Senior Housing Litigation Lawyer

Working Pattern: Hybrid working, minimum two days per week in the office

Location: Merton (team days Monday and Wednesday) with attendance at partner boroughs as required.

Optional: 9‑day working fortnight available for those that choose it, following successful probation period (keeping in mind the needs of the service and colleagues)

South London Legal Partnership (SLLP) are recruiting a Litigation Lawyer to join a growing in‑house legal service for 5 London Boroughs, following the merger of our General Litigation and Debt Recovery functions. This vacancy has arisen due to a leaver and presents an opportunity for a confident litigator to take ownership of a broad and complex litigation caseload with management responsibilities. See what the team has to say Here

This is a generalist litigation role but ideally with experience of commercial and/or residential (non-housing) property litigation, ideal for a lawyer who enjoys varied, non-routine disputes and operating as a technical expert in areas not typically covered by all the team.

The Role

You will handle a wide spectrum of property and general litigation cases. The work is fast paced, legally interesting and often strategically important, requiring sound judgement and strong litigation skills. You will work closely with each part of the 5 partner boroughs and be supported by experienced managers with a defined supervision structure.

Main Areas of the Role

• Managing a wide ranging residential (non-housing) and commercial property litigation caseload from pre-action and issue, through to resolution and acting as a subject matter expert including: Leasehold disputes
• Landlord and tenant matters
• Property related contractual and commercial disputes
• Property cases before courts and tribunals
• Claims and disputes that are not insured against
• Providing clear, strategic advice to officers across estates, property and commercial teams
• Conducting and overseeing general litigation whether defending or pursuing claims for the 5 Boroughs relating to:
• Public law issues
• Regulatory issues
• Tortious claims
• Representing the borough’s interests in tribunal proceedings and contested hearings
• Supporting and supervising a small team (currently three direct reports) alongside two experienced managers
• Managing competing demands in a high volume, varied workload

About You

You will be:

• A qualified solicitor or Chartered Legal Executive (Fellow of CILEX) with practising rights.
• An experienced general litigator and/or commercial property litigator
• Confident dealing with contested matters and technically complex disputes
• Comfortable working across residential, commercial and landlord litigation
• A clear communicator, able to explain legal risk and options pragmatically
• Organised and resilient, with the ability to multitask effectively

Prior local authority experience is welcome but not essential; applicants from private practice or other in‑house environments are encouraged.

What We Offer

• A genuinely varied litigation role with real responsibility
• Strong management support within a clearly structured team
• Hybrid working and a collaborative professional culture
• The opportunity to develop as a technical specialist within a public sector setting

SLLP offers hybrid working, a 9‑day working fortnight, one team day per week in Merton, flexible use of offices across partner boroughs, and a genuine commitment to good work life balance while maintaining high professional standards.

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