Job Title

Job DescriptionThe diverse nature of environmental crime provides ever-evolving challenges for our legal teams. Our Enforcement and Prosecution teams provide advice and conduct enforcement and prosecution cases, which may involve relevant alternative disposals such as civil sanctions and formal cautions. They also provide training to staff on disclosure requirements and the use of various statutory enforcement powers. Join them and you will have the opportunity to own an interesting caseload, protect the environment and make your mark in a national organisation that promises a good work-life balance, salary pension scheme and great professional development.We currently have Senior Lawyer vacancies in our teams based in Birmingham and Peterborough and Worthing. We also have available in our Water Industry Enforcement Team (WIET) a Senior Lawyer (Team Leader) role and other Senior Lawyer vacancies which may be based in Exeter, Leeds, Reading, Warrington or Worthing.For all our roles, you will provide high level, accurate, timely legal advice and support to relevant parts of the organisation, deliver good quality effective legal casework and progress procedural issues. You will manage your own caseload and work with a high degree of autonomy including on more complex / sensitive advice, criminal and / or civil proceedings, challenges, transactional and other matters including representing the Environment Agency.We are fully committed to having an 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.The teamOur legal teams are located across the country and lawyers report through a team leader to the relevant Senior Managing Lawyer and Deputy Director (Chief Prosecutor) as part of Legal Services. The work of the teams covers the full range of environmental offending under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (water, waste, regulated industry) as well as advising on the acceptance or rejection of enforcement undertakings pursuant to the civil penalty regime.Experience/skills RequiredYou will be a qualified solicitor, barrister or equivalent (FILEX with rights of audience in criminal proceedings) and ideally have experience as a prosecutor or defence lawyer handling complex criminal cases concerning breaches of environmental legislation or other complex areas of criminal and regulatory law.You will possess a sound knowledge generally of criminal law, practice and procedure and be an experienced criminal advocate with trial experience in the Magistrates’ Court. You will have experience of preparing complex cases for trial and sentence in the Crown Court. You may also be a higher rights advocate but this is not mandatory. You will understand the Environment Agency’s ability to use civil sanctions in place of criminal proceedings and you will have the ability to advise upon the right regulatory response to environmental offending.Contact and additional informationSenior Lawyer roles receive a G6 Market Forces Factor allowance of £5,250 per annum.As with all roles in Legal Services, we combine home working with attendance at the contractual office base, subject to meeting business needs. The roles can be based at any of our main hub locations. There will be travel to court and other locations as required.Please indicate your location preference as part of your application.We will hold interviews in January 2026.For any queries relating to the role please contact 1Achieves ResultsDescriptionPlease describe how you prioritise and organise tasks and resources to ensure the timely achievement of results.Competence 2Focuses on Customers and PartnersDescriptionPlease give an example of how you have addressed the needs of internal and external customers and describe any challenges encountered in order to provide an effective response.Competence 3Illegal Activity Detection and EnforcementDescriptionPlease give an example of a case where you have advised upon the correct enforcement response to an illegal activity.Role specific professional membership requirementsCurrent Practising CertificateIf 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 more information.Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.