In-House Advocate Lawyer
Essex
Role
In-House Advocate Lawyer
Permanent, Full Time
£62,691 to £73,753 per annum
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style: Anywhere worker
Closing Date: 27th July 2025
A role as an in-house advocate in the Children and Education legal team at
Essex County Council is unique due to the diverse legal work ensuring that
professionals are constantly engaged with interesting and complex cases
It is an opportunity to develop in-house expertise, providing solicitors
and barristers with a rich and varied experience. This allows for a deeper
understanding of the council's operations and the ability to provide
tailored legal advice and influence practice.
New joiners often praise the supportive team environment. The council is
dedicated to making a difference, and this is reflected in the
collaborative and encouraging atmosphere among the legal team.
The legal team offers opportunities for professional growth and
development. You will be encouraged to build strong working relationships
across the council, schools, other local authorities, the Judiciary and the
private sector.
Job Purpose
Essex Legal Services provide high quality, professional, legal advice
across the Council and to increasing numbers of external clients. Providing
a client facing legal service which proactively embraces change and
delights the customer.
This role works as part of a specialist legal team providing advocacy and
advice to meet statutory requirements including representing clients in
Courts or Tribunals and thereby reducing external legal spend. This role
works closely with senior leaders to make a real difference to the delivery
of Essex Legal Services’ business and the business of our clients.
A qualified solicitor, barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with 5 years’
post qualification including significant advocacy experience and a member
of the appropriate professional body. With significant commercial
awareness to contribute to the development of the service and new external
streams of business and the ability to build excellent working
relationships that encourage collaboration and exert influence, to drive a
continuous improvement culture.
To read more about our business area, please visit:
Corporate Services and Transformation
Accountabilities
· Accountable for undertaking court advocacy to produce the best
possible outcomes and ensuring their time is used to maximise the saving on
external legal fees including enabling colleagues to undertake shorter and
simpler pieces of advocacy.
· Responsible for interpreting client needs and providing them
with a service they value; driving the delivery of productivity and
efficiency improvement.
· Responsible for assisting with development of staff in Essex
Legal Services and in the client department, through delivery of training
and informal learning.
· Build strong working relationships across the Council and with
schools, other local authorities and the private sector to ensure a quality
advocacy service is provided to the customer.
· Delegated functions as detailed in the Council’s constitution
(and as amended from time to time).
· Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are
defined annually within the performance management framework.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Qualified solicitor or barrister or chartered legal executive
enrolled with the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Bar Standards
Board or the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, as appropriate.
- Evidence of continuing professional development, substantial post
qualification experience, significant advocacy experience and expert
knowledge in relevant professional area.
- Substantial experience of advocacy in courts or tribunals.
- Substantial experience of working within a legal setting in a
politically sensitive environment, providing high-quality advice to a wide
range of customers.
- Proven track record of building strong working relationships
across a large, complex organisation, with internal and external
partners/stakeholders and clients.
- Proven track record of providing advice, guidance and advocacy on
complex legal matters to both customers and colleagues.
Why Essex?
As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a
stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles
and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational
change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top
three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone
matters in
Everyone's Essex
. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are
looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex
is the ideal place for you.
In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s
devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex
work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026.
You can read more about
devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR)
) on our careers site
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re
committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under
our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job.
Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments
during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care
leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are
applying.
Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive
many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and
flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.
At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We
kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the
Nolan principles
, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these
standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for
everyone.
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role
require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update
service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates
are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of
your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be
responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on
the DBS update service please go to
https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees
and volunteers to share this commitment.
If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities,
blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council,
please join
The Essex Talent Community
If you have queries or require anything further, please email
resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk
Follow us on
Facebook
, Twitter (now X),
Instagram
and
LinkedIn
. Further details can be found on our
careers page
.
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