Planning Senior Associate (FTC)

We’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it’s personal or business, we understand that everyone’s situation is different. But we’re more than just a law firm – we’re a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life’s ups and downs. Working here you’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

Your Role and What You'll Be Doing:

We are looking for an experienced Planning Lawyer to join our award-winning team in any of our locations on a Fixed Term Contract (FTC) for up to 12 months.

Our experienced Planning and Environmental team have a strong track record for providing the very best legal advice across a range of planning and environmental issues. It is nationally recognised in both Chambers and Partners, Legal 500 and the Planning Magazine’s top planning practices and is headed by Claire Petricca-Riding, who was named as one of the top 100 leading environmental practitioners in the UK by ENDS Power List.

The team have considerable experience across a range of sectors, most notably in the development – commercial, residential and retirement living, education retail, logistics, manufacturing and waste management sectors. The members of the team are regular contributors to various national publications such as EG, Property Week, Planning Magazine and ENDS Report.

Some of the things we’ve been doing recently:

• Complex Section 106 Agreements in respect of multi- use residential led developments
• Due diligence reporting for re-financing of major property portfolios
• Judicial review of mining scheme
• Complex planning enforcement issues in relation to a luxury residential development
• Providing advice in respect of major brownfield redevelopment for city centre regeneration
• Advising a large port group in respect of environmental liability and damage in relation to its operations
• Advising a PLC in relation to its acquisitions of multi-site fuel businesses in particular the ongoing environmental liability
• Representing a waste organisation in relation to an odour statutory nuisance claim
• Representing a large wood recycler in respect of an investigation and prosecution brought by the Environment Agency
• Advising a PBSA developer in relation to its regeneration of university campuses
• Advising a large PRS developer in respect of both specialist environmental due diligence on site acquisition as well as negotiation of statutory agreements

About You:

• Significant experience in planning law, with a strong track record on complex matters
• Technically excellent with a solid understanding of planning issues
• Confident leader with experience mentoring junior lawyers
• Commercially aware, with strong client services and networking abilities
• A good network of third-party intermediaries and the enthusiasm to network, raise profile and use social media to attract new clients
• We would welcome applications from any professional background such as private practice, local authority or any other public sector body.

Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You:

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

Additional Information:

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre-employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks ­with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.