We are looking for highly capable qualified lawyers to join our supportive Commercial Law Group where we can offer a challenging and exciting career.

The Government Legal Department provides legal advice to central Government Departments on matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our clients range from the Home Office, the Department for International Trade to the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence, to name just a few. When you join GLD’s Commercial Law Group we offer broad and unrivalled career opportunities.

We would be pleased to receive applications from candidates whatever stage you are at in your legal career. Whether you are newly qualified, returning to work after a break, or looking to ‘do something different’, GLD is a supportive and happy place to work.

Headline Information

JOB TITLE:                            Grade 7 Commercial Lawyer

DEPARTMENT:                     Government Legal Department.

DIVISION:                               Commercial Law Group

LOCATION:                              Leeds

CLOSING DATE & TIME       23/09/2019, 12 noon.

INTERVIEW DATES:             Interviews are expected to take place in late October

WORKING ARRANGEMENT: Full time / Part time / Job share.

GLD is committed to flexible working. For those working full-time, you will be expected to work a five-day week of 37 hours (excluding lunch breaks). Applications from those wanting to work as a job share will be considered.

The annual leave allowance is 25 days, and then 30 days after 5 years’ total service.

APPOINTMENT TERM:       Permanent appointment

SALARY RANGE:     Grade 7: £47,400 - £58,000 National  

                                    Legal Officer: £42,844 (less than 3 years’ PQE)

TRAVEL REQUIRED: Yes, travel to other GLD and client offices will be required.

GUARANTEED INTERVIEW SCHEME:       Yes

The vacancy on offer is at Grade 7 with a minimum salary of £47,400.

If you are new to the Civil Service the normal starting position for salary is the bottom of the scale, however we will consider an uplift based on significant experience and skills.

Existing Grade 7s on level transfer will retain their current basic salary if it is within the GLD pay range.  If your salary is higher than GLD maxima you will be placed on the maxima of the pay range and receive the difference as a mark-time allowance, if agreed by HR.

Where your salary is below GLD’s G7 minima you will be raised to the minima of the pay range, £47,400.

Any other allowances will not be retained on promotion

The vacancies on offer are at Grade 7 but appointments to Legal Officer will be made where successful candidates have less than 3 years post qualification experience (PQE). Candidates appointed as a Legal Officer will re-grade to Grade 7 when they reach one year’s service or 3 years PQE, whichever comes sooner (subject to satisfactory performance).

The Department

The Government Legal Department (GLD) is the largest provider of legal services across government, working with all the main Whitehall Departments.   From roads to rivers, and health to human rights, our work touches on most aspects of public life.

The department has more than 14 client-facing advisory teams who provide legal advice on the development, design and implementation of government policies and decisions, draft secondary legislation and work with Parliamentary Counsel on primary legislation.  Our cross-cutting expert service groups for Litigation, Employment and Commercial Law provide specialist legal services to a wide range of government departments and public bodies.

We are a non-ministerial government department with more than 2,300 employees, around 1,800 of whom are solicitors or barristers. The department is based primarily in London but has teams in Bristol, Manchester, and Leeds. 

As an organisation our vision is to be trusted by government to provide consistently excellent and value for money services so government departments want to come to us to meet their legal needs, to be known throughout the legal profession for the quality of our legal work, and to be the best employer for our people.