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. Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at (url removed)