Senior Solicitor (Housing)

About The Role

35 hours per week Contract type: Permanent Working style: Hybrid Closing date: 6 November 2026 Application link: Welcome | Manchester City Council | Hays UK You must already have a valid right to work in the UK documentation, as we cannot offer visa sponsorship for this role. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced housing lawyer seeking a role that combines complex litigation, advocacy, strategic legal advice and the opportunity to make a tangible impact on local communities across Manchester and Salford.

You'll work within one of the largest shared legal services in the country, advising on a broad range of social housing matters and supporting local authorities in delivering vital housing services.

About the Team

Manchester City Council's Legal Services team is recognised nationally for delivering innovative, high-quality public sector legal services. The People, Place & Regulation Legal Group provides legal advice across a diverse range of practice areas, including adult social care, education, employment, housing, litigation, licensing, prosecution and regulatory law.

The Housing & Neighbourhood Nuisance Team plays a key role in supporting Manchester and Salford City Councils, advising on complex housing matters that directly impact local communities and residents. The team advises on: Housing management matters. Anti-social behaviour remedies, including injunctions, possession proceedings and closure orders.

Legal challenges to homelessness decisions, including Judicial Reviews and statutory appeals. Advocacy and representation before the County Court and Magistrates' Court. Pre-employment checks If you are successful, your appointment will be subject to completing the relevant pre-employment checks. These checks will be carried out as part of our recruitment process and includes: Qualification and Registration

• Admitted Solicitor with practising certificate or Cilex Lawyer with litigation and advocacy rights. Satisfactory references and other pre-employment checks where applicable. For more information on these checks, please visit checks page . About the Candidate Your New Role As a Senior Housing Lawyer, you will manage a complex caseload of housing litigation and advisory matters, providing specialist legal advice to client departments and supporting wider service objectives. You will act as a trusted advisor to housing teams, helping them navigate challenging and often sensitive issues whilst ensuring lawful and effective decision-making.

Key responsibilities

Managing a varied and complex caseload of social housing law matters. Advising on housing management, tenancy enforcement and anti-social behaviour cases. Handling homelessness challenges, Judicial Reviews and statutory appeals. Representing the Council in the County Court and Magistrates' Court. Providing strategic legal advice to officers and stakeholders.

Building and maintaining strong relationships with housing services and partner organisations. Managing and supervising junior members of the team. Delivering training and guidance to clients and colleagues. Supporting service development and continuous improvement initiatives.

What You'll Need

to Succeed Qualified Solicitor with a current practising certificate, or CILEX Lawyer with litigation and advocacy rights Strong experience in social housing law and housing litigation Experience advising on anti-social behaviour matters, possession proceedings and housing management issues Knowledge of homelessness law, appeals and Judicial Review proceedings Strong advocacy and court representation skills Ability to identify key legal and evidential issues and provide practical, solution-focused advice Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills A proactive and collaborative approach to working within a team Local government or in-house legal experience would be advantageous but is not essential What You'll Get in Return Salary of £54,143 to £56,293 (bar at £55,224) Opportunity to join one of the UK's largest and most respected local authority legal teams Exposure to complex, high-profile and rewarding housing law matters Flexible hybrid working arrangements Supportive and collaborative team culture Excellent training, development and career progression opportunities Varied, meaningful work that directly contributes to improving local communities About Manchester City Council Legal Services Manchester City Council's Legal Services team is the largest shared legal service in the country and has held the Lexcel quality standard since 2007.

The team supports a wide range of high-profile, complex and innovative projects across the city, delivering legal services that directly contribute to the Council's mission and the wellbeing of its communities. If you're an experienced housing lawyer looking for greater responsibility, high-quality work and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a progressive local authority legal team, we'd love to hear from you.

Use of AI You may use AI to support your application, but all examples must be your own and based on real experience. Applications may be withdrawn if content is misleading or presents someone else's experience as your own. Internal candidates may also face disciplinary action. Guaranteed Assessment Scheme Applicants who meet the essential shortlisting criteria and are eligible under the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme will be progressed to the assessment stage.

Support and Adjustments If you're successful in securing a role, we'll make every effort to provide the support, equipment and reasonable adjustments you need to carry out your duties. Where needed, we'll consider adapting aspects of the role. Find out more about our inclusion and wellbeing.

About Us

Working for Manchester City Council is a chance to make a real difference in a diverse city. You’ll help improve lives and support our local communities. Working together, we can create better public services for everyone.

Benefits

we offer Up to 26 days’ annual leave, rising to 31 days after five years’ service Buy up to two extra weeks’ leave Up to 3 days ’ volunteering leave A 35-hour work week for full-time roles We review pay each year and recognise three trade unions A defined benefit pension scheme Enhanced parental and carers leave Employee discounts and perks Learn more at Careers

• Manchester City Council Our commitment to inclusion At Manchester City Council, we're dedicated to creating a workplace that fully reflects the diversity of our local communities. We actively encourage applications from people of all ages and backgrounds and are particularly keen to hear from applicants from ethnic minority communities and disabled people, who remain underrepresented in parts of our workforce . GM Elevate Programme If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the 'Personal Statement' section or 'Supporting Statement' section of your application. Accessible Formats: Use Recite. Me through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our careers page . It has tools such as text-to-speech, language translations, and adjustable text size and colour. Calculate your take home pay . Privacy Notice