Solicitor - Highways & Environment in Chelmsford

This is an advertisement for a vacancy at Essex County Council. This is a hybrid-working role contractually based in Chelmsford. You will work from the Chelmsford office at least one day per week, depending on business need. While travel is not usually expected, there may occasionally be a need to be off site.

Join Essex County Council’s Legal Team – Make a Real Impact in Public Law. Are you a qualified Solicitor or Legal Executive with a passion for Highways & Environment? Essex County Council is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK. As part of a specialist team reporting to the Legal Services Manager (Highways and Environment), you will work closely with colleagues to deliver a high-performing client-facing legal service. Essex Legal Services (ELS) provides a comprehensive legal service to the Council, with the majority of work delivered in-house. We value our people and foster a supportive environment where colleagues are encouraged to perform at their best. While the work can be demanding and requires resilience, we are committed to making ELS a place where people feel supported and want to stay.

We are looking for a Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Legal Executive to contribute to the ongoing development of the business while building strong and effective relationships with clients. The role involves delivering high-quality advice, information, analysis and interpretation to support decision-making, performance management and compliance with statutory requirements. You will also support business development activity aligned to Essex Legal Services’ strategy around trading and shared services. This is a varied and engaging role, offering the opportunity to work closely with senior leaders and make a meaningful impact on services for residents.

Diverse and Impactful Work: We serve 1.5 million people, a £1.7 billion estate and tackle a wide range of interesting and complex legal challenges and projects.

Supportive Team Environment: Join a brilliant team of lawyers who are dedicated to making a difference. New joiners rave about the interesting work and the support they receive.

In-House Expertise: Most of our work is done in-house, providing you with a rich and varied experience.

What We’re Looking For:

• Qualified solicitor or barrister or legal executive with full valid practising certificate.
• Ability to establish credibility with Directors, senior management and other key stakeholders including LPA representatives.
• Ability to communicate effectively as well as good drafting and negotiating skills.
• Demonstrably good case management skills.
• Ability to contribute effectively in a large complex organisation with plans for radical change and improvement.

Within the highways and environment team, you will require knowledge and understanding of providing legal advice in a public sector setting; including but not limited to advising on a full range of planning issues at district and county level, preparing documents including a substantial number of section 106 agreements and undertakings (drafting and negotiating bi or tri party, with local LPAs, can include s278 and other statutory agreements for development sites), dealing with public inquiries, advising at committee for the County Council's statutory roles such as education authority, highway authority and mineral and waste planning authority and for other local authority clients.

Key Responsibilities:

• Acts as a role model for client service across Essex Legal Services, supporting business-wide training and discussion groups, and achieving outcomes that benefit both clients and the service.
• Uses strong communication and influencing skills to resolve complex issues, balancing competing interests and ensuring fair, well-considered decisions.
• Anticipates change, adapts priorities, and supports others in responding effectively to new demands.
• Proactively undertakes challenging work, sets targets, monitors performance, and removes barriers that impact the effectiveness of the team meeting its objectives.
• Builds credibility through informed, timely decision making, demonstrating sound judgement in complex or ambiguous situations.
• Manages multiple priorities, allocates resources effectively, and develops contingency plans to address changing circumstances.
• Balances organisational and individual needs, encourages ideas and collaboration, and supports learning and service improvement.
• Understands external social and political influences impact Essex Legal Services’ resourcing and on the organisation, aligns team performance with organisational goals, and promotes awareness of strategic issues.

Why You'll Love Working with Us:

• Flexible Work Arrangements: Experience the best of both worlds with our flexible hybrid working arrangements. Enjoy the freedom to work from home while still benefiting from in-person collaboration in our Chelmsford offices.
• Generous Time Off: Start with 27 days of holiday, increasing with service, plus 8 bank holidays and up to 4 paid volunteer days each year.
• Secure Your Future: Enjoy peace of mind with enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Professional Growth: We cover professional fees for approved professions, supporting your career development.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.