Supervising Associate Lawyer in Chelmsford

Permanent, Full Time £62,691 - £73,753 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 24th March 2026 (11:59pm)

Essex Legal Services (ELS) is part of Essex County Council (ECC) and offers flexible working practices in line with ECC's policy including hybrid working - in all cases this is offered in line with business needs. We will expect you to attend our Chelmsford offices approximately 2-3 days per week.

The Opportunity

Essex Legal Services (ELS) provide high quality, professional, legal advice across the Council. This is an exciting opportunity for a Supervising Associate Dispute Resolution/Civil Litigation Lawyer to join our in-house team. This is a great opportunity to be involved in complex disputes in a number of sectors including judicial review, procurement and civil matters. The role is a rewarding one as you will work closely with colleagues across ELS and Essex County Council (ECC) to achieve the best outcome for the Council. ECC is a diverse and large organisation that strives for excellence and delivers an outstanding service for residents across Essex.

As the in-house legal service, ELS prides itself on providing a comprehensive legal service to the Council - most of our work is done in-house. We pride ourselves on valuing the people who work for us and provide a supportive working environment, where people work hard to do their best for Essex. The work can be demanding and we expect resilience but our senior leaders are committed to ensuring that ELS is a place where people want to stay.

We're looking for someone with excellent technical legal skills and relevant experience who can quickly pick things up and lead on matters. As part of a specialist legal team within the larger Dispute Resolution and Employment Team at ELS, you will provide advice and guidance to clients both in house and to external public body clients. You will also manage a small team of lawyers and paralegals. The work is interesting and rewarding and underpins effective decision making and ensuring statutory requirements are met.

This position will be fast‑paced and it is therefore imperative you are highly motivated and confident in handling a full caseload consisting of both contentious and non‑contentious dispute resolution matters but with a particular focus on large commercial dispute matters, judicial reviews and debt recovery matters. You will have the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which includes working from home however some office attendance will be needed for collaboration and to meet business requirements. You will be positive, enthusiastic and have a passion for delivery of excellent client care and relationship management.

Accountabilities

• Leading the provision of timely and accurate legal advice across the Council and to external clients to produce the best possible outcomes.
• Responsible for assisting with development of staff in ELS, through formal supervision and line management and delivery of training and informal learning.
• Delegated functions as detailed in the Council's constitution (and as amended from time to time).

The Experience You Will Bring

• Qualified solicitor in England and Wales or chartered legal executive with litigation practice rights.
• Line management and supervisory responsibility.
• Significant experience of working within a legal setting in a politically sensitive environment, providing high‑quality advice to a wide range of customers.
• Commercial awareness.
• Significant post‑qualification experience in dispute resolution and civil litigation.

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) your role may require a DBS check. You will be required to register with the DBS update service. The yearly subscription ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate.

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 on this role or would like a copy of the full job profile, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk.