Lawyer - Regulatory and Prosecutions

Are you a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of CILEX looking for an opportunity to develop your career in Regulatory Law and Prosecutions? We're seeking a motivated and capable Lawyer - Regulatory and Prosecutions to join our Legal Services team. This is a varied and rewarding role where you'll provide expert legal advice and representation across a broad range of enforcement and regulatory matters, helping to protect residents, support local businesses and uphold the Council's statutory responsibilities.

Working closely with colleagues across a variety of services, you'll play an important role in ensuring the effective delivery of legal and enforcement functions that have a direct impact on our communities. We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities. We support hybrid working; it’s important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you’ll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.

About The Role:

• You’ll provide legal advice and assistance to Council officers and relevant stakeholders on matters within your area of expertise.
• You’ll manage your caseload, advise on complex and sensitive legal issues, and help ensure that legal work is delivered effectively, accurately and within agreed timescales.
• You’ll work collaboratively with colleagues across the Council, providing practical legal guidance and supporting the delivery of corporate objectives.
• You’ll also contribute to the development of Legal Services through knowledge-sharing, training and improvements to working practices.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing clear, practical and timely legal advice on matters within Regulatory and Prosecutions.
• Advising officers and stakeholders on complex, sensitive and potentially high-cost legal issues.
• Managing your caseload proactively, keeping clients informed of progress and meeting agreed deadlines.
• Undertaking advocacy in court or tribunals where appropriate to your qualifications and experience.
• Supporting the Council’s policies, strategies and corporate objectives through effective legal advice.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to deliver a responsive and efficient legal service.
• Contributing to projects, training, knowledge-sharing and improvements to systems and processes.
• Maintaining accurate time recording and ensuring that costs and income are appropriately recorded and monitored.
• Working in accordance with the Council’s requirements on equality, confidentiality, data protection and legal compliance.

About You:

You will bring a collaborative and flexible approach, together with the ability to manage competing demands, meet deadlines and maintain high standards under pressure. You will also be keen to support colleagues, contribute to continuous improvement and help deliver an excellent service to the Council and its partners.

To be successful, you will have:

• A recognised legal qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), with a current practising certificate and entitlement to practise in England.
• Experience of providing legal advice and services, ideally within local government, criminal, regulatory or litigation practice.
• Experience of handling complex legal issues and advising on sensitive matters.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, concise legal advice that identifies risks, issues and solutions.
• The ability to organise and prioritise a demanding workload and work with a high degree of independence.
• A commitment to teamwork, professional development and continuous service improvement.
• Experience in regulatory law and prosecutions, particularly within a local authority or a similarly complex environment, would be valuable for this role.

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

• Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do.
• Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential.
• Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage in with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way.
• Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time that we are needed.

Our offer:

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 30 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave.
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities.
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS).
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted.
• Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work.
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax.

For more information on this position please contact Jayne La Grua, Director – Legal at Jayne.LaGrua@reading.gov.uk

Closing Date: Sunday 8th November 2026

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Interview Setup: In person at the Civic Centre, Bridge Street, Reading, RG1 2LU