Senior Lawyers - Environmental Law, Flood, Planning and Environmental Regulation - 30227

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Senior Lawyers - Environmental Law, Flood, Planning and Environmental Regulation - 30227

Senior Lawyers - Environmental Law, Flood, Planning and Environmental Regulation - 30227

Number of jobs available

5

Region

East Midlands, East of England, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber

City/Town

Birmingham , Bristol , Exeter , Leeds , Peterborough , Reading , Warrington

Grade

Staff Grade 6

Post Type

Permanent

Role Type

Legal Services

Working Pattern

Full Time, Part Time

Salary Minimum

£52,929

Closing Date:

09/02/2025, 23:55 hours

Job description attachment 1

Job description attachment 2

Candidate pack

Security checks level

Basic Check

Job description

At the Environment Agency we aspire for inclusivity to thrive in our workforce. We embrace equal opportunities and flexible work arrangements, ensuring everyone can contribute and succeed.

Legal Services is recruiting to a number of Senior Lawyer roles working on environmental law, flood risk, planning and environmental regulation. This is an opportunity to work at the cutting edge of environmental law and regulation, doing work that is challenging, rewarding, interesting and fast paced.

We provide advice and litigation services to help the Environment Agency to protect and improve the environment, create better places for people and wildlife and support sustainable development, within the rule of law. Our work includes:

-Legal advice on policy and legislative development;
-Legal advice on interpretation of current laws, Environment Agency decision-making and legal risk management;
-Legal advice on regulatory notices and compliance by operators;
-Legal advice in relation to the delivery of our flood risk management operations and projects, including advice relating to compulsory purchase, planning and powers of entry;
-Civil litigation including Judicial Review;
-Civil appeals including PINS, First Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal;
-Training colleagues on application of relevant law.

We are recruiting to roles covering:

-Waste law and regulation
-Radioactive substances and nuclear regulation
-Climate Change trading and regulation
-Flood risk and planning law.

You will handle complex legal issues and be able to demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of relevant regulatory and public law principles. You will use your organisational skills, good legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk to handle a demanding workload with a high degree of autonomy and have a proven track record of delivering high quality work on time.

You will provide high quality legal advice to colleagues in client teams on legislative, policy or operational regulatory issues, working closely with colleagues, stakeholders and government departments.

The team

These roles are in the Environment Agency's in-house legal service, within our National, Environmental Regulation and FCRM and Planning teams.

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal service, committed to the highest standards of customer service and professionalism, where clients trust and respect our high quality, risk-based legal advice and judgement; a fantastic place to work, where our staff reflect our diverse society, feel valued and trusted and are able fulfil their potential.

Experience/skills required

Fully qualified lawyer (solicitor, barrister or legal executive) entitled to practice in England with at least 3 years' post qualification experience.

Strong analytical skills, an appreciation of legal risk, ability to see legal issues in their wider context and pick up new areas of law quickly.

Able to communicate effectively, be flexible and have experience of influencing and persuading at all levels which will include advising senior management sometimes up to Chief Executive level.

Good knowledge and experience advising on complex issues in one or more of the following, and/or interest in developing your expertise in these areas:

-Environmental Permitting, waste, radioactive substances, climate change or chemicals regulation
-Flood risk and planning law
-Regulatory policy, public law, legislative process, drafting
-Regulation and civil enforcement.

In some roles you will, after induction, have the opportunity to undertake advocacy defending statutory appeals before the First Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal.

Contact and additional information

It is important to us that our workforce is representative of the diverse communities we serve, and we welcome candidates with a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds.

These posts can be based in Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter, Warrington, Reading, Leeds or Peterborough. We offer the option to combine home working with attendance at the contractual office base, subject to meeting business needs. Travel is occasionally required. We welcome applications from candidates seeking full time or flexible working patterns including part-time or job-share. Please highlight preferred flexible working arrangements in your application.

Please refer to the candidate pack for full details of the roles and the benefits we offer including a career average pension scheme.

For further information contact LASrecruitment@environment-agency.gov.uk

Competence 1

Legislative Knowledge

Description

Definition: Applies a knowledge of statutory environmental and technical requirements to protect both the Environment Agency and the environment.

Please give an example of when you have applied your knowledge of environmental or public law in your work, that illustrates how you would be able to use your knowledge and experience in order to protect the Environment Agency and the environment.

Competence 2

Achieves Results

Description

Definition: Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results

Please describe how you prioritise and organise tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.

Competence 3

Influences and Persuades Others

Description

Definition: Presenting a case in a convincing and attractive way that will win people over, encouraging them to follow plans willingly; often succeeding where logic and reason alone would fail.

Please describe a situation in which you have presented a case in a convincing way and persuaded a client to follow or accept your advice on the direction of a major or sensitive projects or piece of work.

Role specific professional membership requirements

Current Practising Certificate

If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit for more information.