Senior Lawyer - Enforcement and Prosecution

Environment Agency; Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A national environmental authority is seeking a Senior Lawyer to handle enforcement and prosecution cases, providing high-quality legal advice in complex criminal and regulatory matters. The ideal candidate will be a qualified solicitor or barrister with experience in environmental legislation and criminal law. This role offers opportunities to work with autonomy on diverse cases and encourages flexible working patterns. Based in the UK with locations across Birmingham, Peterborough, and other hubs, applicants should indicate their preferred workplace.

Benefits

Market Forces Factor allowance of £5,250

Flexible working options

Good work-life balance

Qualifications

• You must be a qualified solicitor, barrister or equivalent.
• Ideally have experience handling complex criminal cases.
• Experienced criminal advocate with trial experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide high level, accurate legal advice and support.
• Deliver effective legal casework and progress procedural issues.
• Manage your own caseload with a high degree of autonomy.

Skills

Qualified solicitor, barrister or equivalent

Experience as a prosecutor or defence lawyer

Sound knowledge of criminal law

Trial experience in the Magistrates' Court

Experience of preparing complex cases for trial

Understanding of civil sanctions

Education

Legal qualification (Solicitor/Barrister)

Job description

Senior Lawyer - Enforcement and Prosecution – 32501

Salary Minimum: £54,940

Location: Birmingham, Exeter, Leeds, Peterborough, Reading, Warrington, Worthing

Job description

The diverse nature of environmental crime provides ever-evolving challenges for our legal teams. Our Enforcement and Prosecution teams provide advice and conduct enforcement and prosecution cases, which may involve relevant alternative disposals such as civil sanctions and formal cautions. They also provide training to staff on disclosure requirements and the use of various statutory enforcement powers. Join them and you will have the opportunity to own an interesting caseload, protect the environment and make your mark in a national organisation that promises a good work-life balance, salary pension scheme and great professional development.

We currently have Senior Lawyer vacancies in our teams based in Birmingham and Peterborough and Worthing. We also have available in our Water Industry Enforcement Team (WIET) a Senior Lawyer (Team Leader) role and other Senior Lawyer vacancies which may be based in Exeter, Leeds, Reading, Warrington or Worthing.

For all our roles, you will provide high level, accurate, timely legal advice and support to relevant parts of the organisation, deliver good quality effective legal casework and progress procedural issues. You will manage your own caseload and work with a high degree of autonomy including on more complex / sensitive advice, criminal and / or civil proceedings, challenges, transactional and other matters including representing the Environment Agency.

We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

The team

Our legal teams are located across the country and lawyers report through a team leader to the relevant Senior Managing Lawyer and Deputy Director (Chief Prosecutor) as part of Legal Services. The work of the teams covers the full range of environmental offending under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (water, waste, regulated industry) as well as advising on the acceptance or rejection of enforcement undertakings pursuant to the civil penalty regime.

Experience/skills required

You will be a qualified solicitor, barrister or equivalent (FILEX with rights of audience in criminal proceedings) and ideally have experience as a prosecutor or defence lawyer handling complex criminal cases concerning breaches of environmental legislation or other complex areas of criminal and regulatory law.

You will possess a sound knowledge generally of criminal law, practice and procedure and be an experienced criminal advocate with trial experience in the Magistrates’ Court. You will have experience of preparing complex cases for trial and sentence in the Crown Court. You may also be a higher rights advocate but this is not mandatory. You will understand the Environment Agency’s ability to use civil sanctions in place of criminal proceedings and you will have the ability to advise upon the right regulatory response to environmental offending.

Contact and additional information

Senior Lawyer roles receive a G6 Market Forces Factor allowance of £5,250 per annum.

As with all roles in Legal Services, we combine home working with attendance at the contractual office base, subject to meeting business needs. The roles can be based at any of our main hub locations. There will be travel to court and other locations as required.

Please indicate your location preference as part of your application.

We will hold interviews in January 2026.

For any queries relating to the role please contact [e-mail]

Closing date: 8 January 2026