Litigation Solicitor
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Litigation Solicitor
Temporary Contract
Job Details
Client: Swindon Borough Council
Service Area: Legal Services
Hours: 37 hours per week
Start Date: 04 May 2026
Duration: 12 weeks
Working Pattern:Minimum 1 day per week in the office on a Wednesday, plus additional office attendance depending on business needs
Location
Office Base:
Civic Campus
Euclid Street
Swindon
SN1 2JG
PAYE Rate:£43.53 per hour
Job Overview
Swindon Borough Council is seeking an experienced Litigation Solicitor to join its Legal Services team on a temporary basis.
This role will provide a comprehensive legal service across a varied and complex caseload involving Civil and Commercial Litigation, Regulatory Enforcement, Licensing and Employment. The successful candidate will provide high-quality legal advice to members, officers and clients of the Council, manage matters autonomously and represent the Council in court and tribunals where required.
This is a senior-level legal role suited to a qualified solicitor or barrister with strong litigation experience, excellent judgement and the ability to manage complex matters with minimal supervision.
Important – Please Read Carefully
This role requires a fully qualified Solicitor or Barrister with at least 5 years’ post-qualification experience, including practice in at least 3 relevant areas of law.
You must have strong experience in civil or commercial litigation, regulatory enforcement, licensing or employment law, and be confident managing a complex caseload independently.
Candidates without this level of litigation experience are unlikely to be considered.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage a varied and complex caseload across civil and commercial litigation, regulatory enforcement, licensing and employment matters
- Provide high-quality legal advice and documentation to members, officers and council clients
- Advise on whether cases should be brought or defended before courts and tribunals
- Act as advocate and represent the Council at the Magistrates Court, County Court and Employment Tribunal
- Draft, negotiate and complete complex legal documentation
- Make decisions on high-profile and financially significant matters with reputational implications
- Attend and advise Cabinet, Committees, Sub-Committees, Working Parties and other council meetings as required
- Keep up to date with legislation, case law, codes of practice and policy developments
- Develop templates and provide guidance and training to client departments and junior colleagues
- Support and mentor less experienced team members
- Contribute to the ongoing development of the Legal Services team
Essential Experience & Skills
- Fully qualified Solicitor or Barrister
- Law degree or equivalent
- Minimum 5 years’ post-qualification experience
- Experience practising in at least 3 relevant areas of law
- Strong experience handling a varied and complex litigation caseload
- Strong experience of court and/or tribunal work
- Good knowledge of the local government legal framework
- Strong diagnostic, analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to work independently and make important decisions without supervision
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Commercial awareness and understanding of wider community impact
- Ability to supervise or support junior lawyers where required
Additional Information
Office attendance is required at least once a week.
Disclaimer
On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role.
I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify Fix Space Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.
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Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your post-qualification experience prominently as the role requires minimum 5 years PQE
📊 Quantify your litigation success: "Managed 45 complex cases, achieving 78% favourable outcomes"
🏛️ Emphasise court advocacy experience across Magistrates, County Court and Employment Tribunal
🎯 Showcase experience in at least 3 relevant law areas as this is explicitly required
🤝 Demonstrate local government experience if you have it, as this is a council role
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:
- •Managed 35 complex civil litigation cases annually, achieving 82% favourable settlements before trial across commercial disputes and regulatory enforcement
- •Represented organisation in 28 tribunal hearings over 18 months, securing positive outcomes in employment and licensing matters worth £450k
- •Drafted and negotiated 150+ legal documents including commercial contracts and enforcement notices, reducing legal costs by 15%
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to Fix Space Recruitment Ltd
Dear Hiring Manager,
Swindon Borough Council's requirement for a Litigation Solicitor to handle complex civil and commercial litigation aligns perfectly with my post-qualification experience in court advocacy and regulatory enforcement across multiple jurisdictions.
My background in managing varied litigation caseloads whilst providing autonomous legal advice to public sector clients has equipped me with the diagnostic skills and judgement required for this senior role. I am particularly drawn to the opportunity to represent the Council across Magistrates Court, County Court and Employment Tribunal proceedings.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you approach a complex commercial litigation case involving multiple parties?
- ›What's your experience with regulatory enforcement proceedings in local government?
- ›How do you stay current with employment law changes affecting councils?
- ›Describe your approach to drafting complex legal documentation
- ›What tribunal advocacy experience do you have?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision on a high-profile case
- ›Describe how you've mentored junior colleagues in your legal career
- ›Give an example of when you've had to manage competing priorities in a complex caseload
- ›How have you handled a situation where you disagreed with a client's proposed course of action?
- ›Describe a time when you had to represent your organisation's interests under pressure
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 on a high-profile case
Describe how you've mentored junior colleagues in your legal career