Solicitor - Education

About us

Stone King is an ambitious and purpose-driven firm. Our collaborative culture and core values are intertwined with our ethos of doing the right thing by our clients, communities, and our people. Our passion for the sectors we work in and the purpose-driven work we do with our clients has resulted in SK being recognised as national leaders in our specialist fields across the country.

The opportunity

This is a fantastic opportunity for a Solicitor to join our progressive and nationally renowned Education Team and work closely with state-funded schools and further education clients on a wide range of day-to-day matters. You’ll advise on pupil and parent-related issues, including safeguarding and welfare, Equality Act considerations, admissions and exclusions, complaints, and regulatory matters involving Ofsted and the Department for Education.

You’ll also gain exposure to strategic governance work, supporting trustees alongside our Charity team and sector specialists. This is a varied role, offering experience across both contentious and non-contentious matters while building insight into the wider regulatory and commercial landscape affecting schools and colleges.

We welcome candidates at different career stages and offer a supportive environment to develop your expertise within our nationally recognised Education Team, ranked Tier 1 in Chambers and Legal 500.

This role can be based in Bath, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds or Manchester, with hybrid working available.

Reasons to apply

• Opportunity to gain invaluable experience across our Education Team, you’ll have the opportunity to work closely with our specialists across the firm.
• To be part of an ambitious and collaborative national firm where our culture and values are at the heart of everything we do. We believe our people are our greatest asset and strive to create the best place to work.
• Excellent benefits for our people, with a focus on wellbeing and development at the forefront.
• Hybrid working - Stone King are proud to be signatories of the Mindful Business Charter as part of our commitment to mental health and wellbeing. We want to support all of our people in achieving a healthy work/ life balance and would be happy to speak with prospective candidates about flexible working arrangements.

Key Responsibilities

General duties include, but are not limited to:

• Effectively manage an individual caseload (with supervision where appropriate)
• Attend to clients of the Firm in the office or elsewhere if needed.
• Work in a collegiate and collaborative way within an immediate Team and wider Firm environment.
• Contribute to knowledge-sharing initiatives across the Education Team and wider firm.
• Communicate promptly and effectively both internally to colleagues and externally to clients.
• Maintain your continuing professional development requirements and take an active interest in furthering your knowledge within the field of education law.
• Support senior lawyers in complex or high-profile matters, including regulatory investigations, tribunal claims and judicial review proceedings.
• To carry out your work for both colleagues and clients to the highest possible standard, having regard to the Firm’s standards, procedures and core values.
• To regularly attend, and be involved in preparation for, Team meetings.
• To attend and be involved in preparation for marketing and business development events and activities.
• Assist with preparing and delivering client training sessions, webinars and sector-focused events.

Requirements

Essential

• Qualified Solicitor; we welcome candidates at different stages of their legal career, with training and support provided to help you grow and develop in the role.
• Prior experience in providing legal advice to schools or clients in the education sector.
• A strong commitment to career development and further learning.
• Previous experience handling own caseload and ability to work independently and as part of the team.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to prioritise workload.
• High attention to detail.
• IT Literate with legal software and Microsoft systems.

Desirable

• A keen interest in Business Development.

Personal Attributes

• Strong organisation skills, taking full ownership of tasks and ensuring delivery within agreed deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey ideas and influence decision-making effectively.
• Adaptable approach in managing workload and supporting others.
• Ability to work collaboratively and team-first attitude.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Individual differences are embraced at Stone King, and we strive to create an environment in which people feel supported and able to be themselves. We are committed to promoting an inclusive working environment that supports the growth and development for all. We are proud to be signatories of the Mindful Business Charter, the Race Fairness Commitment, and the Age Friendly Employer Pledge, and we are a Disability Confident Employer.

Stone King LLP is committed to offering an interview to any job applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the role as defined by the job description and person specification. A full copy of the person specification and job description can be provided by contacting our Recruitment team. In some recruitment situations such as high-peak times, we might need to limit the overall numbers of interviews we offer. This will include the number of interviews offered to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria. When that happens, we’ll still aim to offer a proportionate number of interviews to disabled applicants.

We aim to make our recruitment process as inclusive as possible and will make reasonable adjustments where needed. To discuss adjustments or request information in an alternative format, please contact our recruitment team at Recruitment@stoneking.co.uk or 01225 326770.

Stone King LLP is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity by encouraging all our staff to achieve their full potential and guaranteeing that all employment decisions are taken without reference to irrelevant information or discriminatory practices.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Profit Share Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life assurance (4 x salary)
• Pension scheme
• 28 days holiday (in addition to statutory UK holidays)
• Additional day allocated for CSR activities per annum

Closing date: 19 August 2026

Adverts normally close at midday on the closing date, however vacancies may close early if sufficient applications have been received. Therefore we would encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Stone King LLP is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity by encouraging all our staff to achieve their full potential and guaranteeing that all employment decisions are taken without reference to irrelevant information or discriminatory practices.

Recruitment agencies – please do not send us unsolicited CVs. If you do so, we reserve the right to contact the candidate directly and your T&Cs will not apply.

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