Legal Assistant

Overview

We are recruiting for a permanent Legal Assistant to support the work of the Planning and Highways Team within Legal Services.

We are committed to building an exceptional in-house legal service.  Legal Assistants play a key role in supporting our legal professionals, undertaking a variety of work across a number of legal areas.

Detailed legal knowledge of planning and highways is not an essential requirement for this role but a genuine interest in the law, a willingness to learn and a good understanding of the work of local government are essential.  In Legal Services we are passionate about career development, and we offer a number of supported structured training initiatives. You will also receive regular on the job training and guidance from colleagues’ as you develop your knowledge and experience. 

About us

Legal Services is at the heart of the Organisation and provides a fast-paced and rewarding career in a supportive environment. The in-house legal service supports the Council’s ambitions to establish one of the best councils in the Country, creating positive change for local people, communities and businesses. Our services are wide-ranging with many opportunities to grow and progress within the organisation.

The Planning and Highways Team supports the Council’s statutory functions as the local planning authority and highways authority, and we deal with all aspects of planning including some of the associated areas such as heritage and listed buildings, building control and ecology. Alongside highway matters we also deal with public rights of way, common land and village greens.

This is an exciting time to join us, as we continue to grow and develop our service. We are currently mid service review and the in-house legal service is changing to support the varied work of this diverse authority and to provide a wider range of in-house specialism.

Our commitment to work-life balance and adapting ways of working is shaping our working lives for the better. From the moment you join us, we’ll support you to be the best, every step of the way.

Please click here to find out further information on our Legal Services: https://buckinghamshire.pagetiger.com/legal-services/1

If that’s not enough reason to join us, you will be entitled to a range of benefits from Buckinghamshire Council including a very competitive employer pension contribution, generous annual leave allowance and discounts in a range of services and restaurants.

About the role

The work of the Planning and Highways Teams is diverse and includes all aspects of conducting legal cases relating to the Council’s regulatory functions.  As a legal assistant in the team your role would be:

• To support a team of lawyers in their specialist departmental work
• To have conduct of routine legal work, with supervision
• To assist with drafting routine legal documents including applications, notices, agreements and statements subject to supervision
• To assist with preparation for hearings/public inquiries/Magistrates Court/High Court under the direction of a qualified lawyer
• To assist with production of documents and disclosure work in relation to pre-completion checks at Land Registry, Land Registry requisitions, subject access requests/freedom of information requests/court directed disclosure as required by legislation under the supervision of a qualified lawyer
• To contribute to the Legal & Democratic Service objectives, ensuring the provision of an effective, consistent and high-quality service that is responsive to customer demands.

 Working Style:

Legal Services work in a hybrid manner with a mixture of office based and home working.  As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you will be required to work from the Council’s Walton Street office 40-60% of the week or in line with business need and team requirements.  You will have full remote access to enable you to work from home the remainder of the time.  You may also be required to attend Court and meetings across the county and at times further afield.  

During any probationary/learning period you will be required to attend the office more frequently for training. Attendance is required on collaboration team working days at the Walton Street Offices.

About you

We are looking for someone who is highly motivated and proactive with a positive ‘can do’ attitude and the ability to work, at times, under pressure. The applicant should:

• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Have excellent planning and organisational skills;
• Be IT literate including the use of Microsoft applications

And be either:

• Educated to degree standard or equivalent, with a qualification in law OR
• Experience working in a legal environment OR
• Have experience of working in local government and be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in a career in local authority law

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

If you would like to have an informal conversation with the Legal Assistant line manager, please contact Katherine Stubbs, Assistant Team Leader on 01895 837239.

Interview date: week commencing 26 January or 2 February 2026. Selection will be based on an interview to take place at the Council’s Walton Street Office, Aylesbury.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

a fair and inclusive culture

• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

 

About the Business Unit

The Assistant Chief Executive directorate is central to Buckinghamshire Council’s journey to establish itself as one of the best councils in the country. With a clear focus on service improvement through transformation and a drive to build better relationships with the local community, the directorate is fast-paced; but extremely rewarding. Our teams are not only proactively delivering on projects and plans but also reacting to developing situations. If you are ambitious, innovative, and would relish the opportunity to influence change - a role within our service area could be your next career move.

The team includes exciting areas of work, including our Policy and Communications, Legal and Democratic Services teams – innovating the way we communicate with our colleagues, Members and the local community, and role-modelling best practice through policy, planning and legal services. If you think you can help us achieve our goals, and want to be a part of this exciting journey, we would love to hear from you!

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/