Job Description

Use your legal expertise to make a real difference for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The Service and Team

You’ll join a supportive and purpose-driven legal team working closely with SEND, Education and Children’s Services. Together, you’ll help make sure decisions are fair, lawful and focused on what’s best for children and families.

Our team provides specialist legal advice across education, SEND and aspects of social care. We play an important role in helping the Council meet its duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 and related legislation, ensuring children and young people receive the support they need. You’ll work alongside experienced colleagues and have opportunities to build your expertise and contribute to improving how we deliver our services.

The Role

As a Lawyer, you will manage your own mixed caseload of SEND matters, providing clear, practical legal advice and representation.

You will:

• Provide legal advice on SEND law and related education matters, including EHC assessments, plans, annual reviews and placement decisions, supporting the Council to meet its statutory duties
• Represent the Council at SEND Tribunal proceedings, including preparing case statements, working documents, witness evidence, bundles and advocacy at hearings
• Manage your caseload effectively, ensuring compliance with Tribunal directions, statutory deadlines and Court orders
• Advise on complex and sensitive matters, supporting lawful, fair and robust decision-making
• Build effective working relationships with council teams, schools, external professionals, legal representatives and partner agencies
• Support the Senior Lawyer in supervising and supporting junior members of the team
• Liaise with support staff to ensure the efficient progression and management of cases
• Maintain accurate case records and contribute to shared guidance, precedents and best practice

Why You Should Join Us:

Joining Cornwall Council means more than just working in a legal role, it’s a chance to build a fulfilling career with opportunities for growth and progression. We offer a flexible, supportive environment with a focus on both professional development and work-life balance. Whether through hybrid working options or flexible working hours, we ensure our team members can manage both their personal and professional commitments effectively.

Don’t worry if you don’t have local government experience as we’ll give you the support you need to excel with us. By joining us, you will be at the forefront of building on our excellent children’s legal services for Cornwall, working collaboratively with dedicated colleagues while advancing your career in a supportive environment.

As one of the largest unitary authorities in the UK, you'll be contributing to a wider team that ensures Cornwall has a strong and united voice when engaging with national government, regional agencies, and partner organisations.

Working Pattern

We are recruiting a SEND lawyer on a permanent, full-time basis, with flexible working and hours considered. Remote within the UK and Hybrid working options can be considered for the right candidate.

What you’ll need to Succeed:

• A qualified solicitor (or equivalent) with experience in children’s law, or an interest in developing in this area
• Experience managing a complex caseload
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain legal issues clearly
• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities
• A collaborative approach and commitment to team working
• The ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines

What you’ll get in return:

Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

• a competitive salary.
• a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions.
• a generous annual leave entitlement.
• a national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme.
• Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services.

Additional Information:

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

Please see the role profile for full details attached here - Role Profile

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview.

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Alison White alison.white@cornwall.gov.uk

Application Process

Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV.

Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had.

Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process.

We recognise that you may choose to use AI tools when preparing your application. We ask that any information you include is an accurate reflection of your own skills, knowledge, experience and achievements. You may be asked to discuss the examples and evidence you provide during the selection process.

We may adapt our shortlisting approach where we receive a high volume of applications. Any shortlisting decisions will be based on the information provided in your application and the essential requirements of the role.

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.

Cornwall Council deliver services to more than half a million local people and over five million visitors a year. Working here - Cornwall Council

We are happy to talk about flexible working options such as part-time or compressed hours. More examples of our flexible working opportunities can be found here - flexible working options.

Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.

Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.