Solicitor/Legal Executive – Highways and Planning

Solicitor/Legal Executive - Highways and Planning

Permanent, Full Time

Up to £51,185 per annum - pay award pending

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 31st March 2023

The Opportunity

Essex Legal Services provide high quality, professional, legal advice across the council and to increasing numbers of external clients. Providing a client facing legal service which proactively embraces change and delights the customer.

Part of a specialist legal team providing high quality advice in the areas of planning and highways, information, analysis and interpretation to clients to underpin effective decision making, meaningful performance management and meet statutory requirements. Achieving good customer service making a real and demonstrable difference to the delivery of Essex Legal Services’ business and the business of our clients.

We're looking for two qualified solicitors or barristers with commercial awareness to contribute to the development of our existing section 106 planning agreement and s278 highway agreement resource and expand our ability to deal with Development Consent Order matters which affect the Council and who have the ability to build excellent working relationships.

Accountabilities

· Responsible for providing timely and accurate legal advice across the Council and to external customers, including constructively challenging where appropriate to produce the best possible outcomes.

· Accountable for delivering outcomes against the business plan for legal services which supports and drives the council’s wider Organisation Strategy and vision.

· Act as a legal practitioner and advocate providing specialist advice, professional consultation and support to colleagues (where appropriate) within your team.

· To understand client needs and provide them with a service they value; driving the delivery of productivity and efficiency improvement, including developing appropriate internal systems/template documents using our case management system VisualFiles.

· Support the development of current and future business opportunities, to promote the Essex Legal Services’ vision to the external market.

· Build strong working relationships across the Council other local authorities and the private sector to ensure a quality advice service is provided to the customer.

· Delegated functions as detailed in the Council’s constitution (and as amended from time to time).

· Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

· Qualified solicitor/barrister/legal executive with current membership of the Law Society, CILEX or Bar Standards Board.

· Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in the area of planning and highways law and/or dealing with representations/objections to DCOs.

· Experience of working within a legal setting in a politically sensitive environment, providing high-quality advice to a wide range of customers and an ability to establish credibility with your colleagues, with Directors, senior management and other key stakeholders.

· Proven track record of building strong working relationships across a large, complex organisation and with internal and external partners/stakeholders and clients, an ability to communicate effectively and excellent drafting and presentation (written and verbal) skills.

· Ability to provide clear advice on complex matters to both to both the client base and other colleagues.

· A strong focus on outcomes to achieve strategic objectives and demonstrably good case management skills and self-motivation.

To find out more about the ELS and the wider Corporate Service function please visit https://www.workingforessex.com/role/corporate-services

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

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.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website, ensuring you upload an up-to-date CV and provide a supporting statement when prompted.

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. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

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.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community here .

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