Principal Lawyer - Planning, Highways and Property

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and ambitious Lawyer to take a senior leadership role within Thurrock Council's Legal Services Team. To lead the provision of high-quality, pragmatic and solution focused legal advice in relation to planning, highways and property matters. To act as a senior legal adviser and representative for the Council on complex, high profile, sensitive and strategically important matters. To manage, supervise and develop lawyers, legal officers, trainee solicitors, apprentices and other fee earners within the team. To support the Head of Legal Services in the effective management, performance, development and improvement of the Legal Services function. To ensure that the Council receives timely, robust and commercially aware legal advice which supports lawful decision-making, good governance, value for money and delivery of corporate priorities.

You are an experienced, qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive authorised to practise in England and Wales. You are a motivated Lawyer looking for a role where you can combine high-quality legal work with leadership and real public impact. You have strong experience in planning, highways or property law and are confident providing practical, risk-based advice on complex issues. You enjoy working closely with senior stakeholders, explaining legal issues in a clear and accessible way, and helping shape effective and lawful decisions. You are comfortable working in a fast-paced, politically sensitive environment and can manage competing priorities with confidence. You are also someone who values people. Whether you have managed a team before or are ready to step into a larger leadership role, you are committed to developing others, supporting colleagues and creating a positive, inclusive team culture. This role is a leadership role and it is expected that at least half of your work will be supporting, managing and developing the team. You will be comfortable advising senior officers and Members, working under pressure, managing competing deadlines and handling politically sensitive matters. You will also be committed to leading people well, improving service delivery and building constructive relationships with client departments. You do not need to have full experience. What matters is strong legal judgement, credibility, resilience, curiosity, a commitment to public service and the ability to lead a team with confidence, clarity and fairness.

What we are looking for:

• Legal Advice and Casework: The postholder will lead and provide specialist legal advice across planning, highways and property matters, including but not limited to: town and country planning law; planning obligations, including section 106 agreements; planning enforcement, appeals, public inquiries and judicial review risk; planning committee advice and member-level decision-making; highways agreements, including section 38 and section 278 agreements; section 50 licences, stopping up orders, diversions, traffic regulation orders and related highways matters; property acquisitions, disposals, leases, licences, easements, covenants, title issues and landlord and tenant matters; development, regeneration, infrastructure and strategic project work; local government governance, decision-making, vires, delegations and public law risk.
• The postholder will be expected to manage a complex caseload personally, while also supervising and allocating work across the team.

Strategic Advice and Client Support:

• The postholder will provide clear, practical and risk-based legal advice to senior officers, service areas, project boards and elected Members;
• Advise Cabinet, Council, committees, sub-committees, panels and other formal decision-making bodies where required;
• Support robust and defensible decision-making in a politically sensitive environment;
• Work collaboratively with client departments to identify legal issues early and resolve matters proactively;
• Provide legal input into major projects, regeneration schemes, infrastructure proposals and service transformation activity;
• Support the delivery of the Council's corporate priorities through high-quality, enabling legal advice;
• Help client departments understand legal risk, governance requirements and appropriate decision-making routes.

Leadership and Management:

• The postholder will have direct line management responsibility for lawyers, legal officers, trainee solicitors, apprentices and/or other team members within the planning, highways and property legal team.
• The postholder will be expected to lead, motivate and develop a high-performing legal team;
• Allocate work effectively, balancing complexity, capacity, risk and development needs;
• Provide regular supervision, feedback, coaching and technical support, ensuring meaningful one-to-one conversations, quality annual appraisals and regular development discussions take place;
• Manage performance, conduct, attendance and behavioural issues appropriately and in line with Council policies;
• Support succession planning, resilience and professional development within the team;
• Create a positive, inclusive and collaborative team culture;
• Ensure team members understand priorities, standards, expectations and deadlines;
• Promote accountability, professional judgement and continuous improvement.

Quality, Performance and Service Improvement:

• The postholder will maintain high professional standards across the team's legal work;
• Ensure advice is accurate, timely, proportionate, clearly recorded and aligned with the Council's governance requirements;
• Support the development and improvement of legal procedures, templates, guidance, precedents and working practices;
• Contribute to improvements in case management, reporting, file management and legal service processes;
• Monitor workloads, performance, risk, client demand and service pressures within the team;
• Support the Legal Services management team in developing a modern, efficient and responsive in-house legal service;
• Identify opportunities to bring appropriate work in-house and reduce unnecessary external legal spend;
• Provide training, guidance and knowledge-sharing to client departments and colleagues where appropriate;
• Horizon scan legal and regulatory developments affecting planning, highways, property and local government practice.

Governance, Risk and External Spend:

• The postholder will support the Council's Monitoring Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer in promoting good governance, lawful decision-making and ethical standards;
• Promote compliance with the Nolan Principles, the Council's Constitution, financial regulations, procurement rules and statutory duties;
• Identify and escape significant legal, financial, reputational or governance risks;
• Commission external legal advice where required, ensuring instructions are clear, proportionate and properly managed;
• Manage relationships with external legal providers to ensure quality, timeliness and value for money;
• Challenge external spend where appropriate and ensure that legal work is retained in-house wherever this is efficient and appropriate;
• Support budget monitoring, value for money, cost control and service efficiency within the team.

Deputising and Wider Corporate Contribution:

• The postholder will support the Head of Legal Services in the management and development of Legal Services;
• Deputise for the Head of Legal Services where required;
• Participate in Legal Services management activity, service planning and transformation work;
• Contribute to corporate projects, programmes and improvement activity;
• Work flexibly across Legal Services where required, including providing advice on wider local government law and governance matters appropriate to the grade and nature of the role.

Essential qualifications:

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive authorised to practise in England and Wales
• DBS Check: Standard level is required for this post

Benefits of Working with Us:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities (where applicable)
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support
• Staff discounts and local offers
• A supportive and inclusive working environment

Closing Date (Redeployment Only): 26th June 2026

Closing Date (Internal & External): 19th July 2026

Interview Date: TBC - Likely to be week commencing 20/07/2026 or 27/07/2026

If you have any questions about the role or interview process, please contact: Lyra-Mai Mayari - Head of Legal Services