Childcare Lawyer

Job Introduction

Job Title: Lawyer – Childcare Legal Team (Grade 10, £42,839 - £47,181)

Working Pattern: Hybrid (min 2 days per week in the office)

Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Closing Date: 8th February 2026

Interviews: 23rd February 2026

Childcare Lawyer:

Do you have experience of handling a busy and varied caseload? Can you demonstrate good technical skills in Public Law Children casework? Do you command the respect and trust of colleagues and clients? Are you a problem solver? Do you have experience of advocacy?

If you have answered ‘Yes’ to the above, we have an exciting career opening for a Lawyer within the Childcare Legal Team, working amongst Legal Services Lincolnshire. This position will allow you the opportunity to manage a public law children caseload, with the benefit of 1-2-1 Legal Officer assistance.

The childcare legal team consists of a 15-strong legal team, built up of Lawyers and Legal Officers who are well established, friendly, supportive and highly regarded within the area of public law children. Areas of Practice include (but not limited to); Public childcare law, including pre-proceedings, care proceedings, fostering, adoption, some elements of private law children proceedings and DOLS (for pre-18 year olds). 

Legal Services Lincolnshire (LSL) is a shared legal service hosted by the county council, offering legal advice to the county council, to six of the seven of the county's district and borough councils as well as other public sector clients.

The Role:

We are looking for a confident and motivated lawyer to join our team of lawyers and legal officers in the childcare legal team. As a key member of the team you will:

• Provide high quality legal advice and support on a broad range of children matters, covering the Public Law Outline, Adoption, private law children and Deprivation of Liberty safeguards;
• Conduct court proceedings on behalf of the Council;
• Work closely with Children’s Services colleagues on often sensitive and complex cases.

If you have the right skills, attitude and a passion for the role we will help you develop the rest. You will be well-supported, and we guarantee that you will find this a professionally rewarding and fulfilling role!

About you:

You will be a qualified:

• Solicitor
• Barrister, or
• Chartered Legal Executive

And authorised to conduct litigation under the Legal Services Act 2007.

Please see the attached post outline, as well as the Job Description, for more specific details on this post.

What we offer:

We care about our staff so we want to offer you a competitive salary, generous holidays, ability to purchase additional leave, staff benefits scheme and access to our LGPS pension scheme. It is important to us that you have an excellent work/life balance.

The council has a smarter working policy which does provide a great degree of flexibility between home and office working. This post does however require some office attendance on a weekly basis, with the Childcare team day taking place each Tuesday. There will also be the requirement of 1 x further day in the office each week, as a minimum. You may also be required to attend court hearings across the week, dependent on listings and whether or not the Hearings are remote or in person.

Lincolnshire is a great place to live and work. It has an impressive castle and Cathedral, with the medieval quarter being a great contrast to the lively and youthful feel of this University City. If you are looking for an opportunity to work in a beautiful city with a great team of experienced colleagues then please grasp this exciting opportunity and come join our childcare legal team.

To discuss this great role please call Jodie Ogden for an informal chat on 01522 552582 as she is keen to hear from you and answer any questions you may have about this role.

Applications close on 8th February 2026 with interviews scheduled to take place in person on 23rd February 2026.

Relocation expenses may be considered for this position. Please refer to the Policy guidance attached for further information.

Due to recent changes in immigration law in the UK we are unable to offer skilled worker visa sponsorship for this role as it does not meet the requirements of RQF Level 6.

PLEASE NOTE: It is imperative that your covering letter/personal statement clearly states why you have applied, how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role as set out in the Job Description (attached on LCC jobs Site) and what you feel you can bring to this role, the team and the wider County Council.

Please refer to our Job Information Pack here to support you in your application.

A relocation package may be considered for the successful candidate. More details relating to our Relocation Policy can be found here.

On occasion we receive significantly more applications than expected for some vacancies and under such circumstances we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date of the advertisement. We therefore strongly advise you to apply for the role promptly to avoid disappointment should the closing date be brought forward. 

We operate a talent pool scheme whereby candidates who are not successful on this occasion may be considered for a period of up to 3 months for equal positions.

Lincolnshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

A Smarter Working Employer

We have embraced new ways of working and hybrid working will be a feature of this role. You will be given a nominated contractual work base and you will be required to commute to this work base when necessary.  Working arrangements regarding hybrid working will be discussed as part of the appointment process.

Our technology platform and equipment is very good enabling you to connect and collaborate remotely. We require that you have in place good connectivity, and we will discuss during the recruitment process if support with this is needed.

Fluency Duty 

In accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Fluency Duty), the ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.

Our values – collaborative, adaptable, eco-conscious, supportive, and responsible – guide everything we do. We’re looking for candidates who share these values and bring them to life in their work, helping us build strong teams and make a real difference in the communities we serve.