Public Law Solicitor (Legal Aid / Community Care / Mental Health Interface)

Location: Manchester | Bristol | Harpenden | Aldershot

Working Pattern: Flexible (Remote / Hybrid / Office-Based)

Job Type: Full-Time

Salary: Competitive + Benefits

About Us

Bison Solicitors is a progressive, specialist law firm committed to access to justice. We are proud to be fully employee-owned through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT)a structure that ensures every member of our team has a meaningful stake in the firms success.

We specialise in publicly funded work and act for vulnerable individuals across a range of complex and often overlapping areas of law. After 12 months service, employees automatically become beneficiaries of the EOT, sharing in the long-term growth of the firm.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Public Law Solicitor to join our growing team.

This is a unique opportunity to undertake cross-disciplinary work at the intersection of:

• Public law
• Mental health law
• Mental capacity / Court of Protection
• Community care law

You will work on a varied and impactful caseload, including:

• Judicial review matters and public law challenges
• Cases involving duties owed by local authorities and public bodies
• Matters intersecting with mental health detention and capacity issues
• Age assessment challenges and related litigation
• Community care and support provision disputes

This role offers the opportunity to build a genuinely diverse and meaningful practice, handling complex and high-impact cases.

Key Responsibilities

• Managing a caseload of public law and legally aided matters with full conduct of litigation from instruction through to conclusion
• Conducting judicial review and pre-action protocol work
• Advising vulnerable clients and those lacking capacity
• Liaising effectively with clients and/or litigation friends, ensuring clear and sensitive communication throughout
• Preparing and managing legal aid applications and compliance with LAA requirements
• Drafting detailed grounds, witness statements, and legal submissions
• Liaising with counsel, the courts, experts, and opposing parties
• Working across overlapping legal frameworks (public law, mental health, mental capacity)
• Supervision and training paralegals

About You

We are looking for a solicitor who:

• Is qualified in England & Wales
• Has strong experience in public law and legal aid work
• Has experience or exposure to judicial review
• Is confident managing a complex and sensitive caseload
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to access to justice and client care

Highly desirable:

• Experience in mental health law, Court of Protection, or community care law
• Experience with age assessment challenges
• Advocacy experience or willingness to develop

What We Offer

• Fully flexible working remote, hybrid, or office-based
• A supportive, collaborative, and purpose-driven team environment
• Competitive salary and benefits package
• High-quality, meaningful work with real social impact
• Employee Ownership Trust participation after 12 months
• A genuine voice in how the firm develops and grows

Why Join Bison Solicitors?

Bison Solicitors is not a traditional law firm. As an employee-owned business, we operate with a long-term, people-first approach:

• Every team member contributes to and benefits from the firms success
• We prioritise collaboration over hierarchy
• We are building a sustainable, values-driven legal practice

This is an opportunity to undertake challenging, rewarding work in a firm that values both professional excellence and fairness.

Apply Now

If you are an experienced public law solicitor seeking a flexible role with real impactand a firm where you are genuinely investedwe would be pleased to hear from you.

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