Location
Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester
About The Job
Job summary
About The Government Legal Department
From energy to security, health to human rights, we help the Government deliver life changing law for citizens.
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:
- Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice
- Securing our economic and trade relationships
- Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds
- Providing legal advice on policies
- Developing and drafting legislation
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 SI Hub is a team sitting within the Government Legal Department (GLD) which drafts statutory instruments (SIs) for each of the Government’s departments. The SI Hub was set up in 2015, and now has approximately 25 drafting lawyers and 5 members of the Senior Civil Service as the Senior Leadership Team.
The SI Hub drafts approximately 20% of SIs for each department so the subject matter is extremely varied. Our drafters have worked on projects relating to EU Exit, Covid, Russian sanctions and immigration. Projects range in complexity from the very long and complex to the routine and straightforward.
The SI Hub also provides training and guidance to the whole of the Government Legal Profession and acts as one of GLD’s Centres of Excellence, which means that colleagues from across government come and ask us when they face challenging drafting issues and need expert input. We are a friendly, supportive place to work with a focus on wellbeing and a good work-life balance
The Role
The successful applicant will be responsible for drafting secondary legislation. You must be prepared to work at pace, assist other SI Hub team members, and share your knowledge across the SI Hub and GLD. You will also be expected to play an active corporate role and, when you have acquired a sufficient level of experience, to provide training on SI related matters to legal colleagues across Government, usually in pairs, at least 3 times a year.
Key responsibilities for the role will also include:
- Role modelling sound professional skills
- Building effective and productive relationships with colleagues in the SI Hub and colleagues (legal and policy) who instruct you,
You may also be expected to manage a paralegal.
SI Hub Recruitment Open Evenings:
These virtual sessions aim to engage the potential applicants by giving them an insight into SI Hub. It is also an opportunity to hear from SI Hub’s Director’s Office, Senior Leadership Team members and the SI Hub Lawyers.
Thursday 27th July 2023 at 16:00pm-17:00pm
To register your attendance please email SI Hub team
[email protected]
Person specification
Behaviours
Below are details of the Success Profile that make up this role.
You will be expected to provide evidence to show how you meet the criteria (Behaviours and Technical) both in the application form and at interview stage.
We'll assess you against these behaviours and the technical skills during the selection process:
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 positive customer service by understanding the complexity and diversity of customer needs and expectations.
- Proactively manage risks and identify solutions.
- Deliver a high quality, efficient and cost effective service by considering a broad range of methods for delivery.
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.
- Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on shared objectives.
Technical
Legal Professional Skills
- The ability to think strategically and creatively, see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly.
- Reliable legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk,
- The ability to draft legal documents,
- Sound understanding of public law,
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:
- Equity and Trusts Law
- European Union 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
- Contract Law
- Public Law
- Criminal Law
- Land 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).
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical Skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Legal Professional Skills
Benefits
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- An environment with flexible working options
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours and Technical skills.
Application
Applicants must apply online via CS Jobs; hard copy applications will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances: www.civilservice.gov.uk/jobs
To apply, please provide examples (in no more than 250 words for each one) of how you have demonstrated the 3 behaviours and t he Technical Legal Skills.
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
- Technical
- Communicating and Influencing
Your application should demonstrate how you meet the above essential criteria for the post, with relevant examples. It will not be sufficient to reiterate the criteria; you are expected to illustrate how you have met the requirements. Your application will be sifted by a GLD panel.
Assessment at Interview
Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed against all the essential criteria as listed in the Person Specification. You will be asked to prepare a presentation on a legal scenario on the day of their interview to test the ‘Technical Legal Skills’ criteria. The panel will ask questions at your interview based on your response as part of the interview process. There will also be questions relating to the criteria below and two strength-based questions. Candidates invited to interview will be given further information on the day and time to prepare.
- Behaviour: Working Together
- Technical
- Behaviour: Communicating and influencing
- Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.
Interviews will take place remotely via MS Teams 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.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality Requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- UK nationals
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
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.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
