Lawyer - Adults

We have an opportunity for you to join a successful Adult Social Care Team as a Lawyer. You will be involved in legal work that is interesting and varied, which contributes to making a positive difference to the residents of Dorset. You will be part of a supportive team which meets weekly to discuss and review cases, with regular 1:1's with your line manager. The role will require you to provide clear, detailed advice on a variety of matters including Ordinary Residence, Deprivation of Liberty, Judicial Review and Court of Protection applications. You will have the opportunity to attend court to represent Dorset Council and you will be supported to develop your legal knowledge and skills. Good communication skills are essential, and the ability to work as part of a team and on your own, We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.
If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

The Adult legal team has developed an excellent working relationship with the Adult Social Care department and work collaboratively with them on interesting and varied projects. Training is important and the team regularly provides in person and on-line training to the client department on Court of Protection applications, Ordinary Residence disputes and Inquests. The training is positively received, involves the whole team and helps to build positive working relationships.

Dorset Council: A great place to work

We're passionate about making Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. Working for us should be no exception.

At Dorset Council we:

• provide more than 450 services to over 300,000 residents


• have ambitious aspirations


• are excited about our future


• care about Dorset and all the people who live here


• know that all roles make a difference and that our employees are key to our success


You will:

• have access to a range of employee benefits


• be part of an organisation that supports each other to grow and succeed


• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression


We are challenging ourselves to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We recognise that recruitment and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to the council and our communities. We have a commitment to equality and welcome applications from everyone.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role.

We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours. We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.