At a Glance
- Tasks: Provide legal advice on planning, highways, and environmental law to shape safe roads.
- Company: Join National Highways, a leader in improving England’s motorways and major A roads.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, generous leave, and career development opportunities.
- Other info: Hybrid working options and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Make a real impact while working with experienced lawyers in a supportive environment.
- Qualifications: Qualified Lawyer with experience in planning and environmental law.
The predicted salary is between 54000 - 64000 £ per year.
Locations: Bridge House Brunel House
Apply Before: 19/01/2026, 23:59
Job Schedule: Full time
Salary: £54,180 - £64,120
Working Hours: 37
Part Time/Job Share Considered: Yes
About The Job
Join National Highways as a Lawyer and make a real impact! You’ll provide clear, pragmatic legal advice across planning, highways, and environmental law, helping shape decisions that keep our roads safe and efficient. Working alongside experienced Lawyers and Senior Lawyers, you’ll support complex cases and draw on specialist expertise to protect the best interests of National Highways every step of the way. This is a hybrid position (40% office based) and can be based from either our Guildford, Bristol or Birmingham offices and will include some travel to other offices to attend meetings.
- Provide advice on development consent orders, transport and work act orders, local development orders, compulsory purchase, highways law, permitted development, spatial planning issues, town and country planning matters, including planning inquiries and appeals, plus environmental law all to protect the interests of National Highways.
- Act as the legal expert for National Highways, resolving any queries, providing clear, concise advice and direction and providing support to Senior Lawyers on complex matters where required.
- Advise on reputational risk, ensuring the horizon is scanned, pulling together conflicting priorities and manage expectations of a range of stakeholders to provide the best possible legal service to National Highways.
- Take responsibility for ensuring that guidance, legislation and policy are followed, providing high quality, pragmatic advice.
- Advise as a public sector lawyer on planning, highways and environmental law, reputational risk and legal risk.
About You
- A Qualified Lawyer with experience of planning, highways and environmental law
- An understanding and experience of infrastructure planning law
- A good understanding of UK Public Law
- Able to manage own caseload and work under pressure and to deadlines
- Ability to influence stakeholders at a range of levels
About Us
Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England’s motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership. Legal Services encompasses both the National Highways legal team and the company secretariat. Our aim is to provide the organisation with an effective legal service and support the Board, Chief Executive, and its committees on a wide range of issues. We offer strategic legal advice on commercial, planning, operational, highways, employment, regulatory, and property matters, ensuring legal compliance and minimising exposure to risk.
External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy. We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
Why you should join us
At National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. We’re proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to do better and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers. So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it – then you’ll be a great fit for our organisation.
A connected and sustainable working approach has been adopted across National Highways. For some roles, this means being able to work in a hybrid way spending up to 60% of time working from a remote location such as home. We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we’re open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times. Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.
Our benefits package
- Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus
- Contributory pension scheme with employer contribution of up to 10%
- Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
- Flexible hours and an approach driven by connected and sustainable working which includes hybrid working
- Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
- Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
- A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
- Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience
- Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
- Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
- Community friendly – offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year
If You Are Successful, It Is Key To Know All Offers Of Employment Are Subject To Satisfactory Completion Of Our Pre‑employment Checks Which Include:
- Right to work check
- 3 year employment history references
- DBS criminal record check
- Social media and adverse journalism check
- Driving licence check (if applicable)
- Fit to work questionnaire (for all), followed by a medical check (if applicable)
- Qualifications and/or professional membership check (if applicable)
And finally, we reserve the right to close before the advertisement expires.
Planning Lawyer employer: Lawyers In Local Government
At National Highways, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that values safety, teamwork, and integrity. Our supportive work culture fosters professional growth through extensive training and development opportunities, while our flexible working arrangements, including hybrid options, ensure a healthy work-life balance. With a comprehensive benefits package and a commitment to diversity and inclusion, we empower our employees to thrive both personally and professionally in a dynamic environment dedicated to improving England's roadways.
Contact Details:
Lawyers In Local Government Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Planning Lawyer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at National Highways on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give us insider info and maybe even a referral!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your knowledge of planning, highways, and environmental law. We want to show that we’re not just qualified but genuinely passionate about making a difference in these areas.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice common interview questions with a mate. We can nail our responses and feel more confident when discussing how we can contribute to National Highways’ mission.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure our application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows we’re serious about joining the team!
We think you need these skills to ace Planning Lawyer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Planning Lawyer role. Highlight your experience in planning, highways, and environmental law, and show how it aligns with what we do at National Highways.
Showcase Your Skills:Don’t just list your qualifications; demonstrate how your skills can benefit us. Use specific examples from your past work that illustrate your ability to manage caseloads and influence stakeholders effectively.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, clarity is key! Keep your language straightforward and avoid jargon. We want to see your legal expertise shine through without any fluff.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to the right people and shows your enthusiasm for joining our team at National Highways!
How to prepare for a job interview at Lawyers In Local Government
✨Know Your Legal Stuff
Brush up on your knowledge of planning, highways, and environmental law. Be ready to discuss specific cases or legislation that relate to National Highways. This shows you’re not just familiar with the theory but can apply it practically.
✨Understand the Company Culture
Familiarise yourself with National Highways' values like safety, teamwork, and integrity. Think of examples from your past experiences that demonstrate how you embody these values. This will help you connect with the interviewers on a personal level.
✨Prepare for Stakeholder Scenarios
Since the role involves influencing stakeholders, prepare for questions about how you’ve managed conflicting priorities in the past. Have a couple of solid examples ready that highlight your negotiation and communication skills.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
At the end of the interview, ask questions that show your interest in the role and the company. Inquire about the challenges they face in planning law or how they measure success in their legal team. This demonstrates your enthusiasm and strategic thinking.
