Lawyer - Contracts and Commissioning

About Us

Mid Kent Legal Services (MKLS) provides legal services and advice across the Mid-Kent area (to Swale, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells councils) The service covers a range of areas including Property and Regeneration, Planning, Contentious, Contracts & Commissioning and Corporate Governance. Working across multiple councils means a range of high-level, challenging and impactful work ranging from supporting the delivery of garden communities, to the redevelopment of large shopping centres, to letting very large contracts, to delivering affordable housing.

In short, it’s a real opportunity to make a difference in an area with vibrant towns, beautiful villages and countryside and fantastic leisure and cultural amenities.

MKLS’s has a reputation as being forward thinking, progressive and innovative and is closely and strongly aligned with is partner authorities. It provides a supportive and nurturing environment, providing opportunities for staff to progress internally and uses technology to maximise the effective use of lawyers' time. In short, it is a great place to work.

• Local Government pension scheme
• Generous annual leave plus time off between Christmas and New Year (and option to purchase extra leave)
• Wellbeing support including confidential advice, counselling, flu vaccines
• Discounts on leisure, retail, and fuel and salary sacrifice schemes including Cycle to Work and car leasing
• Generous sick pay
• Free parking across the 3 Partner Authority sites
• Season ticket loans for rail/bus travel
• Career development

This is the ideal opportunity for a contracts and commissioning legal professional to join our forward-thinking shared service.

With generous benefits, including a brilliant pension scheme and access to professional development, you’ll thrive in a role that supports your growth in the practice area of contracts and commissioning law.

What’s more, we offer outstanding working arrangements, with the majority of your time spent working from home and a 34 hour working week including 1pm finishes on Fridays. On top of this, we offer a number of working option such as compressed hours, nine day fortnights and part-time working all within an inclusive and supportive working environment where your wellbeing is prioritised.

As our Lawyer (Contracts and Commissioning), you will be developed and supported to provide high-quality, proactive professional legal advice in contracts and commissioning law and practice.

Ensuring we operate at the forefront of legal excellence and align with Lexcel standards, you will provide legal advice and communications to clients, across all three local authorities.

You will be developed and supported to supervise less senior fee earners and Legal Support Officers, ensuring high-quality support in legal transactions.

Additionally, you:

• Stay updated on legal developments in contracts and commissioning
• Be developed and supported to represent MKLS in internal working groups and external meetings
• Uphold the Council’s policies

We are now looking for a Lawyer (Contracts and Commissioning) to join us on a full-time, permanent basis, working 34 hours per week.

This is an exciting time to join the MKLS Contracts and Commissioning Team with a number of large and high-profile projects happening across the Partner Authorities.

To be considered as our Lawyer (Contracts and Commissioning), you will need:

• To be a qualified solicitor, barrister, chartered legal executive or have equivalent qualification and experience
• Minimum of 2 years post qualification legal practice experience in contracts and commissioning
• Some knowledge and understanding of the new Procurement Act and experience of drafting appointment contracts, non-disclosure agreements and exclusivity agreements
• Some knowledge and understanding of the political nature of local government and democratic process
• A full, valid driving licence

Other organisations may call this role Legal Counsel, Legal Services Advisor, Solicitor, Barrister, or Chartered Legal Executive.

Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those that are successful in securing an interview can expect a face‑to‑face interview.

Mid Kent Legal Services and Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells local authorities are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Timothy Pyant, Interim Business Manager on

Job Description and

Person Specification:

Interview Date: w/c 2nd March 2026