Planning Lawyer and Senior Planning Lawyer

We are currently partnering with a London Borough, who are recruiting for a Planning and Senior Planning Lawyer to join the in-house Legal Service’s Commercial Team. The need arises from a recent restructure, both being offered on a permanent basis.

These are available as a full-time position with salary bands of 52,116 to £55,155 and £58,248 to £61,617 per annum respectively and the start date is subject to notice.

The role is mainly based in the London with need to travel to other offices and court as required. The overall purpose of the role is to actively support the management of the department by providing high level and proactive expert legal advice to the Council, its members and officers. Also, to be a point of contact for members and senior officers on legal matters in respect of Planning, Regeneration and Highways.

The successful candidate must be a Qualification as Solicitor, Barrister or FILEX

Duties will include (but are not limited to):

Planning Lawyer:

• To draft agreements relating to the exercise of the Council’s planning and highway functions.
• To advise and if appropriate represent the Council at any relevant inquiry or tribunal.
• To advise on the Council’s powers and its decision making process and ensure the legality of its decision making
• To consider and give advice on committee and other similar reports and to attend committee
• To deal with corporate complaints and Member enquiries
• To advise and lead on corporate and strategic legal work, including major projects and cross departmental initiatives
• To provide high level input to the Counci’s policies and help develop and implement the Corporate Strategy and the performance framework alongside the Council’s policies strategies and targets
• To deal with high level, complex individual casework and conduct litigation arising in the area of responsibility, without the need for counsel (except where rights of audience require the case to be argued by counsel)
• To contribute towards the running of Legal Services as required and to provide general supervision guidance and training to lawyers within the team

Senior Planning Lawyer:

• Make a positive contribution to the delivery of the service, this will include working flexibly and positively to achieve the objectives of the council
• Manage and lead staff to achieve high performance and effective operational delivery, including developing and improving staff capability
• Manage a customer focused service and the effective use of resources
• Ensure that the council’s overall vision, values and ethos are central to the requirements of the se
• rviceSupport effective working relationships and act as an ambassador and advocate with external organisations
• Keep up to date with developments in service delivery and best practice to ensure the service performs effectively and to the highest standards
• To provide high level specialist and proactive legal advice to the Council, its cabinet, Committee members and senior officers and other external clients on all issues arising, this includes planning, environment, property, highways and procurement and contractual matters on behalf of the Council and, where appropriate, external clients
• To advise on and draft documentation in connection with complex planning and other regeneration related matters

Experience required:

• Track record of achievement at a management level in a similarly large and complex organisation
• Well-developed understanding of planning law and practice
• Comprehensive knowledge of the law affecting local government and its trends in the UK
• and EU
• Experience of providing advice to members of a Council / Board Members on legal issues both in public meetings, through presentation briefing reports etc
• Experience of contributing to corporate decision making and development of corporate policy and strategy

Skills, knowledge and expertise required:

• Evidence of significant relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• Full understanding of risk management in the context of corporate governance

Rewards and Benefits:

• Local Government Pension Scheme – recognised for offering one of the most competitive employer contribution rates
• Flexible working options – we provide flexible hours and a hybrid working model, enabling remote work while ensuring regular office presence to support a healthy work-life balance
• Family-friendly policies – including comprehensive Maternity, Paternity and Adoption
• benefits
• Outstanding Employee Assistance Program – offering support for workplace transitions as well as assistance with personal, family and professional matters
• Generous leave allowance – starting at 25 days of annual leave, increasing after 5 and 10 years of service, plus public holidays, with the option to purchase additional leave
• This is a great opportunity to step-up - Willing to offer training and progression

Working hours:

• Full time (36 hours a week) - but open to condensed hours
• Three days a week in the office – flexible days

Please note that you require recent experience to apply for this role.

James Andrews is acting as an employment agency and business in relation to this role.

At James Andrews Recruitment Solutions we try to respond to all applications personally, however, due to the high volume of applications this is not always possible. If you have not heard back from us within 72 hours, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

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