Senior Lawyer Planning and Highways

Durham County Council; North East; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the North East is seeking a Senior Lawyer to lead their new Planning & Highways team. This role involves providing legal assistance on various projects, including advising Councillors and working with Council committees. A successful candidate must be a qualified solicitor or barrister with a current practising certificate. The position offers a competitive rewards package, including flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days

Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working

Qualifications

• Must be a qualified solicitor or barrister authorized to conduct litigation.
• Must have a current practising certificate issued by the relevant regulatory body.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Planning & Highways team.
• Provide legal advice and assistance on Council activities.
• Conduct matters in civil and criminal courts.

Skills

Qualified solicitor or barrister

CILEx Litigator and Advocate

Conduct litigation

Education

Current practising certificate from relevant regulatory body

Job description

Role Overview

Due to expansion of the team, the Council is creating a dedicated Planning & Highways team and is looking for a Senior Lawyer to lead it.

What is involved?

The Planning & Highways team will handle the full range of Planning & Highways work, including Public Rights of Way and Common Land issues. This role and team will be vital in a number of projects over the coming years including the refresh of the County Durham Plan and supporting a number of regeneration projects involving potential CPOs.

You will work closely with Councillors and with officers across the whole range of the Council’s activities, providing legal advice, assistance and advocacy. You may be required to conduct matters in the civil and criminal courts, and to advise Council committees. You will also undertake work for schools and other bodies.

We encourage you to contact James Etherington, Legal Manager at [e-mail] for an informal discussion about the role.

What will I need?

You must be a qualified solicitor or qualified barrister (who is authorised to conduct litigation) or CILEx Litigator and Advocate (Civil). You must have a current practising certificate issued by the relevant regulatory body.

Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.

Interviews

Interviews will be held during the week of 15th December 2025.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked‑after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

Our offer to you

We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website.

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

How to apply

Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the 'Person Specification' section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website.

If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, Option 6 or via email [e-mail].

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from [e-mail]. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates.

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