Specialist Litigation Lawyer

This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced litigation lawyer to broaden their legal expertise and branch into new areas of law and practice. You will gain further experience working on complex, high-profile matters across the diverse range of litigation and advice work handled within the Litigation Team in a large in-house local authority legal team.

Alongside complex litigation, which may involve any of the Council’s directorates or the Coroner’s Office, the postholder will work on high-level advisory matters, policy development and related governance issues. The role will also cover emerging and rapidly developing areas of law, such as building safety, which is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

You will be someone who enjoys shaping, influencing and improving the way the Council operates, and who is confident engaging with officers at all levels. You must be a qualified lawyer, authorised by your regulator to conduct litigation, with at least five years’ experience in complex litigation and advisory work.

You will also be able to demonstrate that you:

• Have developed expertise across a range of litigation areas at all court levels, with an excellent understanding of court rules and practice.
• Can organise and manage a complex and challenging caseload, critically analyse information and provide succinct, accurate written and oral advice tailored to your audience.
• Are highly organised, comfortable with electronic working practices and capable of delivering to tight deadlines.
• Can assess and manage risk effectively, using sound professional judgement.
• Can research and quickly become proficient in unfamiliar areas of law.
• Can work independently with minimal supervision, while recognising when to seek guidance or support from senior leadership and colleagues.
• Enjoy working collaboratively with colleagues across the Legal Service, a diverse range of client officers, and external lawyers.
• Are results-focused and able to work constructively and collaboratively across the Council.
• Have sound knowledge and understanding of the wider local government legal framework.
• Are proficient in managing or supporting other lawyers.

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme.

We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Additional details: Full time, 36 hours per week, Monday to Friday. This is an office-based role. While the service offers the flexibility to work from home for part of the week, you will be expected to be in the office for at least three days each week.

Salary range from £59,526 to £74,040 per annum. This post attracts an additional financial benefit to the value of £2,724 per annum for staff which can be used towards benefits or taken as cash.

Employee benefits: You’ll join a motivated, driven, and supportive team that values each of its members and strives for excellence. You’ll also be part of a successful, high-achieving development team making a real difference to the lives of residents across the borough. In return for all your hard work, skills and experience, you will receive:

• A competitive base salary (pro rata for part time staff).
• Strong supportive senior management team.
• Regular one to one supervision.
• Professional development & training opportunities.
• Clear career development pathways.
• Agile and flexible working arrangements.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Season ticket and cycle loans.
• Annual Leave starting at 33 days per year, increasing to 36 (with length of service) (pro rata for part time staff).
• Wellbeing programme.
• HSF Health plan and eye care scheme.
• EAP employee assistance programme, confidential counselling and support.
• Social clubs and staff groups.

Disability Confident (guaranteed interview) Scheme: As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the criteria below:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.

Recruitment timetable: Closing Date: 16 March 2026 at 23:59. Interview Date: 31 March 2026 (in person at Tooley Street, candidates may be asked to deliver a short presentation and/or be asked to complete written assessments).