The Legal Services team operates as a specialist law practice. Find out about services on offer including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the council's Legal Services.

The Legal Services team operates as a specialist law practice, providing high quality, best value advisory services to the council, outside public sector bodies, schools and academies on a full range of legal matters including planning law, litigation, education law, property, employment law, highways law and civil litigation.

Our primary role is to empower our clients to achieve their objectives and discharge their statutory functions on behalf of the community while remaining in full compliance with the law.

We have over 50 staff, including expert lawyers, advocates and support officers using state-of-the-art case management systems and web-based research tools to deliver technically accurate, commercially relevant and innovative legal solutions. Between us, we have a range of advocacy, advice, drafting and negotiation skills that enable us to meet our clients' demands and deliver comprehensive legal support to public sector organisations.

What types of legal work do we undertake?
Contracts

Commercial contracts - all goods, services and works contracts, grants and funding agreements, collaboration agreements, software agreements, joint use agreements, back-to-back agreements, waste agreements, Clinical Commissioning Group agreements, secondments, partnerships, cleaning, catering and social services agreements, data protection and confidentiality agreements, building contracts including Joints Contract Tribunal (JCT).

Procurement - The Official Journal of the European Union, Contract Award Notices, open/restricted/ competitive dialogue procedures and frameworks. Advice, negotiation and drafting of all stages of procurement including tender documents, terms and conditions, evaluation criteria, selection processes, award and debriefings.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) Private Finance Initiative (PFI)/Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and academies - advice, negotiation and drafting of PPP and PFI agreements, advice on procurement, documentation and negotiation with the contractors and subcontractors / schools / governing bodies for BSF matters (also licences, orders for services and collateral warranties), advice, negotiation and drafting of short term and long term leases / occupation agreements / asset transfer agreements / development agreements and building contracts for academies.

Company law and trading - advice on company law, setting up companies and Joint Venture Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships. Company Secretarial service. Advice on local authority charging, trading and general power of competence.

Litigation
  • Building control
  • Civil claims of a complex nature
  • Coroner's cases
  • Data protection
  • Defamation
  • Education welfare and other matters involving children and vulnerable adults
  • Elections
  • Employment
  • Environmental health and trading standards
  • Information and governance
  • Judicial reviews
  • Licensing
  • Private sector housing
Property and Highways
  • Commercial conveyancing - including commercial leases, buying and selling tenanted property                                                           
  • Renewal and termination of business tenancies
  • Acquisitions and disposals of land and buildings
  • Easements
  • Land Registry applications
  • Rights of way
  • Modification, diversion and traffic regulation orders
  • Commons issues
  • Planning enforcement and prosecutions
  • Planning obligations
  • Compulsory Purchase Orders and ancillary orders
  • Road adoptions and improvements
  • Highways advice and all agreements required to facilitate highway improvement works
  • Advice on planning matters and representation at public inquiries and hearings
  • Negotiation and, drafting of complex planning, highways and other infrastructure agreements
Childcare
  • Advice to Childcare Services and represent the client department on a wide range of complex child protection issues and related matters regarding public and private law
  • Advice regarding policy to members and committees
  • Advice on care proceedings and adoption matters and represent the local authority in court
  • Education and adult social care
  • Community care
  • Mental health law
  • Mental capacity
  • Court of protection
  • Special educational needs
  • School transport
  • Trusts and educational charities
  • Health and safety issues
  • Employment of children
  • Education contracts
  • Student awards and grants
School & Academy Advice
  • Admission and exclusion appeals
  • Employment law
  • Debt recovery
  • Governance
  • Safeguarding law
  • Contract and procurement law
  • Property law
  • Information law
  • Academy conversion
Data protection and freedom of information
  • Information rights
  • Freedom of Information Act 2000
  • Environmental Information Regulations 2004
  • Data Protection Act
Do you offer a service to individual members of the public?

Legal Services cannot act for individual members of the public, nor can we recommend you to particular law firms. You may however find the following links to external websites of use:

How do I contact legal services?

If you would like to know more about Legal Services and how we can help your organisation, please contact Tracey Christie, Head of Legal Services via:

E-mail: Tracey.Christie@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Telephone: 01902 554925

Or complete the contact form below:

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