Regulatory Lawyer Solicitor - Harrogate

We are currently looking to recruit an ambitious and forward-thinking individual to work as a regulatory lawyer within our successful legal service here at North Yorkshire Council. If you have the relevant skills, drive and ambition to succeed, we want to hear from you!

About the team… The Legal Service is part of Legal and Democratic Services (LDS) within the Chief Executive’s Group. NYC provides a range of services to the County of North Yorkshire, and the role of the Legal Service is to support the provision by providing a comprehensive and efficient legal service to the Directorates, the Council’s Executive, full Council, Committees and Members, and external clients. The nature of the work requires a flexible and versatile approach as it will change from time to time in response to the changing needs of the Council and its developing initiatives.

The post is required to work with colleagues and Members at every level within the organisation, with external clients and partners, and to manage the performance of staff within its responsibility.

The role… As a Regulatory Lawyer/Solicitor you will advise on law relating to licensing, housing, environmental health, anti-social behaviour, prosecutions and other matters. You will also be advising at Council Committees and attending Court. Support will be provided in any areas of the law where the candidate has not had the relevant experience. You will be part of a supportive team of professionals with variable workloads, having the opportunity to learn and develop in other disciplines within our service.

The ideal candidate will be a confident team player who is able to hit the ground running. You will have a fine eye for detail and thrive in a fast-paced environment with a dynamic and varied workload.

To be successful you must:

• Hold a qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or FILEX;
• Demonstrate knowledge of law in one of the areas within the regulatory, licensing and housing portfolios. A more in-depth knowledge and experience of these portfolios would be required for the top level of the role;
• Understanding of the political structure and functions of the Council;
• Have a working knowledge of Court and Tribunal procedures and experience of attending Court/Tribunal if relevant to the portfolio assigned;
• Have the ability to communicate effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and styles to suit a range of audiences and produce a representative record of meeting discussions and actions;
• Have an ability to interact positively with colleagues, clients and elected Members;
• Knowledge or experience of working in Local Authority is advantageous but not essential; we would welcome applications from the private sector.

What you will bring… We are looking for forward-thinking individuals that can demonstrate resilience and provide timely solutions for a range of problems.

Key attributes:

• Demonstrable knowledge of law in one of the areas within the regulatory, licensing and housing portfolios.
• A working knowledge of Court and Tribunal procedures and of attending Court/Tribunal if relevant to the portfolio assigned.
• Demonstrable experience of legal work in one of the areas within the regulatory and housing portfolios.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and styles to suit a range of audiences and produce a representative record of meeting discussions and actions.

What we can offer: You will also have access to a number of various benefits such as generous annual leave entitlement, flexible working, excellent pension scheme, salary sacrifice car, cycle, technology and childcare schemes and a package Buying ‘Everybody Benefits’ shopping vouchers, discounts and more. Please see our total rewards brochure for more information.

Applying is easy, simply click on apply now, register your details, remove your personal details from your CV. You may see this role advertised in multiple locations; you only need to apply once in the location most convenient for you.

Key Dates:

• Closing Date: 18 January 2026
• Interviews: week commencing 2 February 2026

NYC are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies. We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

North Yorkshire Council’s purpose is to deliver services and facilities to the diverse residents and visitors of North Yorkshire. To ensure we deliver inclusive services we strive to have a diverse workforce where everybody can be themselves by respecting differences and embedding equality of opportunity. We celebrate diversity and recognise each other’s contributions; we therefore welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds.