Job Introduction
Are you a proactive, organised and detail-driven professional looking for the next step in your legal career? Are you motivated by delivering excellent service? If so, we have a great role for you.
Our lawyers deal with planning, regeneration, property, highways and other related legal matters. The team is developing following the appointment of new leadership, and we’re seeking a Property Lawyer to join us.
This is an important role and an excellent opportunity for a versatile legal professional who can work at pace. You’ll contribute to a collaborative and respectful team that values dedication and innovation.
We’re looking for a dynamic, experienced and highly organised individual who can make a real difference to the community.
You’ll be part of a wider corporate strategy to shape the continued improvement and development of Milton Keynes, through involvement in major council plans and projects designed to build on existing socio-economic strengths, tackle challenges and develop transformational policies.
You’ll use your professional expertise to deal with complex, pressing issues on a day-to-day basis, but will also look ahead and take a more strategic view of a project and service delivery objectives. Matters will be technically complicated, requiring careful explanation, or sensitive, requiring significant listening skills to interpret information and provide appropriate advice. You will assist the Principal Lawyer and Lawyers within the Place legal team.
Milton Keynes has one of the fastest growing economies in the country and an ambitious growth agenda, so you’ll need to be commercially aware with an appetite for being busy and the ability to juggle competing priorities. You’ll ideally have a track record of enabling the delivery of council priorities.
This role may be suitable for home working, following an assessment. Home-based roles require a minimum of one day in the office/site per week.
Interviews for this role will be w/c 29 September 2025.
Milton Keynes City Council is a modern and friendly place to work. Find out more about working with us here: www.mkcounciljobs.org.uk
Main Responsibility
- Manage a caseload of medium and occasionally high-level matters in the areas of Property Law including commercial, residential property, leases, rights of ways, easements, wayleaves, sales and disposals, including RTBs and other related subjects.
- Provide training and guidance to the client department and legal team.
- Through high quality service, advocacy, advice and casework to support the Council, including advice to officers and members in writing as well as verbally at committee meetings, in achieving its outcomes successfully.
- Accountable, with the Principal Lawyer, for the delivery of key performance targets for the team.
- Demonstrate a personal commitment to the Council’s values and encouraging and holding to account those values.
The Ideal Candidate
- We're looking for a candidate who enjoys collaborative working across a number of teams.
- You'll enjoy problem solving and delivering a professional service. You’ll be interested in legal and democratic processes.
- Qualified Solicitor or Barrister (Supreme Court of England and Wales/English Bar) or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives or equivalent relevant qualification with relevant experience.
- Established knowledge of relevant local government law in the areas of Property Law, including commercial, residential property, leases, rights of ways, easements, wayleaves, sales and disposals, including RTBs and other related subjects.
- Demonstrable ability to draft all necessary legal, transactional and other formal documentation.
- Demonstrable knowledge of researching areas of law and presenting them in clear and understandable terms to clients.
- Taking responsibility for delivering own work and meeting agreed work objectives, working to local frameworks and guidelines.
- Being able to devise solutions to legal problems.
- Identifying and evaluating risks systematically, communicating information to enable appropriate and timely action; recognising situations where risk may be justifiable.
Package Description
In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:
- Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
- Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
- A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.
- Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
- Salary sacrifice car scheme – low-cost leasing of electric and low emission vehicles.
- Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.
Why join us? Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you here Working at the Council | Milton Keynes
Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week. Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.
About The Organisation
Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.
We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.
We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.
We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.
If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.
