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Deadline: 23.55 on 5 October 2025The Environment Agency operates at the place where environmental change has its greatest impact on people’s lives. We work closely with a wide range of partners to make sure there is enough water for people and wildlife, reduce the risk of flooding, protect and improve air, land and water quality and apply environmental standards within which industry can operate. The breadth and diversity of the Environment Agency’s remit provides ever-evolving challenges for our legal teams, whose specialisms include enforcement and prosecution, public / environmental law (area and national), property, employment, and commercial. This is an exciting opportunity to immerse yourself in the environmental sector as you develop the legal skills, capabilities and expertise required in order to qualify as a solicitor. Starting in approximately April 2026, you will undertake four six-month training seats, working closely with a training supervisor as well as the wider team. Your work will vary by team, but broadly will include: - assisting in providing effective and efficient legal services, contributing to the delivery of environmental outcomes in line with operational needs and our objectives; - providing accurate and timely legal advisory, litigation and prosecution support within each training seat, under supervision and guidance; - conducting a challenging caseload under supervision and guidance; and - building and sustaining effective relationships with legal colleagues, internal clients and external stakeholders to understand issues and provide effective responses. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity in all we do, and to valuing the diversity of our workforce, customers and communities. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (B.A.M.E.), disabled, female and LGBT+ candidates.The team &nbsp;Our Teams work hybridly from one of seven legal hubs at Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, Leeds, Peterborough, Reading or Warrington. You will be based at your closest legal hub but will need to travel to other offices according to the location of each training contract seat, as part of gaining the best training and experience. You can expect to be working in the office (or on-site, in court, etc) two or three days per week.Experience/skills required &nbsp;This role is open to applicants who have passed both stages of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 1 and 2) or the Legal Practice Course (LPC). No previous legal employment or work experience is required.Contact and additional information &nbsp;As part of your application, you are asked to provide a cover letter; in this section, please tell us why you would like to train at the Environment Agency and what skills and experience you will bring to the role. For further information, please contact: -Up to 26 September, Adam Haselhurst (<a href="mailto:adam.haselhurst@environment-agency.gov.uk" target="_blank">adam.haselhurst@environment-agency.gov.uk</a>) -From 29 September, Henry Sackville Hamilton (<a href="mailto:henry.sackvillehamilton@environment-agency.gov.uk" target="_blank">henry.sackvillehamilton@environment-agency.gov.uk</a>) Interviews will be conducted in late-October / early-November. Note: AI-generated answers are not permitted. If we reasonably suspect an application response has been wholly or partially generated by AI, your application will be rejected.Length of contract &nbsp;up to 24 monthsCompetence 1 &nbsp;Achieves ResultsDescription &nbsp;Definition: Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results Question: Please describe how you set and deliver high work standards, demonstrate the drive to meet targets, and prioritise and organise tasks or resources, all to ensure timely achievement of results.Competence 2 &nbsp;Focuses on Customers and PartnersDescription &nbsp;Description: Identifies and seizes the opportunity to create, introduce and implement new or improved methods, processes and without, compromising quality or accuracy. Question: Please let us know how you address the needs of, and provide rapid and effective responses to, internal and external customers.Competence 3 &nbsp;Legislative KnowledgeDescription &nbsp;Description: Applies a knowledge of statutory environmental and technical requirements to protect both the Environment Agency and the environment. Question: Please tell us about two environmental law developments that impact the Environment Agency.Role specific license requirements &nbsp;This role is open to applicants who have passed both stages of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 1 and 2) or the Legal Practice Course (LPC).If 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. For an application pack, click Apply.

Trainee solicitor - April 2026 - Environment Agency

Apply before 5:00 pm on Friday 19th September 2025Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)We are recruiting for two Paralegal Graduate Solicitor Apprentices to join our Legal Services team.The postholders will provide high-quality paralegal support within Ofsted’s Legal Services team, working closely with advisory, litigation, and enforcement lawyers. They will assist with legal research, document preparation, case management, and administrative tasks, helping to ensure the effective delivery of legal services across the organisation.This apprenticeship offers exposure to a broad range of public sector legal work and provides an excellent foundation for developing a career as a solicitor.This is a fantastic opportunity to further your experience in Ofsted’s well-established team. The post holder will work with high-achieving professionals at all levels, surrounded by a friendly and supportive team. They will have access to many benefits, such as flexible working hours, the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and 32.5 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays. We offer a hybrid working model, so you may also choose to spend a proportion of time working from home.Apprenticeship ProgrammeThe apprenticeship will be fully funded and is a 30-month programme, completed alongside working in a paralegal role in the Legal Services team.During this time, you will study for and undertake the SQE assessments, whilst compiling a portfolio of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE).The apprenticeship will be delivered by our provider via a digital learning platform. Study leave of up to 10 days per year is available in accordance with Ofsted’s policies, in addition to the 20% (one day per week) apprenticeship learning time.On successful completion of the programme and qualification as a Solicitor, you will be eligible to apply for a Legal Officer role.Eligibility Criteria<ul><li>Applicants who already hold an LPC or LLM with LPC are not eligible to apply.</li><li>Your qualifications and eligibility will be formally checked by the training provider at the enrolment stage.</li></ul>Programme timing<ul><li>The successful candidate will be asked to enrol with our provider, by 3 November 2025.</li><li>The programme will commence on 15 December 2025.</li><li>The successful candidate must be available to start employment with Ofsted on 1 December 2025 in order to participate in the apprenticeship programme.</li></ul>Please refer to the job specification for further information.QualificationsA qualifying (English/Welsh) law degree with a minimum 2:1, or a non-law degree minimum 2:1 and a pass on an English law conversion course (GDL, PGDL, CPE or equivalent qualifications), in either case completed in the last 5 years.Five GCSEs between A* - C (9 - 4) including English and Maths.BehavioursWe'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:<ul><li>Seeing the Big Picture</li><li>Delivering at Pace</li><li>Making Effective Decisions</li><li>Communicating and Influencing</li><li>Managing a Quality Service</li></ul>We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:<ul><li>Seeing the Big Picture</li><li>Delivering at Pace</li></ul>Technical skillsWe'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:<ul><li>Strong legal research and IT skills and experience.</li><li>A good working knowledge of public law and its application.</li><li>Experience of building positive and effective relationships and credibility with both internal and external stakeholders.</li></ul>BenefitsAlongside your salary of £29,911, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills contributes £8,665 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.&nbsp;Full details of the benefits available can be found in our Ofsted Offer brochureOfsted is devoted to equality, diversity and inclusion. Within our Ofsted Strategy 2023-2027 we have stated that we will improve the representation of under-represented groups across the organisation and publish our progress on this annually. We are always looking to expand on our diverse workforce by recruiting candidates from varied backgrounds and differing experiences. We are proud to be a Disability Confident – Leader, we continually engage with our 5 staff networks for protected characteristics, and highlight the work of our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group. We ensure all candidates are treated with fair and open competition, with all appointments being made on merit and we use our Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) to provide assurance to all candidates of this.Things you need to knowSelection process detailsThis vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.Application and Shortlisting:The selection panel will assess your application based on your evidence you have provided against the essential criteria as set out in the person specification.You will also be asked to provide information within the “Employer/Activity History” section of the application form. This information is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV setting out your career history (this will be used in the sifting process).In the event that we receive a high volume of applications, an initial sift will be conducted based on the following two criteria:<ul><li>Behaviour - Seeing the big picture</li><li>Strong legal research and IT skills and experience</li></ul>Applicants who meet these criteria will be invited to progress to the next stage of the selection process. If necessary, a further full sift will be undertaken, assessing all applications against the complete set of essential criteria.Assessment and interview&nbsp;Candidates who pass the benchmark at the shortlisting stage will be invited to an assessment and interview where you will be assessed against a combination of the Civil Service behaviours and the technical/experience skills set out in section 3 of the job specification.As part of the selection process, you may be asked to complete a written assessment based on a legal scenario. You will have 45 minutes to review the scenario and prepare your response. Following this, you will be invited to present your findings to the panel as part of your interview.&nbsp;Assessment and interviews will be held remotely on Tuesday 7 October 2025 and Wednesday 8 October 2025 via Microsoft teams.Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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