Paralegal

The starting salary for this full-time, permanent position is £34,660 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

Surrey County Council is looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Paralegal to join our supportive and successful Lexcel accredited in-house Highways and Planning team, within the Legal & Democratic Services Department.

We offer hybrid working which allows for remote working but we also require regular office attendance with the aim to give everyone a balanced work/life ratio. You will be expected to attend a Surrey office a minimum of 40% of your working week, with the ability to access offices across Surrey's estate in Reigate, Weybridge and Woking. The team are very approachable so there will always be someone to provide you with support and discuss matters with. This role is contractually based at Woodhatch Place, Reigate until 31st March 2027, however this vacancy is expected to transfer to East Surrey following Local Government Reorganisation (see below for more information).

Our Offer to You

26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays (prorated for part time staff)
Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
A generous local government salary related pension
Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residentsAbout the Role

This role is primarily to support with legal Highways and Planning work and will include:

Assisting with case management including completing Court forms, preparing and managing bundles of documents, witness statements and preparing instructions to counsel
Liaising with the Court, external law firms and barristers' chambers
Taking instructions from clients on the simpler planning and highways agreements
Editing simpler planning and highways agreements and progressing them to completion
Supporting the solicitors/lawyers in the team with administration tasks/entering data into our case management system
Researching legal issues as required
Other ad hoc work, including but not limited to minute takingIf you are interested in developing and enhancing your existing skills whilst undertaking quality and varied work in the area of highways and planning, we'd love to hear from you!

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

Law degree or equivalent (e.g. non-law degree plus CPE/GDL)
Motivation for working for the Local Authority Legal Highways and Planning team
Experience of working in a legal team, delivering timely, clear and effective legal advice, representation and assistance
Keen attention to detail with the ability to work effectively and flexibly in a team and manage competing priorities to strict deadlines
Ability to provide exemplary client care
Ability to undertake legal research and present findings with accuracyTo apply, we request that you submit a CV and answer the following 3 questions:

Please set out your motivations for applying for a highways and planning role, with particular focus on what you think is important for a local highway and planning authority in administering its legal duties. (Max 200 words)
What qualities do you think are important to make a success of this role? (Max 200 words)
What is something that you have done as part of a team (in work or a personal capacity) that you are particularly proud of or has had a positive outcome for somebody else? (Max 200 words)The job advert closes at 23:59 on Sunday 11th October September 2026 with interviews planned to follow.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey Handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and will move to new authorities in April 2027. This role is currently employed by Surrey County Council and will remain so until then. If you are employed by Surrey County Council on 1 April 2027, your employment will transfer under TUPE arrangements to one of the new councils, with your current terms and conditions protected. The provisional allocation for this post is East Surrey Council, subject to final confirmation through the wider transition process later this year. Please see more information on our website.

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs