Planning Lawyer

Leicester City Council; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 44,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Generous annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Bus/train discounts

Job summary

Leicester City Council is seeking a qualified lawyer with planning law experience to join our legal team. Reporting to the Principal Lawyer, you will advise on planning matters and support governance around planning decisions.

You will attend Planning Committees, provide pragmatic, client-focused advice to the Council and external partners, and help develop junior lawyers through training and supervision. We offer flexible hybrid working, generous annual leave and access to the Local Government

Qualifications

• Knowledge of planning law and practice.
• Ability to work as part of a team and with external stakeholders.
• Strong communication with clients and colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Provide secure high-quality legal services on planning matters.
• Advise on governance around planning functions and decisions.
• Attend Planning Committees and support junior team members.

Skills

Planning law knowledge

Legal advising

Communication skills

Education

Qualified lawyer (solicitor/barrister)

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Job reference REQ8959 Date posted 04/11/2026 Application closing date 18/11/2026 Location Hybrid working - Home and Leicester City Offices Salary £44,253 - £56,293 per year Package Total benefit value (includes pension contribution and full holiday entitlement):£76,540 Contractual hours 37 Basis Full time Job category/type Legal Attachments Job Specification - Level B (11).pdf Job Specification - Level C (11).pdf Job Specification - Level A (10).pdf

Full Time / 37 Hours Per Week / Permanent

A welcome payment of £5000 may be offered to a suitable candidate with appropriate experience. (This will be paid following a successful 6 month probation period)

Are you a Qualified Lawyer who has experience in providing advice on planning matters?

This is an exciting opportunity for a Qualified Lawyer to join our service. Working within a friendly and supportive team, you’ll report directly to the Principal Lawyer and work collaboratively with other lawyers and external stakeholders. We offer flexible hybrid working with dedicated legal support, promoting a healthy work life balance. This is your chance to make a difference and join a professional and committed team of lawyers.

As a Qualified Lawyer with experience in Planning Law, you’ll confidently and competently advise and support the planning functions of the Council, including the governance around the planning function and decision making, occasionally providing legal advice to the Council as developer. At Senior Lawyer level, you will also deputise for the Principal Lawyer and support junior members of the team with their development and training. Dealing primarily with cases within your area of specialism you’ll develop your own skills and experience whilst working closely with other legal teams and areas.

This is a full-time, permanent post working 37 hours a week from Monday to Friday.

This is a career graded post (Grades 9-11). Appointment to a level will depend on the outcome of the selection process and experience of the successful candidate. Dependent on availability of work/vacancy at a higher level, progress will be by satisfactory performance, agreed at annual Appraisals and through on-going supervision.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll provide secure high-quality legal services, advise on all aspects of planning law and work closely with the Council’s Planning Department to support the Council’s functions. You’ll routinely attend and advise at Planning Committees. Using your expertise, you’ll provide solutions focused advice and support to the Council and other public bodies.

What you’ll need

As a skilled lawyer, you’ll have knowledge of Planning Law and practice. With the ability to work as part of a team, you’ll ensure the provision of quality, client focussed and cost-effective legal services. Using strong communication skills, you’ll build and manage external relationships with clients carrying through assigned tasks and matters to conclusion. Pragmatic in your advice, talented, and proactive, you’ll work effectively with client departments to find solutions.

What we can offer you

As well as the satisfaction of helping to improve thousands of lives across Leicester, you can look forward to a work environment that encourages a healthy work/life balance. You’ll enjoy generous annual leave, membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and the option of flexible working. We’ll also give you the chance to develop your skills and expertise with a variety of training and development opportunities. In addition, you can choose from several flexible benefits, including discounts on city buses and trains. For an illustrative value of your benefits package, take a look at our benefits calculator.

We’re committed to recruiting a diverse and highly-talented workforce as we continue to build a council that is fitting and representative of our great city. That’s why we’ve designed our recruitment process to put you at your ease, make you feel welcome and bring the best out of you. We’ll do all we can to make our recruitment process as fair as possible. To help you with your application, look at the ‘our approach to recruitment’ page.

For a chat about this post, please feel free to contact Zoe Iliffe, Principal Lawyer (Property, Highways & Planning) at [e-mail] or on 0116 454 2180 or Kevin Carter, Head of Law (Commercial, Property & Planning) at [e-mail] or on 0116 454 4197