West Northamptonshire Council
Principal Lawyer - Adult Social Care
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Principal Adult Social Care Lawyer
We're looking for an experienced Adult Social Care lawyer to join our Legal Services team as Principal Adult Social Care Lawyer.
This is a senior role with real influence. You'll provide expert legal advice on complex and sensitive Adult Social Care matters, working closely with senior leaders, Directors and elected Members to support key decisions across the Council. You'll also play an important part in shaping and developing our legal service, helping us deliver high-quality, practical legal advice to services that make a genuine difference to residents.
Alongside managing a varied and challenging caseload, you'll support the development of colleagues, contribute to service improvement initiatives and deputise for the Head of Legal (People) when required.
This is an excellent opportunity for a lawyer who enjoys intellectually challenging work, values collaboration and wants to be part of a modern, ambitious local authority.
Our Benefits
You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council
What will you be doing?
- Working closely with senior leaders, Directors and elected Members, you'll provide expert legal advice on some of the Council's most complex Adult Social Care matters, helping to shape decisions that support vulnerable adults and deliver positive outcomes for residents.
- As a trusted adviser, you'll bring clarity and confidence to challenging legal issues, balancing risk with practical solutions and ensuring the Council can achieve its objectives while meeting its statutory responsibilities.
- A key part of the role will be building strong relationships across the organisation, establishing Legal Services as a valued strategic partner and helping colleagues navigate an increasingly complex legal landscape.
- Alongside your casework, you'll play an important role in developing colleagues, sharing knowledge and helping to build a high-performing, collaborative team where people can learn, grow and succeed.
- The position also offers the opportunity to contribute to the future direction of Legal Services, driving continuous improvement, championing best practice and helping shape how legal support is delivered across the Council.
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Why Work for Us?
Experienced Adult Social Care lawyers have options. We think this role offers something genuinely different.
At West Northamptonshire Council, you'll be trusted with interesting, complex work from day one. You'll work closely with senior colleagues across the organisation, influence key decisions and help deliver services that have a real impact on people's lives.
We're an ambitious authority and we're equally ambitious about our Legal Service. We're investing in our people, developing talent from within and creating a culture where lawyers are seen as strategic partners, not just legal advisers.
You'll join a supportive, collaborative team that values expertise, encourages innovation and gives people the autonomy to thrive. Whether you're looking to deepen your specialism, broaden your leadership experience or help shape the future of a growing legal service, you'll find the opportunity to do so here.
Alongside the opportunity to do meaningful work, this role benefits from an additional 11% Market Factor Supplement, recognising the specialist expertise required and making this one of the most attractive Adult Social Care legal opportunities in local government.
You'll Also Benefit From
- Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
- Ongoing training, mentoring and professional development opportunities.
- Up to 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
- Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
- A comprehensive wellbeing offer, including an Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family.
- A culture where ideas are welcomed, achievements are recognised and colleagues genuinely support one another.
About You
You'll be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with substantial experience in Adult Social Care law.
You'll be comfortable dealing with complex legal issues, building relationships with senior stakeholders and providing clear, pragmatic advice in a fast-paced environment.
We're Looking For Someone Who Can Demonstrate
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- Strong technical knowledge of Adult Social Care law and practice.
- Significant experience handling complex Court of Protection and Adult Social Care matters.
- The ability to provide practical, commercially aware legal advice.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
- Experience advising senior leaders and decision-makers.
- The confidence to lead on complex and high-profile matters.
- A collaborative approach and a commitment to developing others.
- A passion for delivering high-quality legal services that support positive outcomes for residents.
About Us
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.
Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.
We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner
The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.
If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.
Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
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