This is an opportunity for an ambitious professional seeking flexible hours and with a degree level qualification in law, paralegal, or legal executive, or working towards a paralegal or legal executive qualification with experience in planning and highway law to join a positive and friendly team of in-house lawyers within Leicestershire County Council.

The successful applicant will provide legal advice and representation to the County Council on a broad spectrum of planning and highway matters, working with developers and other partner,s including:

• undertake legal work involving  planning and highways matters, including, as necessary,y the drafting and negotiating of planning (s106) agreements, highways infrastructure (s38/278) agreements me and unilateral undertakings  and associated agreements as necessary
• provide legal advice and support in relation to planning and highways matters, including advice and attendance at internal County Council and external meetings
• advising and dealing with other highway orders and agreements, Rights of Way & Commons Registration matters

Applications are welcome from candidates with either a public or private sector background. The ideal candidate should be enthusiastic, motivated, and possess good communication skills.

This vacancy is in the Environment and Property team which comprises a mix of professional and support staff.  Members of the team enjoy a highly supportive working environment as well as a genuine work/life balance.

About the Role

To undertake legal work involving  planning and highways matters, including as necessary,y the drafting and negotiation of planning (s106) agreements, highways infrastructure (s38/278) agreements me and unilateral undertakings and associated agreements as necessary 

About You

To apply for this post, you must have:

• Legal Professional (Educated to a minimum degree level) or having substantial relevant experience in planning or highway law.
• Experience in providing legal advice on legal issues. Confident and comfortable in the conduct of complex and fast-moving negotiations in relation to all aspects of planning and highways matters.
• Up-to-date legal knowledge, including Planning and Highways legislation and the law relating to the development of land.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with members, colleagues, customers and internal and external stakeholders and to persuade and influence an appropriate outcome. Ability to research and assimilate information rapidly and present effective client-focused solutions and appropriate advice and guidance in a timely manner.
• Ability to draft effective legal documents with precision and accuracy. Able to work accurately under pressure with minimum supervision to achieve objectives and deadlines.
• To be a team player. To be personable and generate confidence. Possession of a current driving licence and access to a vehicle. Reasonable adjustment will be considered for an applicant with a disability.
• Must be able to perform all the duties and tasks of the job with reasonable adjustments, where appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010

You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to provide evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.

Every role within the Council has a defined working style that determines where it can work. The worker category applicable to this post is detailed in the above advert. You can find out more about our worker categories on the Our Working Styles page on our career site.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Katy Jobanputra, Team Leader, Environment & Property

Telephone: 0116 305 6055

Email: katy.jobanputra@leics.gov.uk 

How to Apply

Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our communities. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the communities we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

To apply for this job, please click on 'Apply Now'. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application, which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above. For more information, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

Closing date: 26 August 2025

For further information or to apply, please click on the 'Enquire/Apply' button below.