What is a local government lawyer?
There are 410 local authorities in England and Wales, many of which retain the services of a legal department in-house. The size of the authority determines whether there is a legal department, and if so how many lawyers are employed. The legal services section is expected to provide a broad range of legal advice including housing, planning, environment and welfare. In addition, the drafting of agreements with outside contractors will be the responsibility of the in-house legal team - and this work has been on the increase since the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering, which forces local councils to put many services out to tender. Despite years of cuts in funding and increased pressure from central government, even relatively small councils still employ in excess of 20,000 individuals and have huge budgets. It is perhaps useful to remember that the British workforce of motor manufacturer Ford is 30,000, and that in size alone local authorities are up with the very largest employers in the UK. As a result, there is plenty of legal work created by a council's everyday activities.

What is their role?
The workload of the local government lawyer is really not too different from that of many of their counterparts in private practice. There is a wide range of work to be done and many lawyers will increasingly specialise as their careers develop. However, one major difference is that like their counterparts in industry, the local government legal team will be far more pro-active in the formulation of proposed policies than those in private practice law firms. The opportunities for management, both legal and general, are well established. Indeed, the role of the senior solicitor (or county secretary) within local government is similar to that performed by a company secretary.

Training in local government
Not all local authorities offer training contracts and those that do often only take one trainee every other year. However, there are opportunities to train, and some offer part-time training which may be attractive to students with other commitments.

Why be a local government lawyer?
The opportunity of working in a political environment with a sense of community service and clear management potential appeals to many people, not just lawyers. The vast range of legal work that the local government legal section will undertake makes for a stimulating and lively workplace. Many lawyers decide to follow this path early on, and do their training within a local authority legal section, going on to full careers within councils. Others may come after training at a law firm, having decided on a public sector career over those offered by private practice. Working in this sector also offers a flexibility that few other areas of the law can offer, with (for instance) much easier access to part-time positions throughout the career. The previous government's tightening on local authority spending resulted in compulsory competitive tendering with private sector organisations for many services traditionally handled internally by councils. This now includes legal services in many authorities. Effectively this means that the legal section must bid for work from the authority (its only client!) in competition with private practice law firms. Initially this caused concern amongst solicitors in local government as to the security of their positions, but thus far it would appear that they have at present retained most of their workloads, with mostly low grade, high-volume work (such as debt collection) being passed over to private practice.

Career path
Training within a local government legal department does not by any means limit your career choices. A move into private practice (and back!) is not uncommon, and nor is a switch into industry. Those with managerial skills may move easily into senior positions in councils, whilst the opportunities to specialise in many different areas of law are good.

Earnings
Training salary: £14,000
0-5 years qualified: £20,000 - £40,000
Senior Solicitor\County Secretary: £50,000+

How to apply
Jobs are advertised in the legal press and the national newspapers.

Useful addresses
If you are interested in becoming a local government lawyer contact your local authority to see what is available.