Join our friendly and supportive Lexcel accredited legal department, passionate about delivering the best for Hampshire and making a real difference to the community!
Hampshire County Council is recognised nationally as one of the highest performing local authorities in the UK. Our large legal service supports all Hampshire County Council directorates and a wide range of other public service organisations. Working on matters that are as challenging as they are rewarding, you will advise on a range of interesting, varied, meaningful, high profile and complex projects at the very forefront of public interest, delivering improvements to people's lives.
We are looking for an in-house Planning and Environment Project Lawyer, who must be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive Lawyer (Fellow of CILEX) with strong post qualification experience and a current practising certificate for England & Wales. You will be successful in the role if you are able to demonstrate sound legal skills and judgment; a pragmatic solution focussed approach; strong client relationship and communication skills; an ability to work under pressure and to take responsibility for complex and significant cases; an ability to work on your own initiative and within a strong team with a collaborative approach; resilience and motivation; and an ability to prioritise effectively to meet strict deadlines.
You will join the Planning and Environment Team, working with colleagues in all Hampshire County Council directorates and third-party clients. This role includes the provision of legal advice and representation to the County Council’s directorates, committees, members and to external partners and client bodies. Your role will not only increase the efficiency of the team but also that of the County Council as a whole, and the position offers the unique level of support that comes with working within our well-respected team and Hampshire County Council generally.
You will take responsibility for a large and varied casework, some of which may be complex planning work including s.106, s.278 and s.38 agreements, working as part of a team on large infrastructure projects, development consent orders (DCOs) for nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs), and public inquiries, as well as offering more senior assistance to our strategic planning colleagues, undertaking legal research, and offering assistance and mentoring to colleagues.
What we can offer you:
Having successfully adopted online and hybrid working, we can consider candidates from out of the area, working partially remotely and from our offices in Winchester.
As a forward-looking local authority, our commitment to delivering an exceptional quality of life to our Hampshire residents also extends to our employees. It is important to us that our staff feel supported in their work. We offer an improved work-life balance through flexible working and an excellent benefits package including:
* Access to Local Government Pension Scheme;
* Between 26 - 30 days annual leave entitlement (dependent on Local Authority service);
* Electric plug-in hybrid car - Salary Sacrifice Scheme;
* Interest free travel loans and discounts;
* Employee Support Services;
* Family-friendly policies;
* Access to online professional legal research resources.