Principal Property Solicitor, Woodland Trust
£60.8k
The UK's largest woodland conservation charity
Job no longer available
The UK's largest woodland conservation charity
501-1000 employees
Job no longer available
£60.8k
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To create a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature.
Role
Who you are
- Must be a qualified solicitor or barrister in England with significant post-qualification experience within commercial or agricultural property law and must have a current practicing certificate
- Strong negotiation skills with the ability to persuade and reason effectively
- Experience leading on complex property cases
- Knowledge about commercial property law including leases, overage, pre-emption agreements, options and large scale freehold acquisitions
- Strong collaboration skills with the ability to build strong stakeholder relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
- Knowledge on agricultural law with the ability to apply in practice
- Experience advising stakeholders on complex property legal issues
What the job involves
- The Woodland Trust is looking for a Principal Property Solicitor to lead the Trust property legal matters taking responsibility for a variety of cases
- Manage the Trusts property legal cases including estate acquisitions, commercial leasehold, agricultural property matters and estate management matters across the UK
- Lead the Trusts team of property layers providing support and training where required
- Provide pragmatic, considered and informed legal advice
- Research areas of law to provide considered solutions in new contexts
- Monitor and manage engagement with external solicitors and oversee VFM delivery
- Understand and advise on legal risk to enable effective decision making within the organisation
- Create bespoke documentation to produce appropriate agreements
- This is a hybrid position with a mix of home working, and from our head office in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Head office attendance would be required no more than once every two months on average. Occasional travel to sites may also be required
Application process
- Closing Date: Thursday, Jun 11, 2026
- Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams on the 29th and 30th June 2026
- What you'll need to apply? Your education and employment history• A cover letter or answers to our application questions
Our take
The UK is more tree-poor than many realise, with forest and woodland covering only around 13.5% of the country's land area. That means large areas once covered by native woods have been lost or degraded over centuries, reducing habitat for wildlife, weakening carbon storage, and limiting the natural benefits trees give people.
The Woodland Trust is a charity on a mission to protect, restore, and create native woods and trees across the UK. Since its founding it's planted more than 68.5M trees and cares for over 1,000 woods around the country. Through planting native trees, restoring damaged woodlands, protecting ancient woods from destruction, and encouraging nature-rich habitats, the Trust has become the largest woodland conservation in the country and hopes to fight climate change and give people access to nature for generations to come.
To do so, its recently been growing its collaborative work with larger partners. The Trust renewed a partnership with Lincolnshire County Council and together they're set to plant nearly 300,000 more trees, along with new hedgerows and expanded woodland projects that will help bring more nature back into local towns and countryside. This kind of effort makes a huge difference, helping communities across the country feel the benefits of greener, healthier places to live.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Company benefits
- 🌴 25 days' holiday, increasing to 28 day's after 2 years of service (excluding bank holidays)
- 💰 Generous Pension Plan (6% Employer Contribution)
- 🖥️ Flexible Hybrid Working Model
- 🧠 Continuous Development & Apprenticeship Opportunities
- ❤️🩹 Employee Assistance Programme
- 💵 Life Assurance
- 🏖️ End of Year Closure
- 👪 Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Shared & Adoption Pay
Company values
- Grow Together - We are a team that grows together; made up of unique roles and expertise. We communicate effectively, forging partnerships inside and out, building understanding and trust, valuing differences and recognising each other.
- Explore - We know exploration is important, it's how we come up with the best ideas. We won't always get it right but learn and share as we go. We are bold about who we are and encourage healthy change.
- Focus - We create clarity and stay focussed, ready to adapt when we need to. We are empowered to take the time to reflect so that we can develop and work smarter.
- Make It Count - We need to create a lasting positive impact. We keep the big picture in mind, harnessing passion and inspiring others to connect with us as we aim to make a genuine difference.
Company HQ
Grantham, UK
Articles
Leadership
Darren Moorcroft
(CEO)Darren has been at The Woodland Trust since 2017, joining the team as a Director of Estates and Woodland Outreach before becoming CEO in 2019. Prior to this, he spent 13 years at RSPB in various roles, including Head of UK Conservation Programmes.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Woodland Trust
Alex Hall (Head of Diversity and Inclusion)
- We believe everyone deserves the benefits of woods and trees, and equal protection from climate change including clean air, water and soil. To make this a reality, we need a workforce that reflects the full diversity of the communities we work within. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process and a workplace where everyone can thrive and grow.
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