Education Lawyer (with potential to provide Employment Law support)
MB4 (£45,091 - £51,356)
37 Hours, Full Time
Permanent
Hybrid working Stockport Town Hall (at least 2 days per week) and home working

Application Deadline: 11:59pm 8th March 2026
Please be aware that we may close this vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Shortlisting Date: 9th March 2026
Interview Date: 16th March 2026
Interview Type: In person

While we embrace the use of AI as an innovative tool to maximise our services at Stockport Council, we are looking for authenticity in applications we receive. We therefore ask you to think carefully if choosing to use AI when completing your application and ask that you ensure you read all instructions carefully and that your application is written by you and reflects your skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.

Join our award winning council and service:
Stockport Council MJ Local Authority of the Year 2025
Stockport Council Legal Team Winner of Lawyers in Local Government Excellence in Training Award 2025
Stockport Council Legal Team Lawyers in Local Government Legal Team of the Year 2024 Highly Commended

Your Role

You’ll work within a friendly and collaborative team of ten colleagues, in a supportive environment where your professional development will be nurtured and appreciated.

You will be an integral part of our award-winning Legal Team which is made up of up 50 colleagues across five different legal sub-teams, each delivering their own area of expertise.

We are looking for an energetic Education lawyer to increase our capacity in this area of law. You will be a confident team player, with a problem-solving approach. You will work closely with the Education and Special Educational Needs teams, providing expert legal and strategic advice and support in all areas, including SEN related advice and Tribunal claims, general Education law advice, complaints and judicial review. You will offer clear, strategic guidance to a diverse range of stakeholders, including schools.

In addition, you will provide support to the Employment lawyer. We are happy to develop this aspect of the role according to your skills and experience and provide you with the necessary support.

About You

We pride ourselves on our supportive, friendly and flexible culture putting your wellbeing at the centre of your personal development.If appointed to this role, you will receive training and support from colleagues.

You will have a strong working knowledge and practical application of key education legislation, with experience in special education needs appeals advice and matters relating to Education, Health and Care Plans. You will be involved in supporting Education Welfare colleagues in respect of attendance related advice.

You will be able to perform effectively under pressure, meeting tight deadlines while maintaining high-quality legal support with minimal supervision. You will be able to consider the broader implications when making decisions and have a strategic approach. You will be able to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders.

You should hold a current practising certificate, qualifying you to practice in England as a Solicitor, Barrister, or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives with litigation rights.

About Us

We are a friendly, supportive team that values collaboration and positivity. We pride ourselves on having a strong commitment to wellbeing and investing in our people. The team has grown in recent years which reflects our ambition and the demand for our services.

At Stockport Council we are one ambitious team on a mission to create opportunities for everyone who lives, works and spends time in the borough. Working at Stockport Council means contributing to one of the most thriving towns in the North. We’re keen to recruit people with the right values and behaviours that can help us ensure our workplace values are at the heart of everything we do.

We are proud to be recognised under the Good Employment Charter as an organisation committed to the wellbeing of our colleagues. As members of the charter, we have been recognised as a great place to work for all colleagues and pledge to pay the real living wage, engage staff in key decisions and endorse fair and flexible working conditions.

If you would like to find out more about the role please Michelle Dodds on michelle.dodds@stockport.gov.uk or 0161 4743257 for an informal discussion about the role

Stockport Council holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not currently qualify.

This post is politically restricted under the terms of the 1989 Local Government and Housing Act. This dictates that you must seek the council’s permission before taking up any additional appointments or positions.

Please note that we have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers and ex-military personnel. As part of the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme you will therefore be guaranteed to be shortlisted for Assessment if you meet both the criteria for the scheme and the essential job role criteria.

Find out if you meet the criteria here: https://www.greater.jobs/our-guaranteed-assessment-scheme

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application. Please also email recruitment@stockport.gov.uk.

Privacy Notice

Follow our recruitment team on X, Instagram and Facebook for updates on our vacancies and recruitment events.

Stockport Council is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce culture - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities to join our workforce.

We want our employees to have a good work life balance and in many job roles we can offer a range of flexible/hybrid working arrangements. We also have inclusive employment policies and staff engagement forums to support our diverse workforce. We will listen to, learn from, and develop our workforce.

Supporting Documents

↗ Job Profile

Calculate your take home pay. Use this service to estimate how much Income Tax and National Insurance you should pay for the current tax year.

Employment could affect your benefits, find out more here. Turn2us Benefits Calculator.

Security Notice: greater.jobs will never contact you via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger any other messaging or social media platform, or ask for personal details through unofficial links.  All vacancies are live on our website, https://greater.jobs, and you must apply via the application method outlined on the advert. Learn how to Stay Safe

Ready to apply?

Location

Edward Street, , Stockport, SK1 3XE, United Kingdom

Job ID

11929

Employee Benefits

Annual Leave

A generous annual leave allowance, up to 30 days annual leave dependent on grade and length of service, plus bank holidays with the option to purchase additional annual leave

Work Life Balance

Work and personal life balance. Many jobs include part time working, flexi-time and homeworking

Employee engagement

Employee engagement networks to support colleagues and create opportunities to feed into both workforce and borough strategies

Volunteering

Support for volunteering by allowing up to 4 hours per month (pro rata) to carry out any duties associated with this

Learning and Development

A suite of learning and development opportunities, from important data protection training to all level apprenticeships

Discounts

A huge range of discounts via an easy to use portal, including: Gym memberships, restaurants, events, travel, cycle to work scheme, home electronics and more.

Wellbeing

Access to an employee support hotline, available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Pension Scheme

Option to join the Local Government Pension Scheme and give your pension a boost by enrolling into a salary sacrifice scheme.

Our Recruitment Journey

Seen a job you’re interested in but want to understand more about our recruitment process?

  • Application stage

    When you have seen a job, you are interested in you can submit your application online by clicking ‘Apply Now’, some vacancies will ask you to complete a supporting statement where you should address the About You section of the Job Profile for the role. Other vacancies will ask you to upload a CV.

  • Shortlisting

    In keeping with our commitment to inclusion, recruiting managers take an anonymised approach to recruiting when shortlisting your application form. They will use the supporting information section of your application and your work history to assess your suitability for the job. You'll be notified of the outcome of your application form via email and if successful you'll be invited to book an interview slot.

  • Interviews

    When preparing for the interview, you should familiarise yourself with the job profile. The About You section of the job profile contains the criteria that will be assessed at interview stage. You can prepare for interview by ensuring that you have clear examples relating to how you have met these criteria. If you require any reasonable adjustments because of a disability under the Equality Act, to assist you during the selection process we would be pleased to discuss them with you on recruitment@stockport.gov.uk

  • Offer stage and pre-employment checks

    Offer stage and pre-employment checks If you're offered the job after interviewing, you'll be sent a conditional offer detailing your new role. Along with the conditional contract and offer letter, our team will be in touch regarding your pre-employment checks.

    The pre-employment checks that you will need to undertake will depend on the role that you've applied for. These checks may include:

    • right to work in the UK

    • Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

    The information provided will be dealt with in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice

    • gaps in employment

    • reference checks. We will request references prior to issuing your conditional contract

    • pre-employment health declaration

    • qualification checks