About the job

Job summary

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:

• Developing and drafting legislation
• Providing legal advice on policies
• Securing our economic and trade relationships
• Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds
• Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice

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.

Job description

About Treasury Legal Advisers

Treasury Legal Advisers (TLA) is the in-house legal department of HM Treasury (HMT). HMT is the UK’s finance and economics ministry.

TLA is a division of GLD but works collaboratively with colleagues across HM Treasury to provide legal advice to ministers and officials across all of HMT’s functions.

Key legal areas on which TLA advises include:

• the regulation of financial services
• financial stability
• public spending
• public sector pensions.
• market interventions and state-owned assets
• trade negotiations
• sanctions, money laundering and illicit finance

TLA consist of about 120 lawyers and other professionals, operating through six legal teams each led by a Deputy Director. We work in a friendly, open, and collaborative culture: most of our work is handled by small groups of lawyers rather than by a single lawyer and so we place a high value on teamwork. We often work collaboratively with lawyers from other government departments and with the legal teams from the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority. Some of our work involves instructing and working with external law firms and Counsel. The division is currently based in HMT’s headquarters building at One Horse Guards Road, London and in GLD’s regional offices in Bristol, Leeds and Manchester.

“TLA has a strong culture of teamwork, collaboration and mutual respect.  This enables us to tackle difficult and demanding legal work, covering the full range of what HM Treasury does.”

- Peter King, Director of Treasury Legal Advisers

The Role

The role entails leading a team of around 20 lawyers. Key responsibilities are:

1. Contributing to the leadership of Treasury Legal Advisors and in particular working with 2 other Deputy Directors in relation to the delivery of advice on financial services regulation and policy.
2. Contributing to the leadership of GLD and acting as a role model for GLD values and the culture of TLA.
3. Consumer credit matters, including regulation of the “buy now, pay later” market, and proposed wider reform to consumer credit legislation.
4. Consumer protection matters, including financial inclusion.
5. Payments services and systems matters, including on “debanking”, retail and wholesale access to cash, authorised push payment scams, the National Payment Vision, and how payments and e-money regulation will interact with the Smarter Regulatory Framework.
6. Cryptoassets / fintech matters, including working with the Bank of England on the Digital Pound concept and advice on open banking.
7. TLA’s Drafting Services Branch, which co-ordinates TLA’s statutory instrument programme and upskills lawyers in drafting statutory instruments, including the provision of training and drafting support.

Civil Service Code

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of you and other civil servants. These are based on the core values which are set out in legislation. As a civil servant, you are expected to carry out your role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values of:

• ‘integrity’ is putting the obligations of public service above your own personal interests
• ‘honesty’ is being truthful and open
• ‘objectivity’ is basing your advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence
• ‘impartiality’ is acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving equally well governments of different political persuasions

These core values support good government and ensures the achievement of the highest possible standards in all that the Civil Service does.

Person specification

Behaviours

You will be expected to provide evidence to show how you meet the criteria at interview and/or selection stage.:

Leadership (assessed at sift and interview, lead behaviour)

• Remain visible and approachable to all colleagues and stakeholders.
• Display passion and enthusiasm for our work, helping to inspire colleagues and stakeholders to fully engage with the aims and long-term vision.
• Embed a culture of inclusion and equal opportunity for all, where the diversity of individuals’ backgrounds and experiences are valued and respected.
• Work to influence the strategy, direction and culture to increase effectiveness.

Managing a Quality Service (assessed at sift and interview)

• Use customer insight to drive high quality and efficient service delivery which is a good investment of taxpayers money.
• Identify areas for improvement and make appropriate changes to reach professional excellence.

Working Together (assessed at sift and interview)

• Proactively create, maintain and promote a strong network of contacts across the organisation and externally.
• Embed an inclusive culture of creating positive and supportive teams who consider the diverse needs and feelings of other colleagues.
• Set out clear expectations that bullying, harassment, and discrimination are unacceptable.

Communicating and Influencing (assessed at interview)

• Communicate in a straightforward, honest and truthful way with consideration for the impact of the method used.
• Communicate with conviction and clarity in the face of tough negotiations or challenges.
• Respect and consider the diversity of the audience when giving messages and deliver these appropriately.

Technical

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

Technical Legal Skills (assessed at sift and interview)

• Good knowledge, understanding and experience of advising on public law matters and legislation
• Bring wider legal experience and knowledge to bear.
• Effectively manages legal risk. Provides sound legal direction to the team and takes responsibility for the professional work of the team.

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:

1. Contract Law
2. Criminal Law
3. Equity and Trusts Law
4. European Union Law
5. Land Law
6. Public Law
7. 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 below.

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 £75,000, Government Legal Department contributes £20,250 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. This should be completed no later than 12:00 Midday on Friday 16th August 2024 and will involve uploading the documents outlined below:

1.A CV outlining your job history, qualifications, relevant skills and experience which will be assessed and scored.

2.A statement for each of the following criteria (see skills and qualities above for the detail of each criteria). Each behaviour should not exceed 250 words:

• Leadership
• Managing a quality service
• Working Together
• Technical Legal Skills

If we receive a high number of applications, an initial sift may take place using the lead behaviour: Leadership alongside Technical 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

Shortlist

You will receive an acknowledgment of your application through the online process.

The panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Assessments

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a Staff Engagement Exercise.

This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, it is designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity.

Informal Conversations

Shortlisted candidates will also have the opportunity to speak to the vacancy holder Rebecca Lane, prior to the final interview to learn more about the role and the organisation. Please note this is an optional part of the process, not part of the formal assessment process.

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 below:

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Technical Legal Skills

Before your interview, you will be provided with a scenario on the day and given time to prepare a response to present in your interview. The exercise will assess the behaviors ‘Leadership’, ‘Working Together’ and ‘Communicating and Influencing’ and will form the basis of further questions in the interview.

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, Feedback and Reserve List

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all candidates will be advised of selection decisions as soon as possible thereafter.

We are not able to offer feedback to candidates not selected at shortlist stage. Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will also be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

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:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

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.