Senior Lawyer - Planning
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About Us:
Mid Kent Legal Services (MKLS) provides legal services and advice across the Mid-Kent area (to Swale, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells councils). The service covers a range of areas including Property and Regeneration, Planning, Contentious, Contracts & Commissioning and Corporate Governance. Working across multiple councils means a range of high-level, challenging and impactful work ranging from supporting the delivery of garden communities, to the redevelopment of large shopping centres, to letting very large contracts, to delivering affordable housing. In short, it’s a real opportunity to make a difference in an area with vibrant towns, beautiful villages and countryside and fantastic leisure and cultural amenities.
MKLS’s has a reputation as being forward thinking, progressive and innovative and is closely and strongly aligned with is partner authorities. It provides a supportive and nurturing environment, providing opportunities for staff to progress internally and uses technology to maximise the effective use of lawyers' time. In short, it is a great place to work.
The Role:
As our Senior Lawyer (Planning), you will manage a caseload of complex planning work.
Ensuring we operate at the forefront of legal excellence and align with Lexcel standards, you will provide high-level legal advice and services to elected members, senior managers and staff across all three local authorities.
You will supervise less senior fee earners and Legal Support Officers, ensuring high-quality support in legal transactions.
Additionally, you will:
- Stay updated on legal developments in property and regeneration law and practice
- Represent MKLS in internal working groups and external meetings
- Deputise for the Team Leader/Practice Area Lead when required
- Uphold the Council’s policies
This is an exciting time to join the MKLS Planning Team with a number of large and high-profile projects happening across the Partner Authorities.
We are now looking for a Senior Lawyer (Planning) to join us on a full-time, permanent basis, working 34 hours per week.
The Benefits:
- Local Government pension scheme
- Generous annual leave plus time off office closure between Christmas and New Year (and an option to
purchase extra leave
- Wellbeing support including confidential advice, counselling, flu vaccines
- Discounts on leisure, retail, and fuel and salary sacrifice schemes including Cycle to Work and car leasing
- Generous sick pay
- Free parking across the 3 Partner Authority sites
- Season ticket loans for rail/bus travel
This is the ideal opportunity for an experienced planning lawyer with a track record of providing high-level legal advice to join our forward-thinking shared service.
With exceptional benefits, a brilliant pension scheme and opportunities for professional growth, you’ll enjoy a rewarding public sector career with more flexibility and development and significantly less commuting.
What’s more, we offer outstanding working arrangements, with the majority of your time spent working from home and a 34 hour working week including 1pm finishes on Fridays. On top of this, we offer a number of working options such as compressed hours, nine-day fortnights and part-time working, all within an inclusive and supportive working environment where your wellbeing is prioritised.
About You:
To be considered as our Senior Lawyer (Planning), you will need:
- To be a qualified solicitor, barrister, chartered legal executive or have equivalent qualification and
experience
- Significant post qualification legal practice experience in planning law
- Experience providing legal advice and support to senior leaders and key decision-makers in planning law
and practice
- Experience advising Members on all aspects of planning law and procedures
-Experience operating in politically sensitive environments
- Knowledge and understanding of the political nature of local government and democratic process
- A full, valid UK driving licence
Other organisations may call this role Senior Legal Counsel, Lead Lawyer, Legal Services Manager, Solicitor, Barrister, Chartered Legal Executive, or Senior Legal Manager.
Selection Process:
Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those that are successful can expect to secure a face-to-face interview.
Swale Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employee and volunteers to share this commitment.
Mid Kent Legal Services and Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells local authorities are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.
If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Timothy Pyant, Interim Business Manager on 01622 602155.
Job Description and Person Specification
Closing Date 22nd March 2026