Senior Lawyer – Highways & Planning
Job Introduction
Staffordshire County Council is a modern, progressive, and forward-thinking authority that is ambitious and empowers its employees to be courageous and innovative in their approach. Our Legal Services form one of the largest and most diverse in-house legal teams in the region, delivering high-quality, high-impact work across every Council function, the Staffordshire Pension Fund, and a wide range of external clients. Our caseload is consistently interesting, varied, and often high profile.
Why Join Us?
We genuinely prioritise work‑life balance – our staff survey shows we don't just say it, we live it.
Benefits include:
* Generous holiday allowance, increasing with service, plus the option to purchase additional leave
* Agile, flexible and term‑time working arrangements
* Local Government Pension Scheme with generous (29.5%) employer contributions
* Employee discounts, staff parking discounts, and an optional car lease scheme
* Family‑friendly policies, including maternity, adoption, paternity and parental leave
* A collaborative, supportive team culture where your contribution truly matters
Main Responsibility
These will include delivering support in relation to Highway and Planning matters:
* Advising on County Planning matters including applications received and work generated and planning enforcement
* Negotiating complex planning obligations on behalf of highway and education clients
* Negotiating highway agreements on behalf of highway clients
* Giving advice in relation to a full range of often complex Local Authority statutory Highway and Planning functions
* Managing client files in accordance with Lexcel requirements and supervising other members of the team
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for you to be a qualified Chartered Legal Executive (with practice/advocacy rights), Solicitor or Barrister with:
* A comprehensive understanding of Highway and Planning law
* An in‑depth understanding of the work carried out within the public sector, although previous local government experience is not essential
* An ability to clearly, confidently and effectively communicate
* Meticulous attention to detail
* Effective time management, prioritisation skills and an ability to work under the demands of competing pressures
* An ability to delegate work in order to generate capacity
We're happy to talk flexible working.
Contact
Please contact John Rowe, Principal Lawyer, or Imran Razaq, Deputy Legal Services Manager.
Interviews will take place during the week commencing 23 March 2026.
Our Recruitment Process
We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you'll bring to the role.
Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities.
As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers – we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
Attached documents
* Senior Lawyer JDPS 60000850 G11 CAS.pdf
* Candidate Guide 2025.pdf
Job Details
* Salary £50,269 – £54,495
* Frequency: Annual
* Job Reference: staffscc/TP/26/4063
* Contract Type: Permanent Full time
* Working Hours: 37
* Closing Date: 15 March 2026
* Job Category: Legal
* Business Unit: Law and Democracy
* Location: Staffordshire Place 1, Tipping Street, Stafford, United Kingdom
* Posted on: 26 February 2026
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