Graduate – Legal  

Starting Salary: £26,500 

Location: Birmingham, Guildford 

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 country’s key public sector government organisations.  

What You’ll Be Doing 

 As a graduate solicitor trainee on our legal programme you’ll work under supervision of qualified legal experts across various disciplines. You’ll 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 

You’ll 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. You’ll promote high standards of legal practice and compliance whilst advising a broad range of stakeholders. 

As part of your programme, you’ll 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 You’ll Get in Return 

With our support, you’ll 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 experience 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, you’ll 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 You’ll Need to Succeed 

If you have the passion and dedication to succeed, you’ll be a great match for our programme. To be successful, you’ll 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  

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. 

About us 

Our strategic road network is vital to connecting the country, carrying a third of all traffic and two-thirds of freight. Every single day, National Highways get millions of people to where they need to be as efficiently and safely as possible along more than 4,500 miles of motorways and major A roads. We bring people together, keep businesses moving and help communities to stay connected.  

We’re constantly innovating to stay ahead of the curve in building and operating our roads, investing in both the right projects and the brightest talent to help shape our future. And that's where you come in! 

Why You Should Join Us 

At National Highways, we believe in building a connected country. We’re passionate about creating an inclusive, collaborative culture where all our people feel empowered, valued and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. 

If you share our values of safety, passion, teamwork, ownership, and integrity, you’ll thrive as part of our team. 

Ready to Take the Next Step? 

If you're excited about developing your legal career within a key public sector organisation shaping the future of our road network, apply today and start your journey with us! Don’t miss out – submit your application early as we may close applications before the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of interest.