Government Legal Department
Senior Lawyer, Planning Team, MHCLG LA
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Senior Lawyer – Planning Team
Salary: £74,960 national, £76,495 Croydon/London
Job Reference: 477339
Location: Bristol, Croydon, Leeds, London, Manchester
Contract: Permanent, Full Time
Closing date for applications: Tuesday 29th September 2026 at 12:00 midday
Much more than law
The Government Legal Department (GLD) is the largest provider of legal services across government, working with all the main Whitehall departments. From energy to security, and from roads and rivers to health and human rights, our work touches on most aspects of public life. Developing and drafting legislation, helping to secure economic and trade relationships, providing legal advice on policies and ensuring value from contracts, our work is as varied as it is stimulating.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) Legal Advisers
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) Legal Advisers is a friendly, inclusive, high-performing and collaborative Directorate with a strong sense of shared purpose. We provide legal support to the Secretary of State, Ministers and officials, and help implement policies to empower local leaders, spread opportunities, improve living standards across the UK and restore local pride.
Our ambitious agenda is focused on increasing housing supply and home ownership, improving building safety, devolving powers and budgets to boost local growth, supporting public services and creating community cohesion and social integration. We have a substantial programme of primary and secondary legislation, and work on an exciting and rewarding portfolio of core government legal work, advising and supporting policy development and delivery in areas that make a real difference to the lives of UK citizens.
Your role
When you bring your skills and expertise to our Planning Team you’ll be joining a friendly, high-performing and collaborative group of lawyers who play a pivotal role in delivering some of the Government’s most ambitious objectives. These include building 1.5 million homes, delivering major infrastructure projects, reforming the planning system and creating new communities. The team advises across a broad range of planning law matters, including planning applications and appeals, local plans, environmental assessment, habitats, nationally significant infrastructure projects, planning casework and planning legislation.
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- Work on policy development as well as operational delivery
- Provide targeted written and verbal advice
- Manage your legal workstream and a number of important client relationships
- Line managing and supporting the professional development of a mini-team of junior lawyers
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with Ministers, senior colleagues and other stakeholders
- Provide inspirational leadership both within your team and across the wider directorate
About you
To be a success in this significant role you should have well-developed knowledge and practical experience of public and planning law, with a particular focus on the operation of the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 and section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. An excellent communicator and mentor, you should be able to think strategically and creatively, see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly. You’ll be working at pace on fast-developing situations, and leading relationships with senior policy colleagues in your area, so you should be confident, calm under pressure and capable of prioritising when faced with competing deadlines.
You should be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales, and will have completed a training contract, pupillage or qualifying employment, or been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. You’ll also need a minimum of a 2.1 honours degree in any subject in your first degree (or its overseas equivalent), or evidence of high-level academic or professional achievement, such as a Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course, any of which must be underpinned by practical experience.
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Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where a qualifying law degree is held or the Graduate Diploma in Law has been completed, or where CILEx Level 6 exams have been passed at 50% or above in Contract Law, Criminal Law, Equity and Trusts Law, European Union Law, Land Law, Public Law and the Law of Tort.
All GLD employees must hold Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) vetting. If you are based in our London offices you must also hold or be willing to obtain CTC level clearance. More information about the vetting process can be found here.
Benefits
While your previous experience may be relevant, Government work is likely to involve a rapid learning curve as you acquire a number of legal skills and knowledge not required in private practice. However, we will provide you with the support you’ll need to acquire the necessary expertise, and have a thriving CPD-accredited in-house training programme.
GLD encourages its people to develop their skills in a nurturing environment. Other benefits include access to a valuable civil service pension and flexible working arrangements.
Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting-edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.
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