Paralegal/Legal Executive - Highways & Environment

Paralegal/Legal Executive - Highways & Environment

Permanent, Full Time

£34,008 to £40,009 per annum + benefits

Location: Chelmsford*

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 28th June 2026

*This is a hybrid-working role contractually based in Chelmsford. You will work from the Chelmsford office or undertake site visits 2-3 days per week, depending on business need.

Essex County Council (ECC) is a diverse and large organisation that strives for excellence and delivers an outstanding service for residents across Essex. As the in-house legal service, ELS prides itself on providing a comprehensive legal service to the Council – most of our work is done in-house.

We pride ourselves on valuing the people who work for us and provide a supportive working environment, where people work hard to do their best for Essex. 

Job Purpose

You will be responsible in assisting with the delivery of all aspects of routine legal work. Work will be continuous in nature and will cover the Council’s legal highways and environment functions, including the Council’s public rights of way and processing legal orders for the Definitive Map from start to finish. This includes investigating, drafting reports and carrying out the statutory processes following applications for changes to the Definitive Map. Where orders are objected to, you will be responsible for submitting them to the Planning Inspectorate and arranging local public inquiries.

You will:

• Manage a caseload of applications to change public rights of way
• Investigate claims for public rights of way (Definitive Map Modification Orders)
• Undertake site visits, research historic documents and statements provided by the public and landowners
• Draft reports considering Council policies, consultation responses and relevant legislation
• Consult and negotiate with the public, organisations and developers on proposed changes to public rights of way
• Work with and interpreting plans including electronically on GIS
• Manage applications for Town and Village Greens
• Respond to Commons Register enquiries.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Experience of working within a legal setting in a public service or private sector environment, providing routine legal advice is desirable although not essential.
• Proven track record of delivering excellent customer service.
• Works collaboratively with colleagues and the client base, to understand customer needs with a strong focus on delivering positive outcomes.
• Ability to develop working relationships across a large, complex organisation and with internal and external partners/ stakeholders and clients to maintain and develop business streams.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Corporate Services

Why You'll Love Working with Us:

• Flexible Work Arrangements: Experience the best of both worlds with our flexible hybrid working arrangements. Enjoy the freedom to work from home while still benefiting from in-person collaboration in our Chelmsford offices.
• Generous Time Off: Start with 27 days of holiday, increasing with service, plus 8 bank holidays and up to 4 paid volunteer days each year.
• Secure Your Future: Enjoy peace of mind with enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Professional Growth: We cover professional fees for approved professions, supporting your career development.
• Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service.  The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate.  This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.  For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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