Interim Head of Legal (4-6 Months)

Your new company
You will be joining one of the largest in-house local authority legal teams in the UK, the team provides high-quality legal services across multiple local authorities and combined authorities, supporting a wide range of public sector functions. This opportunity sits within a significant and wide-ranging legal division covering key service areas across people, place and regulatory matters. The division brings together five specialist teams: Adults Social Care and Education, Employment and General Law, Housing, Litigation, and Regulatory & Licensing.

Your new role
As Interim Head of Legal, you will provide strategic leadership across the group, reporting directly to the Assistant Director. You will also deputise as required at a senior level, representing Legal Services internally and externally.
You will lead and oversee a broad portfolio of complex legal work, ensuring high-quality delivery across multiple disciplines. The role requires strong corporate leadership, effective stakeholder management, and the ability to manage competing priorities and projects simultaneously.
This is a highly visible position where you will engage with senior officers, elected members, and external partners, often dealing with sensitive and high-profile matters.

What you'll need to succeed
To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

Proven experience operating at a senior level within a local authority legal environment
Strong collaborative and corporate leadership skills
Significant experience handling complex legal matters across one or more areas of people, place and regulation
Qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister, or Chartered Legal Executive with relevant litigation rightsIn addition, you will bring:

High levels of political awareness and the ability to influence at senior levels
Excellent communication skills and a solution-focused, innovative approach
Experience managing multiple projects to tight deadlines and budgets while maintaining exceptional quality standards
A track record of building and maintaining effective client relationships, often involving sensitive issues
Experience leading multidisciplinary legal teams within a large and complex organisation
What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now on (phone number removed).
If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.

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