Childcare Lawyer

Brent is one of the most diverse boroughs in the country, with communities, ideas and experiences from across the world helping to shape who we are. Working here means joining a council that is focused on fairness, open to new thinking and committed to improving life for local people.

Our values shape how we work and what people can expect from us. We collaborate proactively, lead inclusively, embrace change, are bold and curious, and celebrate and share our success. For people who care about public service and want their work to matter, Brent offers the chance to make a meaningful difference.

About the role
Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up. Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here. 

The council is pursuing a far-reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community so it is an exciting time to join us.

We welcome applications from qualified Solicitors, Barristers or CILEX lawyers with post-qualification experience in employment law. This role is intentionally broad and suitable for:

•    Newly qualified lawyers seeking their first post-qualification role
•    Lawyers with early post-qualification experience looking to broaden their practice
•    More experienced lawyers seeking a new challenge in a values-led public sector environment.
Progression to PO5 is available for those demonstrating the ability to manage more complex or higher-risk matters.

In this role, key responsibilities include:
•    Provision of specialist legal advice and assistance on all aspects of Children’s Social Services Law including Child Protection, Adoption Law, Children Act 1989, Other related social care law issues like judicial review.
•    Managing individual and busy case work, responding to urgent matters and preparation of associated documentation.
•    Conducting advocacy on behalf of the Council and instructing counsel as appropriate
•    Analysing legal risk, evaluating evidence and providing clear, practical advice to client
•    Keeping up to date with changes in the law and other developments in the area of work allocated, disseminating information on changes and advising on any action to be taken as a result
•    Dealing with corporate complaints and Members enquiries, data protection and FOI requests.
•    Providing training to members, clients or members of the team
•    Carrying out duties with due regard to the Council’s Customer Care, Equal Opportunities, Information Governance, Data Protection, Health and Safety and Emergency Planning & Awareness (including provision of assistance where available) policies and procedures.
•    Approving or amending legal aspects of reports to be submitted to members requiring decisions and attending committee and other meetings to give legal advice as necessary.
•    Showing commitment to professional development and high-quality client services
•    Actively contribute to developing policies and good practice.
•    Contributing towards the running of the team and Legal Services
•    Undertaking any other duties commensurate with the general level of responsibility of this post. 
•    Day to day supervision of Senior Legal Assistants, Legal Assistants and / or trainees as directed
•    Provision of cover as necessary for other areas within Legal Services as a whole and deputising for Senior/Chief Lawyers as required.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and all employees are required to act in such a way that at all times safeguards the health and well-being of children and vulnerable adults
Employees should embed environmental sustainability into their work, actively contributing to Brent becoming a carbon-neutral borough in 2030.

About you
We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:
•    Post-qualification experience in the legal profession
•    Thorough knowledge of children social care law and practice.
•    Comprehensive knowledge of the law affecting local government and its trends in the UK.
•    A track record of achievement in conducting high level and complex casework, including high risk cases.
•    Experience of dealing with complex cases in the area of expertise.
•    Experience of attending court as a Lawyer in the County Court, Magistrates Court, Single Family Court, including all hearings up to trial
•    Experience of contributing to corporate decision making and development of corporate policy and strategy.

Why join us?
We know people do their best work when they feel valued, supported and able to grow. At Brent, you will benefit from:
•    27 days’ annual leave, rising with length of service, plus bank holidays
•    Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions
•    hybrid and flexible working options for most roles
•    supportive family-friendly policies
•    health and wellbeing support, including eye test support and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
•    financial wellbeing support, including education sessions, childcare deposit loans, and season ticket loans
•    travel support, including affordable parking nearby, a Cycle to Work scheme, and onsite facilities
•    learning and development opportunities to support your career
•    access to My Brent Rewards with exclusive discounts on shopping, travel, leisure and entertainment

To learn more about our staff benefits, visit Our offer to you.

Living Our Values Through Legal Practice
Collaborate Proactively
Work closely with HR, SEN teams, governance colleagues, senior leaders and Members to develop lawful and workable solutions that support the Council’s objectives.
Lead Inclusively
Promote fair employment practices, apply equality duties in advice and contribute to an inclusive team culture that values diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
Embrace Change
Support organisational transformation and service improvement through pragmatic legal advice, adapting confidently to legislative and policy developments.
Be Bold and Curious
Engage constructively with complex legal issues across employment, education and governance, offering clear and well-reasoned recommendations that enable informed decisions.
Celebrate and Share Our Success
Contribute to continuous improvement by sharing learning from cases, supporting policy development and helping colleagues build capability.

Our Wider Commitments
This role supports Brent’s Borough Plan, Moving Brent Forward Together, by enabling high-quality services that improve residents’ lives. You will contribute to:
•    Reducing inequality and ensuring everyone belongs
•    Generating social value through responsible employment and partnership practices
•    Upholding the highest standards of integrity, accountability and openness
•    Supporting Brent’s ambition to be a digital council and carbon-neutral by 2030

This position is only open to current employees of Brent Council and temporary agency workers currently working at Brent Council. External candidates are not permitted to apply for internal only roles.

Closing date: 20/08/2026  (23:59) 
 

Interested in applying? Click "Apply Now" to begin your application.
You will need to submit a supporting statement demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria in the job description. This is a key part of the selection process, and applications without a supporting statement may not be considered. You may also upload a CV to support your application, but it cannot replace the supporting statement.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. If you are interested, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Applications from candidates who have applied for this role in the last 6 months will not be considered.

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects the people we serve. We welcome all applications from all sections of the community and encourage applicants to complete the diversity survey section of the application.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated with dignity, respect and fairness. We expect all employees to demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and to promote inclusive, non-discriminatory practices in their work. This commitment forms part of our recruitment process, and candidates may be assessed on their understanding of and ability to contribute to an inclusive working environment.

The information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas, who will use it to help prevent fraud and other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. Further details on how your information will be used by Brent and Cifas, and your data protection rights can be found here.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. This includes people with hidden disabilities, long term health conditions, diagnosis, and mental health conditions. We also guarantee an interview to care-experienced applicants who meet the essential criteria. Information shared for this purpose will be treated fairly and used only to confirm eligibility under these schemes.

If you need reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact recruitment@brent.gov.uk.

Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.

View the job description here.