, Senior Litigation Lawyer at Waltham Forest Council, tells Adam Carey about her journey into law later in life, publication of her book on overcoming racism, and her nomination for Legal Personality of the Year.

Local Government - new starter guide

The following LexisNexis practice note is aimed at trainee solicitors and those who are new to Local Government and explains the role of local government lawyers and provides an overview of the primary legal disciplines they will encounter.

Future of agile working - how tech will solve the connectivity and productivity puzzle?

With law firms asking the question of whether their lawyers will continue working from home post-pandemic, Rebecca McGuirk and Emma Burrows of Trowers and Hamlins ask technology expert, Alan Valentine, about how technology will be essential for hybrid-working.

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Need a transcript or recording?

Are you a Paralegal or a Legal Officer? Have you been asked to obtain a transcript of a recording for use as evidential material? Wondering where to start? Don’t worry – we speak to people in your position every single day – and we’ll be happy to help you too. Whether or not you choose to use our…
What is the role of the National Trading Standards Estate & Letting Agency Team in assisting enforcement authorities?

Robert Brown, Principal Solicitor at Powys County Council, recalls joining the National Trading Standards Estate & Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) and explains how the team can help legal officers in enforcing their council's statutory duties.

Leicestershire County Council

About Leicestershire
Both geographically and because of its many excellent transport links, Leicestershire is at the heart of England. With an extremely diverse population, we pride ourselves that Leicestershire is a highly inclusive and vibrant place to live and work.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets is one of London’s most diverse and historically important boroughs. Based in East London, with excellent transport links and in close proximity to Canary Wharf, our borough is a fascinating place to work with a rich history and heritage and a vibrant and diverse community.

It is an exciting time to join us to help shape our future as we develop new policies, creating a dynamic outcomes-based organisation and revolutionising the way people access services.

The Legal Department of the Future 2019

The productivity puzzle

Local government legal departments are struggling with increased workloads, recruitment is increasingly difficult and external advice is expensive. Yet the movement toward shared services and alternative business structures is abating while spending on legal technology remains anaemic. Derek Bedlow looks at what the results of the Legal Department of the Future survey mean for council legal teams.

The race for talent

The recruitment market for qualified local government lawyers is the tightest that it has been for years. At a time when council legal teams are busier than ever it is putting a severe strain on legal department management writes Derek Bedlow.

Reasons to be cheerful

Lawyers in local government are happier than most other professionals, according to this year’s survey. Derek Bedlow looks into why they are reporting record levels of satisfaction with their work and outlines areas where working conditions can still be improved.

The best of times, the worst of times

Local government lawyers are in demand like never before, but this creates many additional pressures on legal teams. To try to find some solutions to the issues identified by the survey, Local Government Lawyer convened some of the country’s most experienced local government lawyers to a roundtable session, held at the Charles Dickens Museum in London. Derek Bedlow reports.

Improving internal efficiency simplified

Building the case for legal evidence management in local government

Changing priorities, new challenges?

Co-sourcing: a new era of flexible resourcing

May 31, 2022

Children & Families Team at Warwickshire wins LLG Team of the Year Award 2022

The Children & Families Legal Team at Warwickshire County Council has been named Team of the Year in the LLG Awards 2022.

May 23, 2022

Public law children specialist moves to 42 Bedford Row from London borough

Public law children specialist Hazel Samuriwo has joined the Family Group at 42 Bedford Row from the London Borough of Brent.

May 16, 2022

Weightmans promotes 12 to partner and 10 to legal director

National law firm Weightmans has promoted twelve lawyers to Partner and ten to Legal Director with effect from 1 May 2022.

May 16, 2022

Bevan Brittan names five new partners in 2022 promotions round

Law firm Bevan Brittan has promoted five partners and 10% of its lawyers in its 2022 promotions round.

May 10, 2022

Legal mental health charity extends its online chat service to four days a week

Legal mental health charity, LawCare, has expanded its text-based emotional support service from one to four days a week.

May 04, 2022

Barnsley names new Service Director for Law and Governance

Barnsley Council has appointed Sukdave Ghuman as Service Director for Law and Governance and Chief Monitoring Officer.

May 04, 2022

Anthony Collins Solicitors promotes three senior associates to partner

Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS) has promoted three lawyers to partner in its May promotions round, including a lawyer who specialises in cases where a local authority seeks to remove a child.

May 03, 2022

Public law expert Hocking switches law firm for barristers chambers 11KBW

Stephen Hocking has joined 11KBW from law firm DAC Beachcroft, where he was head of the Public Law team for more than a decade.

Apr 27, 2022

DLA Piper hires partner to head up UK Contentious Public Law team

DLA Piper has appointed Emma Dowden-Teale as a partner to head its UK wide Contentious Public Law team, that sits within the firm's wider Litigation and Regulatory practice.

Apr 26, 2022

Capsticks promotes 25 including two equity partners and 11 salaried partners

Law firm Capsticks has made 25 promotions across its business, including two equity partners and eleven salaried partners.

Apr 21, 2022

Croydon Council names Director of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer

Croydon Council has appointed Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense as Director of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer on a permanent basis.

Apr 08, 2022

Helen Edwards appointed President of Lawyers in Local Government

Helen Edwards, Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer at Norfolk County Council, has become President of Lawyers in Local Government (LLG) following the organisation’s annual general meeting this week.

Apr 05, 2022

Remote and hybrid working to become standard practice, research suggests, as growth of remote working shakes up jobs market

Apr 04, 2022

Shared service One Legal names Daya as new Director

One Legal - the shared legal service for Cheltenham Borough Council, Gloucester City Council, Stroud District Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council - has appointed Shahzia Daya as its new Director.

Apr 04, 2022

Social housing specialist among record number of new partners at Penningtons Manches Cooper

Law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper has appointed a social housing specialist among its largest ever round of partner promotions.

Apr 01, 2022

Devonshires promotes eight to partner in 2022 promotion round

Law firm Devonshires has promoted eight solicitors to partner in its annual promotions round.

Mar 29, 2022

Ex-Legal Services Manager at borough council struck off over "misleading" invoices submitted by business run by husband

A former Legal Services Manager at a borough council has been struck off and ordered to pay £22,000 over misleading invoices for payment submitted to the local authority by a business run by her husband.

Wellbeing session 5: Vicarious trauma

Mary Jackson, of LawCare, leads a discussion aimed at helping local government lawyers develop self-awareness regarding the importance of their mental fitness, with a particular focus on learning to recognise and cope with the occupational risk of Vicarious Trauma.

Wellbeing session 4: Reflections on leadership

Amardeep Gill speaks to Gareth Edmundson, Chief Executive at Cheltenham Borough Council. The pair discuss authentic leadership, including Gareth's experience of depression and anxiety and how this has shaped his approach to working with others.

Wellbeing session 3: My wellbeing strategy workshop

Lawyers in Local Government hosts a webinar discussing wellbeing techniques for legal professionals. Yvonne Oakenfull of Shoosmiths explores some of the components of wellbeing and what it might mean to you.

Wellbeing session 2: Dealing with change and creating a positive future

Amardeep Gill, Jude Jennison, William Murtha and Deborah Evans discuss strategies to deal with change, stress and creating positive future trajectories for yourself, your team and your organisation.

Wellbeing session 1: Coping with helping yourself and others in difficult times

Olwen Brown and Deborah Evans look at the value of talking to someone to explain how you are feeling during stressful times.

Remote working set to become the norm post-Covid, survey finds

Just 4% of local authority lawyers want to return to the office full-time after Covid-19 outbreak as finished, exclusive new research by Local Government Lawyer in conjunction with LexisNexis has found.

Getting a job as a paralegal: tips and interview techniques

Amanda Hamilton considers what makes a successful paralegal applicant, and provides interview tips.

Virtual Training – why didn’t we think of it earlier!?

Member development trainer Bethan Evans relives her experiences of switching from face-to-face to online training during lockdown and looks at how they may affect the physical/virtual divide post-pandemic.

Taking the Diploma

Rob Hann reflects on how studying for the Law Society's Diploma in Local Government Law and Practice became a pivotal moment in his long and varied local government career.

Developing potential

Mark Smulian highlights the role that EM LawShare's Development Network plays in advancing the careers of local government lawyers.

COVID-19 Weekly Brief: Financial management in uncertain times

The current difficulties around the economy and employment resulting from the coronavirus outbreak highlight the importance of getting a grip on your finances, managing your money well and saving for that 'rainy day', says Richard Olive in this instalment of LLG's COVID-19 Weekly Brief.