Property Lawyer with Infrastructure Project Experience in Warwick

About Us

National Grid touches the lives of almost everyone, with an energy network that stretches across the Atlantic. We’re an international team, and our work underpins the lives of millions of people. Feet forwards, head up, and eyes bright, we’re working hard to create value for people today – and shape the future of energy tomorrow. In the UK, we don’t generate or sell energy – we join the dots to get energy from A to B. From making a cup of tea in the morning to keeping the lights on in hospitals, our electricity network puts power in the hands of people. Without it, the world as we know it would grind to a halt. The world of energy is changing beyond recognition. Working at National Grid, you won’t just be touching the lives of almost everyone in the UK – you’ll be shaping the way we use and consume energy for generations to come.

Location & Working

The role will be based out of our Warwick or Strand, London office; we operate a hybrid working policy, and a typical working pattern would be three days per week in Warwick, London or another office/site, with the rest of the week flexible.

About The Role

We are recruiting a qualified solicitor or barrister, with solid experience in property law, ideally gained through work on complex infrastructure projects. Some experience in compulsory acquisition would also be advantageous. The UK is on a journey to reach net zero by 2050 and new electricity transmission infrastructure is central to that ambition. Several major new infrastructure projects are now moving from the consenting stage into construction, with Development Consent Orders and Compulsory Purchase Orders already secured. The challenge now is to ensure those projects are construction ready, with the land rights, access and possession arrangements in place to support safe and timely delivery. This is a key role for a property lawyer with experience in complex infrastructure projects who wants to play a direct part in enabling major infrastructure projects to move from consent into construction. You will provide strategic, practical and business-focused legal advice across a portfolio of major NGET infrastructure projects, including new substations, overhead line and underground cable routes, offshore projects and associated land rights. Your work will focus particularly on the delivery phase, where DCO and powers need to be translated into timely land acquisition, access, possession and land handover. We are looking for someone with hands-on experience of negotiating property agreements in the context of large complex projects with tight deadlines. You will play a key role in accelerating voluntary land agreements and, where agreement cannot be reached, implementing compulsory acquisition powers quickly, lawfully and cost-effectively. You will work closely with colleagues across UK Legal, project teams, consents, lands, surveyors, engineers, construction planners, finance colleagues, external counsel and panel firms. You will provide clear legal direction, align land strategy with construction requirements, manage external legal support effectively and help improve the way we deliver across the portfolio. This is a high-impact role for someone who wants to make a tangible contribution to one of the UK’s most ambitious national infrastructure programmes and play a key part in enabling the transition to net zero.

This role will support National Grid Electricity Transmission Plc (NGET) by helping translate statutory powers into practical delivery, enabling construction programmes and milestones to be met across a portfolio of large, complex and high-profile infrastructure projects.

What You’ll Do

• Delivering strategic, practical and business focused property legal advice on complex infrastructure projects together with compulsory purchase advice across multiple live construction programmes.
• Developing land acquisition strategies that prioritise voluntary agreement while remaining to programme critical milestones.
• Advising on land access for surveys, temporary land rights and land assembly.
• Overseeing panel firms in the drafting, negotiating and completion of complex voluntary agreements, easements, leases, licences, temporary possession arrangements and compensation deeds.
• Working with engineers and construction planners to ensure legal steps are aligned with site mobilisation, enabling works and energisation dates.
• Working and negotiating with stakeholders including the Crown Estate, other network operators and utilities, and the many landowners and occupiers.
• Supporting risk management, lessons learned, templates, guidance and training to improve consistency and efficiency across the portfolio.
• Managing external legal advisers to deliver high quality advice aligned to business strategy, budget and value for money.
• Using your experience to support the development of others within the legal team and wider project delivery teams.

About You

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with significant experience in property law gained in private practice and/or within an in-house legal team.
• Likely to have at least 5 years PQE, although all levels of PQE will be considered if you can demonstrate the required skills.
• Practical experience of delivering high-volume and/or high value land transactions at pace, including in environments subject to public, political or regulatory scrutiny.
• Experience gained ideally on infrastructure schemes for major utilities, highways, road, rail, water programme or similar nationally significant infrastructure projects will be particularly valued.
• An understanding of compulsory purchase powers, the compensation code, statutory notices, possession, land entry, title issues and the practical steps needed to convert powers into construction-ready land would be beneficial.
• Experience of advising multi-disciplinary teams including project managers, planners, surveyors, engineers and finance colleagues.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, enabling you to negotiate confidently with landowners, local authorities, statutory undertakers, government departments and community representatives.
• Strong commercial acumen, budget discipline and an aptitude for driving continuous improvement in process, documentation and knowledge management.
• Clear communication skills, with the ability to provide leadership in discussions about legal or project strategy, listen effectively and provide business-focused advice.

DCO experience would be helpful, but it is not essential. If you have some compulsory acquisition experience and limited exposure to DCO processes, we can provide the necessary training.

More Information

A competitive salary – dependent on experience. As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus of up to 40% (based on company and personal performance), a full electric company car or cash alternative and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, a salary sacrifice technology scheme, support via the employee assistance line and matched charity giving to name a few. We will also support with your development during your career with National Grid. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates – we make appointments purely on merit, assessed against objective selection criteria. We support flexible working and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process should you have any physical or mental impairment which may affect your ability to participate in the process. Please note that in most cases, National Grid is unable to offer sponsorship for employment under the UK points-based immigration system. As such, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship now or in the future under the UK points-based immigration system. However, in exceptional circumstances where there is a clear and demonstrable need for specialist skills that cannot be sourced from the local labour market, National Grid may consider offering sponsorship. All applications are welcome from candidates who meet these requirements, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnic origin.