From locum candidate to loyal client: LLG President Aneeka Muneer’s Q&A with Sellick Partnership

Working in local government law offers a unique and rewarding career path, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. Aneeka Muneer knows this better than most, having started her journey with Sellick Partnership as a locum legal professional before moving into a permanent role at Calderdale Council. Now, as both a client of Sellick Partnership and the President of Lawyers in Local Government (LLG), Aneeka has a wealth of experience and a unique perspective on the sector.

In this Q&A, Aneeka shares her story of transitioning from a locum to a permanent position and reflects on how her experiences have shaped her approach to recruitment. As someone who has been on both sides of the process, she provides valuable insights into how local government roles can be made more accessible and appealing to legal professionals while highlighting some of the current challenges councils face in attracting and retaining talent.

Aneeka also discusses her role with LLG where she champions the development and support of legal professionals in local authorities, and has a particular passion for grassroots legal professionals. Whether you're considering a career in local government or are curious about the sector's inner workings, Aneeka’s experiences and advice offer a thoughtful and practical perspective.

Tell us a bit about your career journey.

I started out in Bradford Council as a Legal Assistant, drafting witness statements for civil claims. That's how I came into local government, but I’d always wanted to work in local government anyway. 

Then I became a permanent member of staff and, on top of that, I got my training contract. I later qualified in-house and was doing both criminal and civil law: public liability, employer liability and civil claims. 

I later went into prosecution work, I had a preference for this because of the criminal and legal approach to it. This included planning, environmental health, licensing, trading standards, and much more - I was the advocate in the Magistrate’s Court for about 17 years. 

One of the unique things about working in local government is that you don't need to wait to have your training contract in order to represent the council in court, because you can get the authorisation under the Local Government Act. So, I started doing advocacy before my training contract, which was quite a unique role in itself. 

I got involved with the LLG and started running the regional group while I was a trainee, then I did the diploma local government law and practice. From there, I moved into the governance side and that's why I was really interested in applying for the post on the LLG. 

I was on the Board of the LLG originally as Membership Director for two years, then I became Deputy Vice President until April 2024, when I took on my latest role as President. 

What attracted you to local government in the first place? 

I think it's always been an element of public service, and the bigger picture. No day has ever been the same in local government, and I can genuinely say that. Even as a trainee, you never knew what was going to end up on your desk – I can say that today as well. 
 
But also, it's working with professional clients, and that's the other thing that's drawn me to local government work. You're working with officers who are experts in their field, and I've always seen it as a two-way relationship in terms of learning from them. 
 
Finally, it’s the political dynamics that you get from local government that are so interesting. Not only do you see the local politics and watch how that plays out in decision-making, but then also the influence of national politics. It's just so many different dynamics and you're working with so many different types of people. 

What made you want to go down the route of leadership? 

When I did the diploma, I never realised what it was about local government law that I actually enjoyed. Soon enough, I realised that it was the whole governance side of things, understanding structures and decision-making around that. That's why there was a real drive and passion in that area of law. 

In terms of moving into leadership management, it's always been about having the ability to influence change in a positive way. I definitely came to a stage in my own career where I felt that I had more to give. 

What advice would you give to other people that are maybe already working within local government or within the public sector, that are wanting to get into a leadership position?

My main piece of advice would be: don’t think that you can't do it. I always saw managers as being so high up, or even Head of Legal was someone that was in an untouchable position, so to speak. I think that can hold us back - you have this imposter syndrome where you tell yourself I can't, what am I going to bring? when actually, as a Lawyer, you already come with so many skills, those transferable skills. 

I also think it’s important to not lose sight of those soft skills, and that's ultimately what management and leadership are about. It's like going back to those, and really enhancing them throughout your career as well if you can, whether or not it’s within your job and within the council, or whether it's extracurricular things that you do outside of the council. For example, I was a school governor and a hockey coach, so I was building on my soft skill development.

You have quite a unique perspective on things: you’ve had permanent roles, have done locum work, then moved back into a different permanent role, and then into a leadership position. How do you think having that perspective has been helpful or changed things for you?

Initially, when I became a locum, I had never envisaged that I would be a locum. I think lockdown changed a lot, it seemed to open doors that would never have been possible before. Even when it came to my role on the LLG, I would never have thought I could apply for it. How could I have gone to a board meeting in a different part of the country? 

I was working part-time for Bradford Council, so I had some free days and I thought, okay, let's dabble, let's just see. I got a part-time role, through Sellick Partnership, as a locum which was a great opportunity to be able to have that part-time option as well. 

It opened my eyes a lot more and made me understand what I wanted, as well as what I didn’t want.  

It made me realise that being in a permanent role, you can influence change and build relationships. So, even though I loved working with the clients that I was working with in the first authority that I was a locum at, there was a hold on how far you could develop that relationship. When it came to meetings I’d limit them to 15 minutes, now I’ll allow it to go on for half an hour or maybe a bit longer because I’m a permanent member of staff so there’s a completely different approach. 

In terms of being a locum and then being responsible for recruiting into that role, I think it's made me want to understand where someone wants to go in their career. I think that's an important aspect, because sometimes people want to do locum work for different reasons.

Maybe it’s financial, or because they want to gain experience within a different area of law. It might be just because of their working setup. 

How did you get involved in LLG and why did you want to?

For me, it was about the strategic outlook and what was happening nationally.  I wouldn't have applied for the role had it not been for the ability to work remotely during lockdown. With everything being over Zoom, it just made things more accessible. 

I entered the Board because I felt that at the time the grassroots - your average lawyer - wasn't really represented as much. So, the Membership Director role came about and that's why I applied for it.

What are some of the biggest things that you've been involved with through the LLG, either during your time as President or before that? 

One thing that we've been working on is a governance review of the LLG, I’ve really enjoyed that because it’s looking at how the regionals interact with the LLG at the national level. Then also there's the new code that the Ombudsman has brought out – so that's something I've been promoting through webinars and representation at the grassroots level. 

Grassroots is an area that is personally still very close to my heart because when I came in, I was ‘just a Prosecution Lawyer’ and that's not something to lose sight of. That's not just for Prosecution Lawyers, that's for Adult Social Care Lawyers, Childcare Lawyers – they are still part of the LLG and it's engaging those grassroots professionals. 

Then I’m also involved in roundtable discussions on the future of local government and reform.

People are so strained with time that it's not always given priority, but it’s beneficial to build those networks and have those connections. 

What do you think some of the biggest challenges are facing local government legal teams? What do you think those challenges are going to be in the next couple of years and how is LLG going to try and support and address some of those challenges?

I think one of the big challenges that not only local governments have in terms of legal services, but just generally is recruitment and retention. That’s a huge thing and I think it’s also going to cross over to retention of LLG members, not just staff. 

One of the challenges for LLG is the funding, and I think it's always about collaborative working. This then comes back to the reason that networking is such a positive thing to do, because not only does it help to share those practice ideas, but also to provide that kind of wellbeing support, that everyone's in the same boat, and that's what I've found. During the conferences that I attend, everyone talks about the same things. Hearing someone else say it, and then feeling that you collectively share that challenge, it doesn't make you feel alone.  

I think the whole conversation around AI and how that kind of pulls into local government work could be a challenge as well. I went to a recent conference and it was said don't think that your staff are not using AI, even if you don't have a policy on it. As lawyers we're very risk-averse – naturally, we have to be. But how can we then support our services and support our council to help them move into the next phase? They do say that now this is like a different revolution, it's the digital revolution.

So, change is everywhere, it’s never easy, but it's something that you've got to rise to.

If you are speaking to a candidate whether that's for a temporary or a permanent position. What is it that you're looking for in somebody?

I think the main thing is a can-do attitude. It's an attitude where you’ve just got willingness; a willingness to understand, a willingness to be involved because you never know what's going to land on your desk. So, ultimately, that kind of flexibility around actually being able and willing to pick up whatever work stream comes their way. 

The ability to get on with people just generally, in local government it’s being able to get on with your clients at different levels, your manager, the support staff.

What do you think organisations can be doing to try and improve some of those retention problems that the local government have? 

One thing that Calderdale is very good at, and in fact, it got an award for recently, is having a great culture. There is very much a sense that each person matters and when you feel cared for in an environment, one where you feel that you're able to develop, I think that's always going to be a place where somebody will stay. 

What other tips would you give – from a client or candidate perspective – for somebody wanting to get into local government?

Get as much experience as you can in different departments, even if it's with a legal service, because until you start working you don't actually know what you enjoy or don't enjoy. I'm talking to those just coming into the profession or out of university.

In my own view, I think there's something in local government for everyone whether it's environmental health, legal services, or different streams of the law such as: property and freedom of information. So, gain as much experience as you can, and then decide.

The other thing I’d say is don't hold yourself back, just don't hold yourself back, you don't need to know what your career path is going to be. The LLG run an ‘aspire course’ which is focused towards those aspiring to be Monitoring Officers (MOs), deputy MOs, and MOs. If that's something someone's interested in then I’d encourage them to look into that for the next cohort. 

From your perspective what's the benefit of using an agency like Sellick Partnership, whether that is as a client or candidate? 

It really saves time on doing the groundwork because just having that one port of call within an agency where you can say, all right, who've you got that can cover these sets of skills or this work?

That way, when you're looking at the applications that are pretty much tailored then towards what your requirements are for your service. And that, to me, has just been so invaluable to have someone else do that for you. But then it still gives you a choice of two or three different candidates.

From a candidate perspective, it’s knowing that you've got someone who understands what your service setup is, and where the vacancies are - not just the vacancies that you're looking for, say a Legal Assistant, but actually who that Legal Assistant will be working with. The agency may have already placed someone in that same team, so they'll know exactly who that person is going to be working with. 

That in itself is invaluable because the agency has an understanding of the personality dynamics and then they understand the work streams and what future work streams are likely going to come forward. What the intention is for the service, or where you're going as service. 

About LLG 

Lawyers in Local Government (LLG) is a dedicated professional body that supports legal professionals working within local authorities across the UK. With a focus on training, development, and networking, LLG provides a range of opportunities for its members to enhance their skills and share best practices within the sector.

Each year, LLG hosts several key events tailored to the needs of local government lawyers. These include the Spring Conference, the Governance Conference in December, and the Leadership Conference in February, alongside the Monitoring Officers (MO) Conference, which focuses on the specific responsibilities of monitoring officers. In addition to these flagship events, LLG offers a wide variety of paid training opportunities throughout the year.

Members can also engage with regional groups and special activity areas, which provide ongoing support and collaboration. Take a look at the website for more information.

Get in touch with us 

At Sellick Partnership, we pride ourselves on supporting both clients and candidates in achieving their goals. Whether you're a client seeking highly skilled legal professionals to strengthen your team or a candidate exploring exciting opportunities within local government, our dedicated recruitment experts are here to help.

For clients, we understand the unique challenges faced by local authorities and public sector organisations. With years of experience in the sector, we work closely with you to provide tailored recruitment solutions, ensuring you have access to the best talent to meet your needs. From locum support to permanent hires, we are committed to finding the right fit for your team.

For candidates, our specialist recruiters offer a range of opportunities across local government and beyond. Whether you’re considering locum work or looking for a permanent role, we’re here to guide you and connect you with roles that align with your skills, aspirations, and values.

If you’re ready to take the next step, contact Sellick Partnership today. Whether you're looking to recruit or explore your career options, we’ll work with you to make the process seamless and successful.