Senior Lawyer - SEND

About The Job

Some key information

• Salary: £54,000 per annum (inclusive of a £4,718 time limited recruitment allowance)
• 33 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Permanent, Full-time contract (37 hours per week).
• Relocation package up to £8,000 for those moving to Somerset
• Taunton, Somerset based (Dynamic Working – flexible arrangements including working from home)
  
  

What will I be doing?

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that.

We need a specialist Special Education Needs Lawyer with experience in SEND and Education legal work, including advocacy in court.

Your day-to-day work will involve:

• To be responsible for a mixed caseload of matters regarding SEND, without supervision.
• You will provide expert legal advice, representation, and case management on matters relating to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), as well as other aspects of Social Services.
• You will support the Council’s statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 and related legislation, ensuring lawful, fair and effective decision making in the best interests of Children and young people.
• Providing legal advice to the Council’s SEND and Education teams on all aspects of SEND law, including Education, Health and Care (EHC), needs assessments, plans, and placement decisions.
• Representing the Council in SEND tribunals proceedings, including preparing case statements, witness bundles and advocacy at hearings.
• Advising on judicial reviews, complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, and other legal challenges.
• Drafting and reviewing legal documents, including settlement agreements, policies and internal guidance.
• Delivering training and legal updates to the council officers, schools and elected members on SEND legal developments.

Supporting the Principal Lawyer and Deputy Principal Lawyer in supervising and supporting more junior staff within the team.

Timely and effective liaison with support staff, building and maintaining synergy working.

Develop and foster effective working relationships with the Principal Lawyer and other lawyers within the Social Care Legal team, key stakeholders and client departments, acquiring, developing and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the client’s business needs and objectives and sharing this with the team so these are widely understood.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But you will need to have:

• Solicitor, Barrister (Supreme Court of England and Wales/English Bar) or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives or equivalent relevant qualification with relevant experience.
• Evidence of work related continuing professional development in your specialist field.
• Significant experience of working successfully with Members and Directors on complex issues and the development of strategic direction.
  
  

If you’re looking to relocate to Somerset, we can offer a relocation allowance of up to £8,000. Somerset is special - with beautiful stretches of sandy coastline, caves, moors, the unique Somerset Levels, cool-list towns, the world’s largest green-field music festival and fantastic local food and produce. It's all here on your doorstep! Somerset enjoys good road, rail and air travel networks, with access to the rest of the country; London by train in less than 2 hours, and national and international flights from and to Bristol and Exeter airports, easily accessible from the M5 motorway.

What's in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.

Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave

Staff discounts in gyms.

Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.

Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.

A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.

My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Anything else I should know?

The salary for the role is Grade 8 - £49,282 per annum.

A supplement allowance of £4,718 per annum is linked to the Senior Lawyer - SEND, bringing the salary to £54,000 per annum. This allowance is subject to National Insurance, Tax and Pension deductions and will be paid in accordance with standard payroll procedures.

The allowance is time-limited and will expire on 28/02/2029. All supplement allowances are reviewed 18 months from the original approval date and may be adjusted or withdrawn based on organisational need, role changes, or market conditions.

Please note:

• If the role is re-evaluated or the salary changes as a result of the Pay and Grading Review, the allowance may be reduced or cease entirely.
  
  

If the salary changes due to the NJC Pay Award, the supplement allowance will be adjusted accordingly to maintain the intended pay differential.

For more information about the role, you can contact Kehinde Awojobi, Head of Legal, on kehinde.awojobi@somerset.gov.uk.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

Closing date for applications: Sunday 29th March 2026

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.

DBS information

This role requires a criminal background check via the Disclosure procedure.