Lawyer - Planning & Highways

Reading Borough Council; United States; Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 114,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Disability Confident Employer

Job summary

Reading Borough Council is seeking a Senior Lawyer in Planning & Highways to manage a varied caseload and advise on planning, highways and regeneration matters. You will support major projects, draft and negotiate key agreements, and work with Planning Committees, officers and elected members to deliver commercial, practical legal solutions.

The role offers hybrid working and the opportunity to mentor junior lawyers while contributing to the council's strategic ambitions and service improvement

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of CILEX with current practising certificate.
• Extensive experience providing legal services across local government.
• Significant post-qualification experience in planning & highways matters.
• Strong knowledge of planning legislation & local government practice.

Responsibilities

• Advise on planning law, highways law and regulatory matters.
• Draft, negotiate and complete planning agreements (Section 106/278).
• Support major regeneration, development and infrastructure projects.
• Advise Planning Committees, officers and elected members on complex issues.
• Provide legal advice on planning enforcement and compulsory purchase.
• Represent the Council in negotiations, inquiries, hearings and court proceedings.
• Draft legal documentation, reports and briefing papers to a high standard.
• Build relationships with internal clients, developers, solicitors and stakeholders.
• Supervise junior lawyers and contribute to team development.

Skills

Planning law

Highways law

Negotiation

Drafting

Legal advice

Stakeholder management

Advocacy

Team mentoring

Education

Solicitor (England & Wales)

Barrister

CILEX Fellow

Job description

Are you an experienced Planning and Highways Lawyer looking for an opportunity to work on significant developments, major infrastructure projects and complex legal issues that help shape the future of a thriving and ambitious borough?

We're seeking a skilled Senior Lawyer - Planning & Highways to join our Legal Services team. This is an exciting opportunity to provide specialist legal advice on a diverse range of planning, highways and regeneration matters, supporting key projects that contribute to the growth and development of Reading.

Working closely with Planning, Highways, Property and Transport teams, you'll play a vital role in delivering practical and commercially focused legal solutions that support the Council's strategic ambitions while managing legal risk effectively.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

We support hybrid working, it's important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you'll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.

About The Role:

As a Senior Lawyer - Planning & Highways, you'll manage a varied and challenging caseload, providing expert legal advice across a broad range of planning and highways matters.

You will:

• Advise on planning law, highways law and associated regulatory matters.
• Draft, negotiate and complete Section 106 Agreements, Section 278 Agreements and other planning-related legal agreements.
• Support major regeneration, development and infrastructure projects.
• Advise Planning Committees, officers and elected members on complex legal issues.
• Provide legal advice on planning enforcement, compulsory purchase and public rights of way matters.
• Represent the Council in negotiations, inquiries, hearings and court proceedings where appropriate.
• Draft legal documentation, reports and briefing papers to a high professional standard.
• Build strong working relationships with internal clients, developers, external solicitors and other stakeholders.
• Support and mentor junior lawyers and legal support colleagues where appropriate.

This role offers the opportunity to work on some of the most significant planning and development projects within the borough, helping to create positive outcomes for residents, businesses and communities.

We're looking for a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of CILEX with substantial experience in planning and highways law entitled to practise in England and holding a current practising certificate.

You'll have strong legal analytical skills, excellent written and verbal communication, and the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly to a range of audiences. You'll be confident managing a varied workload, exercising sound judgement and working independently while building effective relationships with colleagues and clients.

You'll also bring political awareness, resilience and a commitment to continuous improvement. A willingness to supervise colleagues, contribute to team development and deputise for a Principal Lawyer in team management is important.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), with a current practising certificate and entitlement to practise in England.
• In-depth experience of providing legal services across a range of local government services.
• Significant post-qualification experience advising on planning and highways matters.
• Strong knowledge of planning legislation, highways law and local government legal practice.
• Experience drafting and negotiating planning obligations, highways agreements and related legal documentation.
• The ability to provide practical, commercially aware and solution-focused legal advice.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing a busy caseload involving complex and sensitive matters.
• Strong drafting and advocacy skills.
• A collaborative approach, with a willingness to support colleagues, supervise staff and contribute to service improvement.
• The ability to keep abreast of developments in law and best practice and identify opportunities to improve the service.
• Experience in planning and highways law, ideally within a local authority or a similarly complex organisation, would be relevant to this specialist role.