Supervising Solicitor

Job Title: Supervising Solicitor – Legal Aid

This role is particularly well‑suited to candidates seeking reduced hours, portfolio careers, or a position that allows for balance alongside caring responsibilities, studies, or other commitments. The successful candidate will join a values‑driven organisation delivering high‑quality casework, innovative community‑based legal services, and strategic litigation aimed at systemic change.

Location:Spitalfields London E1 5LJ – Hybrid – FTE/ PT applicants welcomed (For FT min. 3 days in office/2 days working from home/Part-time to be agreed)

Reports to:Joint Head of Legal Services/Executive Director

Salary:£39,000 - £45,000 plus 5% pension contribution/pro rota part-time

Holidays:29 days + public holidays/Pro rota part-time

Contract Type: Permanent - Part or Full-time

Closing date for applications: Monday 30 March 2026 at 5pm

Interviews:Commencing the week Monday 06 April 2026

We also want to ensure this opportunity is open to people who are strongly committed to social justice and the legal rights of marginalised communities, and who have substantial experience of legal aid in housing, public and/or community care law. If this is you, and you meet the minimum criteria for the Supervising Solicitor – Legal Aid role, but you may not yet have built up a body of work, please do apply.

Please note: We do *not* expect the postholder to generate legal aid income at a multiple of their salary. While we do aim to grow legal aid income across the team to an initial target of £15,000–£25,000 per annum, the focus of this role is on developing high‑quality legal aid practice and building sustainable income collectively, as part of a mixed‑income organisational model.

We particularly welcome applications from people from Black and minoritised communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, people from working-class backgrounds, and people with lived experience of the issues we work on. We are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve, and we know that lived experience and diverse perspectives strengthen our legal practice and our work for systemic change.

Person Specification

Essential

• Minimum 4 years + post qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate, and
• Minimum 3 years + substantial experience in legal aid casework, supervision and/or compliance, and
• Minimum 1 year + experience of supervising others, and
• Experience in public law, housing law, and/or community care law within legal aid practice, and
• Strong commitment to social justice, harm reduction, and trauma-informed practice.
• Approved legal aid supervisor with the Legal Aid Agency

Desirable

• Experience working in a charity or non-profit organisation.
• Experience supporting or contributing to strategic litigation or test case work.
• Understanding of the impact of drug policy and criminalisation on marginalised communities.
• Experience in developing new services, partnerships, or funding-linked delivery models.

About the Role

The Supervising Solicitor – Legal Aid is a key role in shaping and strengthening [Employer hidden]’s legal services. Working closely with the Joint Head of Legal Services and Executive Director, and in collaboration with other colleagues, you will supervise the delivery of high-quality legal advice and representation, supporting the growth of legal aid practice whilst ensuring [Employer hidden] continues to train and develop social justice lawyers for the future.

We are looking for an experienced legal aid practitioner who is strongly committed to social justice and the legal rights of marginalised communities, and who wants to build leadership experience in a movement-led organisation. The role will combine hands-on practice, leadership, supervision and compliance responsibilities.

As Supervising Solicitor – Legal Aid, you will:

• Support Strategic Development: Contribute to developing the direction and priorities of [Employer hidden]’s legal services, including expanding legal aid work and strengthening access to justice.
• Provide Practice Supervision: Support a multidisciplinary team of solicitors, legal advisers and volunteers to deliver excellent, trauma-informed legal support. Support and mentor team members on how to adhere to legal aid file compliance, time recording and CCMS applications.
• Ensure Quality and Compliance: Help ensure consistent regulatory compliance and quality assurance across legal casework, including legal aid requirements.
• Strengthen and Grow Services: Help develop and improve legal service delivery models, including responding to emerging needs and client priorities.
• Contribute to Systemic Change: Support [Employer hidden]’s wider mission by helping connect legal services with policy, research, and advocacy work.

This role is ideal for someone with legal aid expertise and management potential, who wants to take a meaningful step into leadership whilst continuing to centre client care, justice and harm reduction.

Summary of Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Supervisory Leadership

• Shape [Employer hidden]’s legal services strategy, ensuring alignment with harm reduction principles and organisational goals.
• Support planning, delivery, and development of new legal service areas.
• Contribute to organisational decision‑making as part of senior management.

Legal Aid & Compliance

• Lead on securing, maintaining, and delivering Legal Aid Agency (LAA) contracts.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with SQM, SRA and other regulatory standards.
• Oversee legal aid billing, audit readiness, and casework quality assurance.
• Use legal aid casework strategically, including opportunities for litigation funding via CCMS.

Operational Oversight

• Support day‑to‑day operations, including case allocation, triage and service systems.
• Maintain robust compliance and quality standards across legal services.

Team Supervision & Culture

• Provide supervision and support to legal staff, caseworkers and volunteers.
• Embed trauma‑informed, culturally competent, and anti‑racist practice.
• Promote team wellbeing, resilience and creative legal thinking (e.g., pre‑action and JR routes).

Service Innovation & Accessibility

• Contribute to developing new, accessible models of legal support (community‑based and digital).
• Ensure services remain responsive to the needs of people who use drugs and other marginalised groups.

Policy, Advocacy & Learning

• Feed casework insights into [Employer hidden]’s policy and campaigning work.
• Support creation of briefings, reports, research outputs and external communications.

Partnerships & Profile

• Build and maintain partnerships with community groups, legal networks and advocacy organisations.
• Help sustain [Employer hidden]’s reputation as a leader in harm‑reduction and rights‑based legal services.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Governance

• Support monitoring of outcomes, learning and service performance.
• Provide updates to senior leadership and Trustees, including risks and opportunities.