Lisa-Marie Smith
Director of Joint Legal Services

Welcome to Joint Legal Services (JLS). We operate as a collaborative Legal Services function which provides a comprehensive and effective in-house legal service to Staffordshire and West Midlands Police, including their associated Police and Crime Commissioners. We provide legal advice to police officers and staff of all ranks servicing a client base of over 13,000 individuals across both forces.

Police law is an exciting practice area, and our team of passionate and knowledgeable lawyers are required to advise on a range of legal issues, ranging from advice on employment law to high profile and high value civil claims against our clients. The variety and breadth of our work means that no one working day is the same and our lawyers are challenged by the requirement to keep their knowledge current on ever changing law, policy, guidance, and procedure.

I am proud to say that the Department is seen as a key enabling function in the delivery of policing to the communities of Staffordshire and the West Midlands. The quality of the legal work is second to none.  It is a privilege for me to lead such a fantastic team of excellent lawyers with experience in multiple fields of law. A career within Joint Legal Services provides an outstanding opportunity for professional development.

It is great to be involved in a department where your work has a positive impact on local communities. I know the positive impact of our work is felt by the entire team.  Our clients serve over 3.9 million people in an area that covers over 1,300 square miles.

If you would like to talk about a career in Joint Legal Services and how we can support your career ambitions, please speak to Tom Ripley at Venn Group.

Thank you for your interesting in joining our thriving team.