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

GLD 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. We are a national department. Most of our employees are in London; we also have teams in Bristol, Manchester and Leeds.

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation, committed to the highest standards of service and professionalism and also a brilliant place to work where we can all thrive and fulfil our potential. Job description Vacancy description
The posts offered are within a number of the Government Legal Divisions and may include:

Department for International Trade Legal Advisers (DIT)

The work of the DIT legal is diverse, fast-paced, challenging and often high-profile. Working closely with lawyers across government:

• DIT lawyers advise on the development and implementation of DIT's international trade and investment strategy and policy. The Division regularly takes part in trade negotiations, including for free trade agreements and initiatives in the World Trade Organization, and advises on trade disputes. Our work covers all aspects of trade and investment law, from trade in goods and services to government procurement, intellectual property and sustainable development.
• our Export Controls and Sanctions team provides advice on matters of strategic and operational policy relating to the export of goods from the UK and in relation to the implementation of the UK's sanctions regime. Our work often involves providing advice to senior officials and ministers on public and international law, and drafting secondary legislation.


Government work is likely to involve a rapid learning curve to acquire legal skills and knowledge not required in private practice. Strong intellectual and analytical skills are therefore important. We offer a supportive environment where we help you acquire the necessary expertise together with a thriving CPD-accredited in-house training programme.


Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Legal Advisers (BEIS LA)

BEIS is a Ministerial Department, focused on building a stronger, greener future by tackling climate change, fighting coronavirus, unleashing innovation and making the UK a great place to work and do business. BEIS Legal Advisers is the largest GLD Advisory Division with around 175 people. We advise the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, together with a number of its Partner Organisations. We cover a very wide spectrum of work, from space travel to oil rigs and the “gig” economy to climate change. Rarely a day goes by when something we are doing isn’t in the news. The Energy Crisis and COP26 are currently keeping us very busy! We have 14 teams (13 Legal and one Business Management Team), based in 1 Victoria Street, but currently with significant homeworking. Our Service, Investment and Trade Team co-ordinates on trade matters and provides centralised expertise on trade issues as well as leading on trade in services, professional qualifications and investment issues. However with responsibilities which range from many aspects of non-industrial goods to intellectual property, from net zero issues to the Energy Charter, there are trade based roles in many of our teams.’


Cabinet Office Europe Legal Advisers (COELA)

COELA is a friendly and specialist Division of GLD providing legal advice on a variety of cutting-edge issues relating to the UK's relationship with the EU following Brexit. COELA supports the Cabinet Office Europe Secretariat which provides direction and coordination across Whitehall of the UK’s relationship with the EU; the Northern Ireland Taskforce, which leads policy development on the Northern Ireland Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement; the Border and Protocol Delivery Group in the Cabinet Office which coordinates the UK borders strategy; and the Brexit Opportunities Unit which supports the regulatory opportunities arising from Brexit.

Within COELA, we are seeking to recruit an experienced trade lawyer to join the EU Trade and Economy team. The team advises on the trade relationship governed by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including goods, services, transport, energy, fisheries and the level playing field measures set out in the agreement, as well as work on the UK border. Our work includes the interpretation of the TCA, coordination of legal positions across Whitehall, supporting policy teams in meetings of the Specialised Committees and we would play a key part in preparing for and managing any disputes under the agreement. A role in COELA would particularly suit a trade lawyer keen to specialise in EU-focused issues.


Defra Legal Advisers

Defra is responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Defra Legal Advisers (DLA) is made up of around 120 people. DLA has a team of eighteen lawyers advising on international trade issues within Defra’s areas of responsibility, in particular, agri-food trade, and related market access and technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) matters, geographical indications and the environment. Working closely with DIT and other Whitehall legal teams, we play a full part in the negotiations of free trade agreements and in the UK’s position at the WTO. Agri-food issues are often the most controversial in the negotiation of free trade agreements and engage considerable Parliamentary and public interest. The team also provides advice on all other aspects of international law to Defra which has its HQ at 2 Marsham Street in Westminster, Central London.


Treasury Legal Advisers – Trade and Negotiations Team

The Trade and Negotiations Team is one of six teams in Treasury Legal Advisers. It comprises a dozen lawyers led by a Deputy Director and is responsible for providing advice on trade law matters falling within the scope of HM Treasury’s mandate. The team is divided into two subs-teams roughly covering goods and services issues respectively. The Services Sub-team is responsible for advising on financial services issues in trade negotiations. The Team leads on the negotiation of financial service chapters in UK bilateral trade agreements as well as the negotiation of mutual recognition agreements relating to financial services working closely with other Whitehall Departments including BEIS, DCMS, UKMIS (Brussels and Geneva) and DIT and liaising with the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority on financial services regulatory issues. The sub-team is also responsible for advising on issues around the UK’s autonomous regimes for granting market access to third country financial service providers (for example through decisions on whether a third country’s regulatory and supervisory regimes for financial services are equivalent to the UK). This work involves cooperating with a large number of other Treasury policy and legal teams.

The Goods Sub-Team covers a broad range of goods related issues including advising on issues related to the operation of the UK tariff regime, HMT work related to climate change, border control issues and some flagship policies such as the implementation of the Government’s freeport policy. The goods work is varied and includes litigation, some SI drafting and Bill related work as well as general advisory work. It involves working closely with a large number of other Government Departments, in particular HMRC, on some high profile and complex legal issues such as the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Government work is likely to involve a rapid learning curve to acquire legal skills and knowledge not required in private practice. Strong intellectual and analytical skills are important. We will provide support to help you acquire the necessary expertise and have a thriving CPD-accredited in-house training programme.
  Responsibilities Essential Criteria

We are looking for highly motivated qualified lawyers. You will need leadership, strong communication skills, good self-awareness and a commitment to using feedback to learn and develop as a professional. You must be able to demonstrate Legal Professional Skills appropriate to a senior lawyer at Grade 6 level. This means that you would normally have at least 4 years PQE.

In particular, we are looking for the following -

Legal Professional Skills:

Substantial expertise and practical experience of international trade law.
Sound understanding of public law.
Reliable legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk.
The ability to think strategically and creatively, see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly.
Sound analysis, using legal research to produce timely and fit for purpose advice.
The ability to communicate advice effectively both in writing and orally.
Good understanding of the role of lawyers in government.



Behaviour: Leadership

Promote diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting difference and external experience. Welcome and respond to views and challenges from others, despite any conflicting pressures to ignore or give in to them. Stand by, promote or defend own and team’s actions and decisions where needed. Seek out shared interests beyond own area of responsibility, understanding the extent of the impact actions have on the organisation. Inspire and motivate teams to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role.
Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing:

Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust. Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand. Take into account people’s individual needs. Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required.


Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service:

Demonstrate positive customer service by understanding the complexity and diversity of customer needs and expectations. Deliver a high quality, efficient and cost-effective service by considering a broad range of methods for delivery. Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Technical skills

  We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Legal Professional Skills
• Benefits • Learning and development tailored to your role
  • An environment with flexible working options
  • A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
  • A Civil Service pension Things you need to know Security Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
  
  See our vetting charter. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks. Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Technical skills. Application Stage
  
  
  To apply for this position, candidates are asked to submit the following:
  
  A statement addressing,
  
  (i) Legal Professional Skills (maximum 750 words)
  (ii) Leadership (maximum 500 words)
  
  Your application should demonstrate how you meet these criteria, with relevant examples. It will not be sufficient to reiterate the criteria; you are expected to illustrate how you have met the requirements.
  
  
  • Details of your employment history and experience, as required in the application form.
  
  
  • Confirmation of having achieved a minimum of a 2:1 degree in your first degree (in any subject). For further detail on this requirement, see below.
  
  
  Your application will be sifted by a GLD panel.
  
  Interview Stage
  
  We are serious about getting people with the right motivation and skills to be successful in our business. Should you be invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in all essential criteria as listed below:
  
  • Legal Professional Skills
  • Behaviour: Leadership
  • Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing
  • Behaviour: Managing a quality service
  • Motivational Fit
  
  
  Immediately before your interview, you will be asked to complete a written exercise under timed conditions . The written exercise will assess Legal Professional Skills. You will then be asked to present your response to the interview panel. Any follow up questions will further assess Legal Professional Skills.
  
  Your presentation and your interview will be assessed against Communicating and Influencing.
  
  Leadership, Managing a Quality Service and Motivational Fit for this role will be tested through Civil Service Success Profile based questioning.
  
  For further information about Civil Service recruitment processes and Success profiles, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
  
  
  We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful in obtaining a Grade 6 Lawyer role because the number of successful candidates after interview exceeds the number of available vacancies, we may hold a reserve list for up to 12 months. The reserve list may be used to fill similar GLD trade related posts, anywhere in GLD. We will allocate successful candidates to the most suitable vacancy available at the time of our offer, taking into account any preference you express in the application form and your performance at interview.
  
  
  If you are not successful with your Grade 6 application, we may offer you a Grade 7 trade lawyer role, with the opportunity to be posted to any Division in GLD.
  
  If offered a Grade 7 post, further information on the role and salary will be provided at time of offer.
  
  
  
  Please click here to apply: https://emea3.recruitmentplatform.com/appproc/index.cfm?event=createSessionAfterSessionClear&nProfileIdFoundInAGP=&jobboard=0&bSessionClear=true&ID=PUSFK026203F3VBQB6GV4685H&nPTID=77973
  
  DEPARTMENTAL CONTACT POINT
  
  If you would like to discuss this post further with someone in the department, or would like to be put in touch with a lawyer working in the team please contact:
  
  Name: GLD Recruitment Team
  Telephone: 0845 3000 793 or 0117 923 4417
  Email: govqualified@tmpw.co.uk
  
  LOCATION
  
  London
  
  Excess fares, travel costs or relocation costs will not be paid.
  
  
  MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
  
  Security Clearance
  
  This role requires candidates to either hold, or obtain an SC clearance before joining. To obtain SC clearance, unless there are exceptional circumstances, you must have lived in the UK for a minimum of 5 years. Some Divisions require candidates to have lived in the UK for a minimum of 3 years, out of the last 5 years. Therefore, applications from candidates that don’t already hold SC clearance, or haven’t lived in the UK for the required period, will not generally be considered. If you have queries about your eligibility for clearance, please contact: Alex.Kelly@governmentleagal.gov.uk
  
  Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Nationality requirements

  This job is broadly open to the following groups:

  • UK nationals
  • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
  • nationals of the Republic of Ireland
  • 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)
  • relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
  • 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
  Further information on nationality requirements Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code 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. 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. Apply and further information 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 : Name :   GLD Recruitment Team Email :   govqualified@tmpw.co.uk Telephone :   0845 3000 793   Recruitment team : Email :   govqualified@tmpw.co.uk