Principal Lawyer - Contracts and Commercial

Do you want to make a difference to local people? As one of the largest legal practices in the area, our dedicated Legal Service teams strive to get the best outcomes for people in Kirklees.

The Contracts and Commercial Team are one of the specialist teams within Kirklees Legal Services. Working closely with the Council’s procurement team provide legal services on a wide range of commercial matters including drafting and advising on contracts, grant agreements and the like. This includes working on high‑value, high‑profile and prestigious projects.

As part of this role you will play a key role in ensuring robust governance and delivering high‑quality legal advice. You will be expected to have your own complex caseload on matters including local government law and procedure, contracts (including ICT and construction), public procurement, PFI Academy transfers and expiry, TUPE, waste management and other commercial/partnership work, with the ability and experience of drafting complex documentation to support Local Authority projects.

You will also supervise other senior lawyers in the team.

This is a great opportunity to develop both your technical and your leadership skills.

We are looking for someone with a positive approach who enjoys working as part of a team. You will be supported by our Senior Lawyers and Business Support team.

If you are ambitious to develop your skills and knowledge in legal services and want to know more about the legal issues that affect local authorities – this is the role for you. We put a strong emphasis on training and personal development and want to support you to be the best you can be.

You will be a qualified Solicitor (or Barrister) holding a current practising certificate, or you will be a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.

We are looking for someone with experience in Commercial Contracts and UK Public Procurement law and at least two of the following areas, but experience in more than two areas would be beneficial.

• Local Government Law and Procedure (including Information law and practice)
• Company Law/Joint Ventures/Partnerships
• PPP’s/ PFI/Academy Conversions
• Other commercial law not covered above (i.e. TUPE, Subsidy law, Intellectual Property Rights, Construction law, etc.)

Kirklees Council offers these benefits to all its employees:

• 28.5 days annual leave increasing to 32.5 after 5 years’ service (plus bank holidays).
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Travel and parking discounts
• Exceptional Maternity and Paternity leave policies
• Local Government Pension
• Access to Employee Healthcare that offers a range of services from counselling to physiotherapy and health assessments.
• Hybrid working

PLEASE NOTE WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT EARLY SHOULD WE RECEIVE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF APPLICATIONS.