4315 - Lawyer

1
West Midlands
Solihull
Sapphire East
Staff Grade 5
Permanent
Full Time
Legal Services
£33,990
The Environment Agency’s diverse work provides a wide range of challenges for our Environment & Business Legal Team. Here, you will have the opportunity to tackle interesting cases and make your mark in a national body that offers a good work-life balance, salary, pension scheme and great professional development.

You will deal with a range of functions and Area-facing work. You’ll provide high quality advice to officers regulating permitted industry, notably waste, and dealing with pollution control, water quality and resources, habitats, fisheries and more. You’ll deal with civil enforcement action and may liaise with partner bodies in local and national government. You’ll handle challenges in the civil courts and through the statutory appeal process with colleagues and clients across the country. You may have the opportunity to advise on collaborative national or local projects improving water, land and bio-diversity, including on regulatory risks and agreements on financial contributions
Your team is one of three led by experienced regulatory lawyers, together comprising 15 lawyers, who provide essential legal support to officers in operational Areas across England. They work closely with colleagues across the Environment Agency’s Legal Services whether in Area-facing or National teams, and whose work includes prosecutions, flood risk and other specialisms as well as matters relating more directly to central government.
You will be a fully qualified lawyer (barrister, solicitor or chartered legal executive) entitled to practise in England and Wales and educated to degree level. You will need to demonstrate that you are confident and credible, able to combine first-class communication skills with strong analytical skills and an ability to pick up new areas quickly. You’ll be customer-focussed with good organisational skills and the ability to handle your own case-load without supervision as well as being a strong team player. You will also have experience of influencing and persuading people at all levels, and be able to interpret technical legal areas to a variety of customers and stakeholders. Experience of environmental law and working for a regulatory body or local authority is desirable.
Closing Date: 3rd April 2017 at 23:55 hours

The role is full-time and will be based at our Solihull office. You may be required to travel to other offices or to attend courts or appeal hearings in different locations as work demands.

For additional information please contact Martin Swensson (tel: 0203 02 50836 or email martin.swensson@environment-agency.gov.uk).

03/04/2017, 23:55 hours

Basic Check
Focuses on Customers and Partners
You address the needs of operational officers dealing with regulatory problems and important environmental protection issues. You communicate effectively and build and maintain successful working relationships with them. You provide timely and effective responses to support them.
Achieves Results
You will be solution-oriented and set and deliver high standards of work. You will understand and demonstrate the drive to achieve positive environmental outcomes. You will prioritise and organise tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.
Legislative Knowledge
You will have the ability to apply in practice a good knowledge and understanding of environmental legislation, case-law and technical requirements to tackle regulatory and enforcement challenges in protecting the environment and the reputation of the Environment Agency.
You will be a fully qualified solicitor, barrister or legal executive entitled to practise in England and Wales with corresponding professional membership.
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 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.

This Vacancy is closed to applications.