Deputy Head of Legal Services

Role Type Police Staff
Local Policing/ Business Area Legal Services
Department Legal Services
Location HQ Waterwells
Grade PO4
Salary £54,696 - £57,186
Hours per Week 37
Type of Contract Permanent

Description 

The Legal Services Department at Gloucestershire Constabulary is seeking an exceptional senior lawyer to join our valued in‑house team as Deputy Head of Legal Services. We provide expert legal support to the Chief Constable and to the officers, staff and volunteers who serve our communities every day. Our work is varied, meaningful and directly connected to public protection and operational policing.

This is a rare opportunity for an experienced legal professional who wants to use their expertise in a leadership role with real purpose, influence and impact.

What you’ll be doing

As Deputy Head of Legal Services, you will play a pivotal role in leading the delivery of high‑quality legal services across the organisation. You will:

Undertake complex and sensitive advocacy, including high‑profile and urgent court applications designed to safeguard the public and protect vulnerable individuals.
Provide authoritative advice across a wide range of legal disciplines, including:
Civil litigation
Employment law
Public law and judicial review
Human rights
Regulatory matters
Information law
Commercial and procurement law
Family law
Operational Policing matters
Act as a trusted senior adviser to senior officers and staff, supporting operational decision‑making and strategic policing activity.
Lead, manage and develop a team of lawyers and paralegals, ensuring high professional standards, effective performance management and a culture of continuous improvement.
Contribute to departmental planning, risk management and service development, helping to shape the legal frameworks that underpin frontline policing.

Why this role stands out

This is a leadership role in a fast‑paced, high‑impact environment. No two days are the same. You will be working at the heart of operational policing, where your advice can have immediate and significant real‑world implications. We are looking for someone who is:

An experienced senior lawyer with strong professional judgement
A confident advocate capable of handling complex, sensitive and urgent cases
A collaborative and supportive leader, able to inspire and guide a multidisciplinary team
Highly-organised and able to manage competing demands under pressure
Resilient, adaptable and committed to delivering excellent service

The experience we’re looking for

You should have substantial post‑qualification experience (typically 5+ years) in at least one of the following areas:

Civil litigation
Human rights law
Police operational law
Judicial review
Employment law
Police misconduct
Previous advocacy experience is essential, and experience in supervising or leading legal professionals is highly desirable. Experience within the public sector—particularly policing—is an advantage.

Application requirements

We are looking for UK‑qualified lawyer with rights of audience in the Magistrates’ Court. When completing your application, please refer to the role profile for full details of the essential qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills required. Please also ensure you will be in a position to provide proof, when requested, of one of the following, depending on your professional route:

SRA number and date of admission to the Roll
Bar membership number and Year of Call
CILEx membership number and date of Fellowship

Please refer to the Role Profile document when completing the Statement in support of your application section of the form. In this section, you are required to provide evidence with specific examples for each of the Essential criteria included under the Experience and Qualifications section of the Role Profile. For each of the criteria, please write a paragraph detailing how your experience, qualifications, skills and abilities meet the minimum criteria for the role. Applicants who do not provide this required evidence will unfortunately not be invited to interview.

Candidates applying for Gloucestershire Constabulary should be aware that the use of online 'Artificial Intelligence' (AI) systems such as ChatGPT to generate application answers is NOT permitted, any candidate found to have submitted an application form using online 'AI' software to generate answers will be removed from the recruitment process with immediate effect. This may result in future applications with the Constabulary also being rejected, based on integrity.

Need help with your application?

If you need any support while completing your application, whether it’s understanding the questions, gathering the right information, or just having someone to talk it through with, then our Better Together Team is here to help. We’d be happy to support you at any stage of the process.

At Gloucestershire Constabulary we recognise the benefits of increasing diversity across our force and the value of building a representative workforce. That is why it is important that people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and under-represented groups, including those with a disability, apply and help us deliver excellence in policing throughout Gloucestershire. We are a proud Disability Confident Employer and are committed to providing equal opportunities. 

Closing Date 15/02/2026, 23:55

For further information in relation to this current police staff vacancy, the role profile and the application form, please click on the Apply Now button.