Working in Local Government

Thankfully, it's not all paper shuffling and rubber stamping. And you don't have to apply for their training contract years in advance. Read more about working in local government here.Local authorities in England and Wales are big business. With over 400 offices, they employ over two million workers and serve a client base of over 55 million.

Local authorities are largely responsible for providing services to the local community, as well as enabling, assisting and encouraging others to provide services through contracts, financial assistance, joint ventures and partnerships. Local authorities also carry out regulatory functions (eg, relating to environmental health, development control, licensing and economic development).

The size of local authorities ranges from small district and borough councils to large metropolitan authorities. Between them they carry out a huge variety of functions. Before applying you will need to know which functions are discharged by the authority in which you are interested.

Your role
As a trainee/qualified solicitor, your clients will be other local authority officers.

Solicitors ensure that officers and elected members of local authorities comply with the powers and duties conferred on them by statute; advise elected council members and clients; and assist in the formulation of local authority bylaws. Lawyers will also have the opportunity to become involved in policy formulation, administration and management. This is how working as a solicitor in local government authorities differs fundamentally from private practice and other sectors.

Standard areas of work in which you could be involved include conveyancing/property work, litigation in all courts and contract work. On more complex matters you could be involved in employment, education, highways, planning, social services and other functions.

As a trainee solicitor you will enjoy rights of audience before a judge in chambers in the county and high courts. This is an opportunity that is not offered to trainees in other sectors.

Recent legislation means that local authorities can now join in formal partnerships with private law firms and you may get an opportunity to carry out some of your training with the relevant partner to your training establishment.

You will be required to put the interests of the local authority first and to be conscious of providing a value for money service, as local authorities are funded partly by central government and by council tax payers.

Training
Your two-year training contract is divided into four seats of six months but this can vary. Each seat begins by shadowing qualified lawyers and building up your own caseload gradually. From day one you can be expected to take personal responsibility.

In addition to taking the professional skills course, you will be encouraged to supplement your training by a number of internal and external courses and possibly secondments to other departments. Thereafter you will have regular supervisions with your training principal who will review your progress and development, identifying those areas of work which you need to focus on. You will also have the opportunity to address any concerns that you have.

Do you fit the bill?
The usual wish-list applies: as well as a good academic background, recruiters will look for work experience, personality, enthusiasm, outside interests and a willingness to work hard.

As in private practice and elsewhere, the number of training contracts in local government is far outweighed by the number of applicants, so competition can be fierce.

Post-qualification, solicitors who have trained with a local authority are free to move up the ranks of its various departments or they may prefer to move into private practice, or become in-house legal advisers in commerce and industry.

Work experience
Some authorities offer summer placements with pay. Others will arrange an informal unpaid attachment during vacations.

Some local authorities have in-house paralegal teams and may offer the opportunity of doing some outdoor clerking for them, which could eventually lead to a training contract.

If you are interested in vacation work in a particular local authority, contact them direct. It may also be worth contacting the head of legal services in local authorities within travelling distance from where you live/study.

Salaries
Local authorities comply with the Law Society minimum salary requirement. A few councils offer sponsorship for the CPE and LPC.

What next?
Look for vacancies in regular jobs bulletins produced by local councils themselves, available from libraries, community centres, town halls/main civic buildings and central council personnel departments. Also keep an eye on local council websites and national newspapers - The Guardian is particularly well known for its public sector job advertisements (Wednesdays).