Graduate - Legal

Job description Programme start date: September 2025 Where Next? Launch Your Legal Career with National Highways and help us to connect the country Join our three-year Legal Graduate Programme and gain valuable professional experience at one of the countrys key public sector government organisations. What Youll Be Doing As a graduate solicitor trainee on our legal programme youll work under supervision of qualified legal experts across various disciplines. Youll take on real responsibility from day one, providing legal advice on matters critical to National Highways' operations, which could include • Civil litigation, health and safety law, and coronial law • Regulatory and commercial issues, including drafting and negotiating contracts • Procurement, planning matters, and highways applications • Employment law, property law, judicial reviews, and managing legal challenges • Managing reputational risk and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and guidelines Youll play a... key role in National Highways' legal affairs, responding to queries, providing clear, concise advice to client teams, and managing a variety of cases under supervision. Youll promote high standards of legal practice and compliance whilst advising a broad range of stakeholders. As part of your programme, youll also study towards a Level 7 solicitor apprenticeship. Please note, in order to qualify as a solicitor you must be eligible to undertake the Solicitors Qualifying Exam 1 & 2 as part of your learning programme. What we are looking for What youll be doing As a graduate project manager, youll mix study with real-life work on a variety of projects that shape how we build and operate our roads. Guided and mentored by expert industry professionals, youll explore the full lifecycle of project delivery, planning and management, developing your skills and knowledge through inspirational placements across the business Youll also complete a programme of apprenticeship learning, tailored to your developing project management career to become a full professional member of the Association for Project Management (APM). At the end of your programme, youll have opportunities to continue your career journey with us and be at the heart of projects that deliver real impact in connecting the country. What youll get in return With our support, youll enjoy the chance to own your development to get the best out of your time on the programme. So, if you're looking to grow your career in a large, evolving organisation and ready to invest in your development, all our graduate programmes offer: • A mix of workshops, on-job-training and hands on experience • A dedicated line manager and mentoring from experienced colleagues to provide encouragement, direction and career planning support • Flexible working arrangements • Peer networking and support through our Early Talent community • A permanent contract from day one As well as a competitive salary and plenty of career development support, youll also enjoy a fantastic employee benefits package which includes a generous pension scheme, life assurance, annual leave starting at 26 days (rising to 31 days with service) and retailers discounts and cashback. What youll need to succeed If you have the passion and dedication to succeed, youll be a great match for our programme. To be successful, youll have: • An enthusiastic, collaborative approach to working with others • The ability to communicate in different formats with a variety of stakeholders • Excellent co-ordination skills • The ability to plan and prioritise effectively to meet deadlines • A focus on quality and integrity in everything you do

Qualifications

You must also meet these essential qualification requirements by the programme start date: • A 2:2 qualifying law degree, or a 2:2 non-law degree with a law conversion course pass • At least five GCSEs, including English and Mathematics at grades A-C (or 9-4) Please note, in order to qualify as a solicitor, you must be eligible to undertake the Solicitors Qualifying Exam 1 & 2 as part of your learning programme Assessment centres will take place in January and February. To be eligible for a place on the programme, you must be available to attend the 4-day induction, 8th -11th September All offers for our graduate programmes are subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks, including Right to Work, reference, and DBS criminal record checks. Due to the salary level of this role, we cannot offer sponsorship for the position for individuals that don't have the Right to Work in the UK. Successful candidates will require Right to Work for the duration of the programme Apply Job!