Solicitor / Associate – Planning

We are looking for an ambitious Solicitor/Associate to join our national planning team. Our highly regarded team is led by four Partners who are widely admired in the community, drawing high praise from peers and clients. Sources describe us as the “go-to for planning” with “exceptionally good knowledge of the planning system.” (Chambers and Partners).

Our nationally recognised planning and the environment solicitors provide expert advice on the full range of contentious and non-contentious planning and environmental law issues. We advise in relation to all forms of development and encompassing issues of housing and commercial development (including affordable housing), transportation, leisure and tourism, education, ecological and cultural heritage, contaminated land and pollution and enforcement.

Who we are

You’ll be joining a national law firm that enjoys a strong reputation, made possible by our exceptional people – each chosen for their industry knowledge and passion for their field. We want to help you to reach your full potential, love the work you do and deliver the best results for your clients. It’s our goal to make you feel great about working with us, and we work hard to cultivate a culture that makes it easy for you to stay with us for many years.

We work flexibly and you’ll be empowered to work where you do your best work, balancing your individual needs with the need for us to engage as teams and deliver excellent client service.

Most of our people choose to work in a hybrid fashion, working from home and attending our offices on occasion. Our offices are in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton, and Taunton.

Day to day, you’ll be successful in this role by:

You will be supporting on a range of high-quality planning work, to include planning applications and appeals, regeneration projects and section 106 agreements. We have a diverse client base, including many local authorities as well as household name organisations.

This role will develop your technical and client management skills with access to challenging and varied work, working alongside highly respected senior practitioners. As an expanding team, there are real opportunities for career development as you gain expertise and build your wider skill set including supervision of junior members of the team.

You will be encouraged to take an active involvement in business development activities, building client relationships and helping to grow our already well-regarded practice.

It is an integral part of this role that you comply with information security and all firm policies and procedures.

This role is right for you if:

This is a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate to progress their career and enjoy a challenge within a continually growing, fast paced team.

If you have at least 3 years of post-qualification experience gained with a leading practice, we would very much like to hear from you. We will consider CVs from exceptional candidates with less experience.

You will be able to demonstrate a strong intellect, evidenced with a high level of academic achievement, and be someone who shows initiative, drive, and excellent organisation skills.

We expect you to be a genuine team player and a great communicator, who enjoys helping and working alongside others.

You will be eager to learn, develop and hone your skills to take advantage of the opportunities for career development within this team.

What we can offer you:

A career at Clarke Willmott will feel different to other law firms. We thrive on our individual differences and diversity because as a team, we are united by our shared values and mutual respect. Working with us you will feel empowered, valued and free to be yourself in a safe and supportive environment.

Our mission is to help you realise your full potential whilst maintaining a positive work-life balance. We provide a comprehensive learning and development programme and a range of wellbeing initiatives to support your career journey.

There’s no doubt we expect the best from our people and even the occasional extra mile. In return, your dedication and commitment to the continued success of the firm will be rewarded with a comprehensive range of flexible benefits.

Listen to what a few members of our team have to say about what life here at Clarke Willmott is really like, to see if it’s the right fit for you.