“Being involved in work that directly relates to my community and witnessing the positive changes resulting from my contributions is truly rewarding.”
Fiona Buckingham is a Chartered Legal Executive at Warwickshire Legal Services (WLS) and joined Warwickshire County Council in April 2018. Fiona has a legal background in the public sector and working with non-profit organisations, and yet began her journey with WLS as a Senior Legal Assistant in the Planning and Litigation team.
Explaining the move into a new area of law, Fiona said: “It was challenging at first to work in an area of law that was unfamiliar to me, however I was able to learn a lot in a short space of time. I continued to improve and develop over five years of training and experience as a Senior Legal Assistant, and now I really enjoy being able to put all of the knowledge I have into practice to help and advise clients.”
“The legal work in the Planning and Litigation team is quite niche, especially as my role focuses on Highways, however the team still covers quite a variety of subjects. This includes drafting and negotiating on Highways Agreements (278/38/72 Agreements) and providing advice to clients on queries relating to highway obstructions; dealing with and attending Court on S116 Stopping up of the highway Applications; and drafting Traffic Regulation Orders, S50 New Roads and Street Works Licences, and drafting and serving APC Notices.
Fiona embraced the new challenges and professional development opportunities available to her from the very beginning at WLS, and she quickly proved herself to be a valuable asset to the team.
Fiona said: “The County Council's commitment to training and professional development is fantastic, and it’s thanks to this I have gone from having very little legal knowledge of highways, to now being able to provide expert advice in my field.
“I also really appreciated the opportunity to gain the relevant experience to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive in public sector, as when I applied the job was advertised on that basis - starting as a Senior Legal Assistant and working towards Chartered Legal Executive status. In my experience this is not something that many employers promote as a possible career path and the County Council was very supportive of this.”
In her time at the County Council, first as a Senior Legal Assistant and now as a Chartered Legal Executive, Fiona has worked on several notable projects that have made a significant impact.
“I was entrusted with the important task of handling the 278 Highways Act Agreement for the highways works at the new Kenilworth Senior School, due to open in September 2023. The time-sensitive nature of the project required my full focus and collaboration with other members of the WLS team to ensure the Agreement would successfully achieve the result desired by all parties and within the tight timeframe.
“I have also represented the County Council in the Magistrates' Court to successfully obtain orders to stop certain highways from having ‘highway’ status on the grounds it was no longer necessary to be a highway, and advised on and drafted an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order at Station Road in Kenilworth to reflect key client requirements.”
Warwickshire Legal Services is one of the many areas across the Council that places a huge focus on staff development and support, which creates a motivating team environment to succeed and achieve in. Fiona said: “I enjoy that the workload is demanding and fast-paced, and there is an interesting variety of cases, including topics that can be quite obscure and require extensive research to determine legal solutions. We are trusted to manage our caseloads how we want to, although guidance and support from senior colleagues is always available, and we can agile work or work from home too which is very empowering and has given me a much better work-life balance.”
Despite initially facing the challenge of entering an unfamiliar area of law, Fiona has embraced the opportunity to learn and grow. Through training and the support of colleagues and gaining experience over the last five years, she has acquired comprehensive knowledge and expertise in highway law. Fiona now confidently supports and assists trainees within her team, offering guidance and advice on a variety of highway topics.
Warwickshire Legal Services is also one of many areas across the Council that is passionate about improving the county and making a meaningful difference to real people. Fiona said: "What's different about working at Warwickshire County Council is the tangible impact I can see in my local area. Being involved in work that directly relates to my community and witnessing the positive changes resulting from my contributions is truly rewarding,"
This is the difference you can make, working for Warwickshire County Council.
For aspiring legal professionals looking to pivot their careers and take on exciting new challenges, Fiona's testimonial serves as an inspiring example of the possibilities and support available for everyone at Warwickshire County Council. If you are someone who is prepared to get stuck in, who wants to do the best job possible, and who approaches everything with passion and purpose, then view our current vacancies at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/jobs
To find out more about Warwickshire Legal Services, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wls