HB Public Law is a large specialist law practice in local government providing the full range of legal services to the London Boroughs of Barnet, Harrow, Hounslow, and Slough Borough Council. The practice is hosted by the London Borough of Harrow, where its main offices are located and staff are employed by this authority.
HB Public Law is recruiting across its Planning, Property & Regeneration, Contracts, Procurement & Information Law, and Criminal Litigation & Regulatory teams. There are 15 live roles at junior and senior levels, reflecting continued growth and demand across the service.
These positions offer genuine progression opportunities and play a key role in delivering high-quality, practical advice to public sector clients through collaborative working.
Available roles:
Our team provides full support for Councils planning functions, including advice to Planning Committees and acting on behalf of Councils in enforcement matters and high-profile public inquiries. We also advise on a wide range of property matters from simple leases to complex development agreements, including housing stock transfers, partnership agreements and academy/free school land arrangements.
We offer a wide range of services covering Planning, Property and Regeneration, Highways and Environmental Law. Members of the team have extensive experience of handling complex and high-profile matters of strategic importance, including both large and small development projects, and we enjoy a high success rate with our clients. The team also deals with the full range of leasehold and freehold transactional work and advice for local authority, school and housing clients, with a proven track record of supporting significant projects.
Our planning & environmental law work includes Section 106 planning agreements, the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), planning inquiries and committees, environmental impact assessments, enforcement powers, and defending judicial proceedings challenging the grant of planning permission. We also deal with Highways matters such as the adoption, stopping up and diversion of highways, and Town and Village Green issues such as the administration of applications on behalf of registration authorities and applications for consent to carry out works on common land.
Our property work includes for both landlord and tenant, such as commercial leases, secure and non-secure residential tenancies including service tenancies and temporary arrangements for homeless people. We deal with complex leasehold arrangements, deeds of variation, licences to assign/sub-let for alterations, rent deposit and bond arrangements. We deal with operational leases and licences for schools, as well as allotment tenancies, agricultural licences and farm business tenancies. We provide a wide range of general property advice such as investigation and resolution of title issues, land registration and land charges advice, ‘squatters rights’ and public/private access claims, and advice on local authority statutory responsibilities including applications for ministerial consent.
We work on major regeneration and infrastructure projects including local authority-led schemes, the compulsory purchase order process, CPO compensation and purchase notices, and appropriation of land. We offer training on a full range of issues including planning enforcement, the CPO process and legislative changes. Training can be tailored to specific client needs. We also deal with landlord and tenant support for regeneration schemes, including termination of leases, service of Housing Act demolition notices, and advice on tenant compensation and re-housing. We work on disposals, acquisitions and other transactional work such as development agreements, the right to buy, grants of licences, nomination agreements and housing stock transfer.
Available roles:
Our contract lawyers advise on all aspects of contract law including EU procurement, competition, tendering, contracts for goods and services, contractual disputes and negotiations.
Our highly capable lawyers support the full range of local authority procurement and commercial matters, including facilitating the delivery of major corporate projects. We have a diverse staff base with significant experience drawn from both the public sector and private practice. We deal regularly with high profile procurement projects and advise on alternative business models for the delivery of local authority services.
In addition, we advise on information law as it affects contracts and procurement, such as the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act and other information issues, to ensure that Councils, schools and public bodies meet the legal requirements.
We also advise on alternative delivery models such as the formation of trading companies, partnerships and joint venture arrangements, including the establishment of social enterprises, and shared services arrangements between public bodies.
We regularly train clients on procurement law issues with a view to sensibly managing risk in the procurement process. Training is tailored to suit client's requirements.
Available roles:
We regularly deal with the prosecution of individuals and businesses for criminal offences including benefit fraud, fly tipping, noise pollution, licensing, health and safety, food hygiene and planning contraventions.
HB Public Law undertakes a wide range of prosecutions and regularly attend court on behalf of clients. We are able to provide advice and assistance for criminal investigations and litigate cases in both the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts.
We have experienced criminal practitioners including solicitors with higher rights to appear in Crown Courts and preferential barrister fees through the London Boroughs Legal Alliance.
We undertake all aspects of regulatory crime, including health and safety at work, food safety and hygiene, pollution, enviro-crime, private sector housing, planning and listed buildings, and trading standards and licensing. We also deal with fraud – such as housing benefit, council tax, tenancy and housing, corporate fraud and applications under the proceeds of crime legislation.
We deal with education such as school attendance orders and prosecutions, and education supervision orders. We deal with appeals such as judicial review, and all aspects relating to publicity which can be very important in litigation cases to deter further offending – we offer advice on communications strategy during investigation and prosecution and following conviction.
We offer training to enforcement and investigation officers, schools and local authority officers and authorised officers and enforcement officers. Training can be tailored to specific clients’ needs.
HB Public Law offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, career development, and work life balance. The benefits reflect a commitment to flexible working, professional growth, and long-term security, helping you feel supported at every stage of your career.
You will automatically be enrolled into the Local Government Pension Scheme from your start date. With over 4.6 million members the LGPS is one of the largest public sector pension schemes in the UK. The LGPS is a nationwide scheme and is a valuable part of the pay and reward package for employees working in local government or working for other employers participating in the scheme.
This ESS offers impartial advice and support for staff who feel discriminated against. The EASS covers matters concerning employment, age, race, religion, sex, gender, marriage and much more.
Working for the London Borough of Harrow means you can get exclusive bargains from major brands. Offers range from electronics to fashion, holidays to cuisine, and much more. A few of their partners include Apple, Disneyland, Canon Cameras, M&S, Visa and John Lewis.
In partnership with Tusker, HB Public Law offer a salary sacrifice scheme against the use of an electric or plug-in hybrid car. A monthly payment is taken directly from your gross salary (before tax/pensions and National Insurance), and in return you get a new car, without the need to pay a deposit.
Using Cycle scheme you could make savings of 25-39% depending on your tax band. If you select to join the Cycle to Work scheme you will enter into a Hire Agreement for a new bike and/or accessories, via a Salary Sacrifice Agreement and save on Tax and NI. You can choose from a bike, bike and accessories or accessories only.
London Borough of Harrow has partnered with CSSC to offer a new staff benefit for as little as £4.99 p/m opening up savings worth hundreds of £s!
HB Public Law employ solicitors, barristers, chartered legal executives, legal assistants and trainee solicitors, with a total workforce of 190 employees.
Learning and development is at the heart of their practice from entry level to senior roles including via the LBLA Legal Partnership, LLG, government internal learning programme, management and leadership training and an annual career grading process for lawyers to progress.
Employees are encouraged to take ownership of their development, access continuous professional learning, and progress their careers within the organisation. HB Public Law actively support internal progression, skills development, and long-term career pathways across all roles and levels.
We are proud of our people – their expert knowledge, their commitment to public service, and their enthusiasm. We are committed to making HB Public Law a great place to work where talented people can thrive and develop rewarding careers. We pride ourselves on being collaborative, friendly, and supportive, where people work in teams and bring out the best in each other. It’s something that our clients often comment on.
We are a Lexcel accredited in-house shared service and pride ourselves on delivering a high-quality service to several local authority clients, schools, and other public bodies in London and home counties.
They deliver efficient services that meet client needs, collaborate to provide combined expertise, share knowledge to strengthen capability, and remain risk aware while focusing on practical, positive outcomes for the organisations they support.
They set and review clear standards to drive improvement, use data to monitor and strengthen performance, approach challenges with purpose, adopt a commercial outlook to manage costs, and encourage innovation and initiative across teams.
They value professional expertise and competence, support the development of others, take responsibility for their roles, contribute to wider client goals, promote collaboration, champion diversity, and invest in developing future public sector leaders.
You will join an organisation that places quality, governance and people at the centre of everything it does. These accreditations and memberships reflect a clear commitment to high professional standards, strong leadership and a supportive working environment. They demonstrate that the team delivers trusted legal services while investing in the development and wellbeing of its people.
HB Public Law are proud to hold the Lexcel accreditation – this is the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark. This accreditation recognises that a legal service provider meets high standards in client care, compliance, risk management, and operational practice.
HB Public Law are proud to be members of Lawyers in Local Government, the national professional body representing and supporting local authority legal teams, promoting high standards, collaboration, and best practice across public sector law and democratic governance.
Are you looking for your next challenge? Send us your CV to be considered for one of the fantastic vacancies available at HB Public Law.
