West Midlands Police
Employment Lawyer - Joint Legal Services
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Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold.
About the Role
Employment Lawyer - (Joint Legal Services)
Are you an experienced Employment Lawyer looking to apply your expertise within a public service environment?
As part of Joint Legal Services, you’ll provide expert legal advice and representation across a broad range of employment law matters, supporting both West Midlands Police and Staffordshire Police. You’ll provide trusted legal advice to senior leaders, including the Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner, managing a varied caseload of contentious and non-contentious employment matters while supporting fair, lawful and informed decision making across both Forces.
Working as part of a collaborative legal team, you’ll represent the organisation in legal proceedings where required, build strong relationships with colleagues and external Counsel, and deliver pragmatic, solution-focused legal advice across a diverse range of employment issues. This is a varied opportunity for a lawyer who enjoys managing complex legal work, building trusted relationships and applying their expertise in a role that contributes to public service.
Key Responsibilities
As an Employment Lawyer, you’ll:
- Provide specialist legal advice across a varied and complex employment law caseload.
- Manage Employment Tribunal claims from instruction through to conclusion, including drafting ET3 responses, witness statements, disclosure, bundle preparation and advising on legal merits.
- Advise on non-contentious employment matters, including employee relations, restructures, redundancy, TUPE, policy development and organisational change.
- Represent the organisation before Employment Tribunals, Courts and other legal proceedings where required.
- Draft legal documents, pleadings and formal legal advice.
- Instruct and work alongside external Counsel where appropriate.
- Deliver training and practical legal guidance to internal stakeholders.
- Build effective working relationships with colleagues, senior stakeholders and partner organisations. Manage your own caseload while delivering a responsive, professional and high-quality legal service.
Who We’re Looking For
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You’ll be someone who enjoys working through complex legal issues and providing clear, pragmatic advice that enables confident decision-making. You’ll be comfortable managing a varied caseload, balancing competing priorities and building trusted relationships with colleagues and stakeholders. You’ll communicate complex legal matters in a clear and accessible way and take pride in delivering a professional, client-focused legal service.
You’ll also bring:
- Qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive.
- Experience managing Employment Tribunal litigation, including discrimination, harassment, victimisation, whistleblowing, unfair dismissal, equal pay, pensions and contractual claims.
- Experience advising on non-contentious employment matters, including employee relations, restructures, redundancy, TUPE and employment policies.
- Excellent drafting, advocacy and communication skills.
- The ability to work independently whilst contributing positively to a collaborative team.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
Experience within the public sector or working alongside Trade Unions would be advantageous, although not essential.
Click here to view the full details of the role including the Essential, Desirable and any Educational Requirements for the role. [https://ecwz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/cs/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&fldFile=fFileGUID:049E65E6D8AAE6BBCCD9987AA4ADF5F7&fldBrowsingMode=contribution]
Why Join Us?
Working within Joint Legal Services offers the opportunity to apply your legal expertise to complex and varied employment law matters that support policing across West Midlands and Staffordshire. You’ll work alongside experienced legal professionals in a collaborative environment, managing high-quality legal work while continuing to develop your own knowledge and expertise. We offer agile working, opportunities for professional development and the chance to build a rewarding legal career within public service.
Selection Process
The selection process for this role will consist of the following elements:
- Initial application
- Shortlisting
- In-person interview
Closing date:
Monday 3rd August 2026 (Subject to change dependant on the volume of applications)
Interview date:
Monday 24th August and Tuesday 25th August 2026
Important Information
Vetting: Successful applicants will be required to pass Management Vetting and Security Clearance scrutiny prior to commencing their role, this will include a full background & financial disclosure as part of the vetting process.
Medical: Appointment to this role will be dependent upon you successfully passing medical checks, which may if required include a drugs and hearing test.
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Additional Information
Location: Lloyd House / Staffordshire Police Head Quarters
Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 - 16:00, Hybrid.
Contact: For any further information please contact Careers@westmidlands.police.uk [Careers@westmidlands.police.uk]
Benefits Statement
By choosing to join West Midlands Police you will receive an enhanced benefits package including:
- Fair remuneration with progression opportunities and access to a very competitive pension scheme.
- Enhanced annual leave in addition to public holiday entitlements.
- Discounts across travel, parking, daily costs of living and leisure activities.
- A comprehensive wellbeing package including 24/7 support, free eye tests and flu jabs
- Comprehensive benefits including pension, Blue Light Card, and employee assistance programme.
West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of our commitment, we operate a ‘Disability Confident Interview Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview. It is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example: in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the employer could select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job, as they would do for non-disabled applicants.
"Diversity and Inclusion Vision: Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities"
West Midlands Police is the second-largest police force in the country, serving the three major cities of Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton, alongside the districts of Sandwell, Walsall, Solihull, and Dudley.
Against this backdrop, the force handles more than 2,000 emergency calls every day, while patrolling the streets and responding to incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have made significant improvements in reducing overall crime, improving call response times, and increasing arrest rates. This work can only continue with the right people, therefore as an employer of choice, we are looking for the right people who can serve and protect our communities.
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