Senior Lawyer - Planning and Highways

About The Job

Some key information

• Salary: £55,106 per annum (inclusive of a £4,718 time limited recruitment allowance)
• 33 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Permanent, Full-time contract (37 hours per week).
• Relocation package up to £8,000 for those moving to Somerset
• Taunton, Somerset based (Dynamic Working – flexible arrangements including working from home)
• Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for visa sponsorship.
  
  

What will I be doing?

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that.

We need a specialist in Planning and Highways legal work, with experience of providing legal advice to the council at both strategic and operational levels and helping to drive forward vital improvements in both development planning and development management.

Your day-to-day work will involve:

• To be responsible for a mixed caseload of matters regarding Planning and Highways, without supervision.

To support the Principal Lawyer in the supervision of junior members of the team, including undertaking their own cases, advocacy; ensuring through appropriate delegation and supervision that all work is of the correct quality and performed in a timely manner.

Timely and effective liaison with support staff, building and maintaining synergy working.

Develop and foster effective working relationships with the Principal Lawyer and other lawyers within the Planning and Highways Legal team, key stakeholders and client departments, acquiring, developing and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the client’s business needs and objectives and sharing this with the team so these are widely understood.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But you will need to have:

• A Solicitor, Barrister (Supreme Court of England and Wales/English Bar) or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives or equivalent relevant qualification with relevant experience.
• Evidence of work related continuing professional development in your specialist field.

Significant experience of working successfully with Members and Directors on complex issues and the development of strategic direction.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

If you’re looking to relocate to Somerset, we can offer a relocation allowance of up to £8,000. Somerset is special - with beautiful stretches of sandy coastline, caves, moors, the unique Somerset Levels, cool-list towns, the world’s largest green-field music festival and fantastic local food and produce. It's all here on your doorstep! Somerset enjoys good road, rail and air travel networks, with access to the rest of the country; London by train in less than 2 hours, and national and international flights from and to Bristol and Exeter airports, easily accessible from the M5 motorway.

What's in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.

Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave

Staff discounts in gyms.

Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.

Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.

A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.

My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Anything else I should know?

The salary for the role is Grade 8 - £49,282 per annum.

A supplement allowance of £4,718 per annum is linked to the Senior Lawyer - Planning and Highways, bringing the salary to £54,000 per annum. This allowance is subject to National Insurance, Tax and Pension deductions and will be paid in accordance with standard payroll procedures.

The allowance is time-limited and will expire on 28/02/2029. All supplement allowances are reviewed 18 months from the original approval date

and may be adjusted or withdrawn based on organisational need, role changes, or market conditions.

Please note:

• If the role is re-evaluated or the salary changes as a result of the Pay and Grading Review, the allowance may be reduced or cease entirely.
  
  

If the salary changes due to the NJC Pay Award, the supplement allowance will be adjusted accordingly to maintain the intended pay differential.

For more information about the role, you can contact Kehinde Awojobi, Head of Legal, on kehinde.awojobi@somerset.gov.uk.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

Closing date for applications: Sunday 29th March 2026

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.