Location
Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester
About The Job
Job summary
The Government Legal Department is the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our work includes:
- Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds
- Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice
- Securing our economic and trade relationships
- Developing and drafting legislation
- Providing legal advice on policies
We are at the heart of delivering the Government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.
GLD is a non-ministerial government department, sponsored by the Attorney General. We are headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary and employ nearly 3000 people, including over 2000 legal professionals. Our offices include London, Leeds, Bristol, Croydon and Manchester as well as overseas. We provide specialist legal services including Litigation, Employment and Commercial Law as well as advising most Government Departments on the policies and services they deliver.
GLD also depends on a range of vital corporate services. These are essential to the smooth and efficient running of the Department and provide the foundation to enable GLD to deliver outstanding legal services. Our corporate functions include Strategy, HR, Finance, Digital, Data and Technology, Communications, Security, Commercial and Project delivery.
Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service .
To find out more about what we do visit the Government Legal Department’s webpage or have a look at this short film which showcases the breadth of work government lawyers and legal trainees are involved in.
The posts offered are within 3 Government Legal Department Divisions outlined below:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Legal Advisers (DLA) – London, Leeds, Bristol or Manchester (x7 roles)
DLA is the in-house legal team of DEFRA. We provide legal advice to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). DEFRA is responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry and sustaining a thriving rural economy. The wide remit means the legal division is involved in a diverse range of activity:
- Providing legal advice to Ministers and officials across the full range of DEFRA business including the natural environment, animal welfare, food and farming, fisheries and marine, water and air quality, waste, and trade, international and the Retained EU law Act.
- Advising on all aspects of legal risk and on litigation
- Advising DEFRA on its measures in HMG bills by instructing parliamentary counsel and advising Ministers during the passage of bills through Parliament and their implementation and delivery.
- Drafting DEFRA’s subordinate legislation (SIs)
Our aim is for DLA to be a place where:
- A) lawyers are confident and resilient, with a professional approach
- B) the team is known as kind, happy, and inclusive, and
- C) everyone feels empowered, energised and enthusiastic about the role that they play, the work that they do, and their future careers.
Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) – London, Leeds, Bristol or Manchester (x1 role)
DLUHC is responsible for policies on Levelling Up, planning policy, housing policy, building safety, community integration and regeneration, elections and the Union and local government. The Department has an ambitious agenda to drive up housing supply, increase home ownership, devolve powers and budgets to boost local growth and to support strong public services. DLUHC Legal Advisers (DLUHC LA) support delivery across all DLUHC’s policy areas through seven legal teams each headed by a deputy director.
DLUHC LA has two planning teams, comprising 28 lawyers in total, set within 8 friendly mini teams which all work very closely together. The planning teams provide legal advice on a wide range of planning (including environmental) law and public law matters for DLUHC. Environmental law is both a standalone policy area and a cross-cutting issue across planning policy, and we have a dedicated environmental law mini team who work with lawyers across the team. This is an ideal opportunity for a lawyer to input into the heart of government policy and deliver key imperatives for both economic recovery and long-term change.
Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) – London, Leeds, Bristol or Manchester (x2 roles)
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) – the Energy Security and Net Zero Legal Team focus on the UK’s ambitious and innovative energy portfolio, with work spanning policies on carbon reduction technologies, nuclear power, clean energy and heat, energy efficiency, energy security, energy networks and infrastructure and climate change. In light of the government’s commitments made under Powering Up Britain, the British Energy Security Strategy and net zero commitments, the energy portfolio is in the spotlight more than ever. Environmental law expertise is important in helping to meet these ambitious targets. We seek lawyers with an interest in environmental law to help DESNZ to rise to these challenges.
For both DLUHC and DESNZ, the work is fast paced, extremely varied and always stretching and interesting, including:
- Involvement in legislation, working closely with policy leads and Parliamentary Counsel, as well as advising Ministers throughout a Bill’s passage through Parliament
- Providing support to decision makers in relation to planning decision taken by the Secretary of State; and
- Advising on all aspects of legal risk.
- Drafting secondary legislation, including implementation of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and Energy Bill on Royal Assent
- Providing advisory support in legal challenges
- Supporting policy teams in cross-government working, particularly in response to policy issues that involve different policy areas
- Providing legal advice, particularly planning, environmental and public law advice, to ministers and officials across the relevant portfolio
The Role
The roles involve supporting the Government in exercising its functions in three Departments with key environmental functions. The roles provide an unrivalled opportunity to develop specialist skills as an environmental lawyer, shaping the development of environmental law and policy in the heart of Government. The topic areas you may be asked to advise on range across the spectrum of environmental law, from water quality, animal health and chemicals regulation to planning and climate change.
The work includes:
- Supporting the Government in being accountable for its role.
- Working closely with officials, Ministers and Parliamentary counsel.
- If new primary legislation is required, helping to prepare the bill and taking it through Parliament.
- Producing timely and fit for purpose, risk-based advice.
- Advising whether a policy can be implemented under existing legislation and, if so, how.
- Ensuring that all the legal implications of a policy have been thought through, and that any legislation which is produced will withstand the scrutiny of both the courts and Parliament.
- Casework, for example advising on Environmental Impact Assessment.
- Drafting secondary legislation.
- Responding in a creative manner to real world events.
- Briefing ministers and supporting them in Parliamentary debates.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
We'll assess you against these criteria during the selection process:
Behaviours
Below are details of the Success Profile behaviours that make up this role.
Communicating and Influencing
- Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand.
- Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required.
- Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust.
Managing a Quality Service
- Demonstrate understanding of the complexity and diversity of client needs and expectations.
- Deliver a high quality, efficient and cost-effective service.
- Proactively manage risks and identify solutions.
Working Together
- Create an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are taken into account and bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable.
- Challenge assumptions while being willing to compromise if beneficial to progress.
- Build strong interpersonal relationships and show genuine care for colleagues .
Technical Legal Skills
- Sound understanding of public law
- Sound analysis, using secure legal research to produce timely and fit for purpose advice.
- Reliable legal judgment and appreciation of legal risk.
Motivational Fit
- An interest in environmental law and policy.
- An understanding of the role of lawyers in Government.
- An understanding of the role of Civil Servants and a commitment to public service.
Desirable Experience
- Experience in environmental law.
- Experience in effective handling of public law or environmental litigation.
- Some advisory experience. This could be gained in a private practice context, through academic study or in the legal department of a public body.
For further information about Civil Service recruitment processes and Success profiles, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
Qualifications – Minimum Eligibility Criteria
Academic and Professional
Applicants
should have a minimum of a 2:1 honours degree in their first degree (in any subject). Where an applicant holds an overseas degree qualification this should be equivalent to a 2:1 degree. GLD will consider applicants who do not have a 2:1 degree but only where satisfactory evidence of equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement can be provided (e.g. via relevant experience and results achieved for the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)).
Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales however, we also accept applications from overseas qualified candidates. You must have completed a training contract/pupillage/qualifying employment or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx.
Please note that candidates cannot apply more than 3 months before their qualification date.
Professional entry criteria for Chartered Legal Executives (i.e. Fellows): Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where (i) a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) is held; or (ii) the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE has been completed; or (iii) where exams have been passed (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6*, in all of the following seven foundation subjects in law
- European Union Law
- Public Law
- Contract Law
- Equity and Trusts Law
- Law of Tort
- Note: There are specific requirements relating to academic achievement in the CILEx Level 6 exams where these are being used to demonstrate 2:1 degree equivalence as set out
- Land Law
- Criminal Law
Chartered Legal Executives should note that GLD will be willing to accept an, overall, average score of 65% or above across exams passed in the seven foundation subjects in law (where studied at CILEx Level 6) as demonstrating 2:1 degree equivalence (where a 2:1 degree is not held).
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £50,455, Government Legal Department contributes £10,150 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Applicants will be asked to complete an online career history and to provide individual 1000 word supporting statement outlining how you demonstrate each of the following criteria.
Technical – Legal Professional Skills
Behaviour – Managing a quality service
Behaviour – Working Together
Your application should demonstrate how you meet these criteria for the post, with relevant examples. It will not be sufficient just to reiterate these criteria; you are expected to illustrate how you have met the requirements.
A GLD panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against these criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address all of these may affect your application. If we receive a high number of applications, an initial sift may take place based on legal professional skills.
As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming an inclusive employer and a great place to work. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information or go to Equality and Diversity
Should you encounter any issues with your online application or are unable to apply online please contact
[email protected]
Interview
Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in all essential criteria as listed in the Person Specification:
Technical Legal Professional Skills
Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing
Behaviour: Working Together
Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service
Motivational fit
This will include a written exercise on a legal topic to be completed 1 week before your interview commences. You will also be asked to conduct a 5-minute oral presentation at interview which will assess your
Legal Professional Skills, Communicating and Influencing and Managing a Quality Service. In addition to this you will be asked scenario and strength-based questions. Prior to the interview candidates will be given time to prepare and further information.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.
Interviews will take place remotely via video conference, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview. The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.
Offer
Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible after the final interview.
We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list for up to 12 months. We then may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) . See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality Requirements
Open to UK nationals only.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
