Legal Counsel – New Inhouse Role
Make your legal expertise count where it matters.
Invercargill City Council is entering an important period of change and investment, with a strong focus on delivering sustainable services, strengthening organisational capability and ensuring the city is well positioned for the future.
As part of this evolution, Council is establishing a new in-house Legal Counsel role – creating an opportunity for an experienced commercial lawyer to step into a broad, influential position where your advice will directly shape decisions and outcomes across the organisation.
Reporting to the Group Manager – Corporate Services and leading a Legal Executive, you will become a trusted adviser to the Chief Executive, Executive Leadership Team, Elected Members and teams across Council. Are you keen for this exciting step?
About the Role
This is a genuinely varied in-house legal role spanning commercial contracts, procurement, property and conveyancing, corporate and public law, governance, dispute resolution and general organisational advice.
You will provide pragmatic legal guidance on complex commercial and contractual matters; support procurement and property transactions; advise on statutory and governance obligations; manage emerging disputes and legal risk; and coordinate specialist external counsel when required.
Importantly, this is not a role for someone who wants to practise law from the sidelines. You will work closely with leaders across Council, translating complex legal issues into practical advice that enables good decisions and gets things done.
You will also have the opportunity to help shape how Council accesses and manages legal services, including the establishment and ongoing management of its external legal panel.
About you
You will be an experienced commercial lawyer who combines strong technical capability with commercial judgement, pragmatism and excellent relationship skills. You may already be working in-house, or perhaps you are an experienced private practice lawyer ready to leave behind billable hours and six-minute units for a role offering breadth, autonomy and tangible impact.
Ideally, you will bring:
Local government experience would be valuable, but it is not essential. More important is your ability to understand a complex organisation, build trusted relationships and provide commercially grounded advice.
Why Invercargill City Council?
This is an opportunity to build an in-house legal career with genuine variety and influence while enjoying everything Southland has to offer.
Invercargill combines the opportunities and amenities of a regional city with an affordable, easy lifestyle and extraordinary natural environments on its doorstep. With Fiordland, Stewart Island/Rakiura, the Catlins and Central Otago within reach, it is a place where a rewarding career and life outside work can comfortably coexist.
Invercargill City Council offers flexible working arrangements and relocation support for the right candidate.
If you are looking for a legal role where relationships matter, your advice has visible impact and no two days are quite the same, we would love to hear from you.
How to apply
For a copy of the position description and to apply, visit the Decipher Group website Legal Counsel - Decipher Group. To discover more about Southland and Invercargill City Council www.southlandnz.com and www.icc.govt.nz
For a confidential discussion about the role; Leanne Crozier on 021 245 2224 or Email to [email protected].
Applications close: Monday 21st September 2026
Sales Assistant
Charles Tyrwhitt
Senior Lecturer in Management Accounting
American Accounting Association
Manager – Property, Facilities & Fleet
Invercargill City Council
Solutions Engineer Intern
Partly
Senior Site Reliability Engineer, ANZ
Partly
People & Capability Co-ordinator
Epa