Inhouse- Principle Family Solicitor
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Principal Lawyer - Safeguarding & Children's Services
Barry | Hybrid Working | £51,356 - £54,495 + £8,000 Supplement
If you're an experienced childcare lawyer looking to step into a leadership role where your work directly shapes outcomes for vulnerable children and families, this is a standout opportunity.
You'll lead a specialist legal team within a well-regarded local authority, handling complex care proceedings, advising senior stakeholders and playing a key role in safeguarding decisions.
What you'll be doing:
- Leading and developing a team of lawyers and support staff
- Managing complex children's public law cases
- Advising senior leaders on high-risk safeguarding matters
- Representing in Family Court proceedings
- Driving early legal engagement and best practice
What we're looking for:
- Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or CILEX
- Strong experience in childcare law / care proceedings
- Confidence handling complex, sensitive cases
- Leadership experience or readiness to step up
Why apply:
- Hybrid and flexible working
- £8,000 market supplement
- Strong pension and annual leave
- Clear progression and leadership development
Apply directly or reach out via email to arrange a confidential chat!
Yolk Recruitment is an equal opportunities employer and embraces diversity in our workforce. We employ the best people for the job at hand and actively encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, educational background, parental status, gender identity or any other protected characteristic. We champion and celebrate diversity at Yolk allowing our team to bring their whole selves to work.
*Please note, whilst we do our best to contact all candidates, due to the high number of applications we receive we cannot guarantee this for every role. If you have not heard anything from us within 7 days of applying - then unfortunately you have been unsuccessful. Please keep an eye on our website for more opportunities.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your childcare law and care proceedings experience prominently as this is the core requirement for the Principal Lawyer role
📊 Quantify your leadership impact: 'Led 8-person legal team through 45 complex care cases, achieving 92% positive outcomes'
🎯 Emphasise your Family Court representation experience as you'll be representing the local authority in proceedings
🤝 Showcase your ability to advise senior stakeholders on high-risk safeguarding matters with specific examples
🌐 Mention your readiness for hybrid working and flexible arrangements as this role offers both
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Led 12-person legal team through 67 complex care proceedings, achieving 89% successful outcomes for vulnerable children over 18 months
- •Advised senior council leaders on 23 high-risk safeguarding cases, implementing early legal engagement strategies that reduced court delays by 35%
- •Represented local authority in Family Court proceedings for 45 care cases, securing appropriate placements for children within statutory timeframes
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to Yolk Recruitment Ltd
Dear Hiring Manager,
Barry Council's Principal Lawyer position represents exactly the leadership opportunity I've been seeking in childcare law. With extensive experience in care proceedings and Family Court representation, I'm ready to lead your safeguarding legal team through complex cases affecting vulnerable children.
My background in childcare law spans both private practice and local authority work, giving me the comprehensive perspective needed to advise senior stakeholders on high-risk safeguarding matters whilst developing junior team members.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you approach managing complex care proceedings involving multiple agencies?
- ›What strategies would you use to ensure early legal engagement in safeguarding cases?
- ›How do you stay current with developments in childcare law and public law?
- ›Describe your experience with Family Court representation in care proceedings
- ›How would you handle conflicting advice requests from senior stakeholders on safeguarding matters?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision in a safeguarding case
- ›Describe a situation where you had to lead a team through a particularly challenging case
- ›Give an example of how you've developed junior lawyers or support staff
- ›Tell me about a time you had to advise senior leaders on a high-risk matter
- ›Describe how you've handled a sensitive case involving vulnerable children
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision in a safeguarding case
Describe a situation where you had to lead a team through a particularly challenging case
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