Senior Lawyer - Litigation

Litigation Lawyer - Transform Lives Through Law

Join Bury Council's Award-Winning Legal Services Team

Salary: £52,413 - £53,460 | Permanent | 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday, some meetings outside of regular hours may be required | Hybrid Working | Bury Town Hall | Full Training & Support Guaranteed

Your Opportunity to Make a Lasting Impact

Are you a legal professional looking for a challenging and rewarding role where you can use your skills to make a real difference? If so, we want to hear from you.

Bury Legal Services plays a vital role in supporting the Council's vision for the borough, and we are looking for a Senior Lawyer to join our team and contribute to delivering high-quality legal services to our several client departments.

About Your Role

As a Senior Lawyer, you will lead on complex commercial and procurement matters, providing specialist legal advice, managing a varied caseload and resolving contractual disputes.

You will utilise excellent drafting and negotiation skills to support the Council in securing effective contractual arrangements.

You will also have the opportunity to provide significant input to the development and implementation of our legal compliance policies and procedures.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a varied and complex caseload, ensuring all matters are progressed effectively
• Provide high-quality legal advice to departments and elected Members on the Council's legal powers, duties and functions
• Build and maintain strong working relationships across departments and with external stakeholders, communicating clearly and effectively
• Support, coach and develop junior team members, contributing to a high-performing and collaborative legal service
• Contribute to strategic thinking within the service, using sound judgement to challenge, innovate and ensure compliance with relevant legislation and best practice

About You

• Qualified solicitor, barrister, or CILEx Lawyer with relevant practice rights and valid practising certificate
• Demonstrable experience advising on contracts and procurement matters
• Significant experience drafting and negotiating a wide range of contracts and agreements
• Experience drafting and advising on construction, building, and engineering contracts
• Experience managing a substantial and complex caseload with competing priorities
• Detailed knowledge of public procurement law and practice, including the Procurement Act 2023 and associated legislation
• Good knowledge of subsidy control legislation and its application to local government activities
• Up-to-date knowledge of local government law, governance, decision-making and the statutory framework within which local authorities operate
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders
• Collaborative approach to working, contributing to shared objectives and outcomes

Why Bury Council is the Right Choice

At Bury Council, we are committed to improving the lives of our residents and creating opportunities for our communities to thrive. Guided by our “Let’s Do It” strategy, we are working together with partners and residents to reduce inequalities, support economic growth and ensure everyone can live well in Bury.

Our Benefits Package Includes

Generous Holiday Allowance

Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays, increasing to 31 days after five years of Local Government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks.

A Leading Pension

You'll be enrolled in the UK's largest Local Government Pension Scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three times your salary as a lump sum.

Enhanced Parental and Carers Leave

Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your newborn or support your family during critical life events.

Brilliant Perks

Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out. Plus, discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.

Learn and Grow

We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process.

A Good Employment Charter Member

We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognise trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life. We also give back to the community with two days pro-rata paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Bury Council, we believe that a diverse workforce helps us better understand and serve our communities. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential.

We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and recognise that diversity of thought, experience and perspective makes us stronger as a local authority.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and actively encourage applications from groups that are currently underrepresented within our workforce. We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are fair, transparent, and accessible to all.

Reasonable Adjustments and Disability Confident Employer

We're a Disability Confident Employer, offering

• A Workplace Adjustment Hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
• Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provide safe and inclusive spaces to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
• A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

We want every candidate to have the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the recruitment process.

For more information about the role or to discuss any adjustments, please email HROperations@bury.gov.uk quoting the job reference number, job title and your name. Our dedicated HR team is committed to providing you with personalised support tailored to your needs.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the recruiting panel's minimum shortlisting requirements for the role and identify with at least one of the following criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces community, including serving personnel and veterans.
• Current or former care leavers.
• Individuals with a disability or long-term health condition.