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 the Litigation Group, Business Management

Business Management supports all our client teams and expert services.

The actions and decisions of government are under increasing scrutiny and challenge. Military action overseas, immigration policy, welfare reform, climate change and energy policy are just a few of the issues which generate legal challenges that can hit the headlines.

GLD’s Litigation Group conducts a wide range of often high-profile cases, frequently involving questions of constitutional importance. Our public law litigation practice covers the full range of judicial review challenges in areas such as justice, health, defence, immigration, planning and national security as well as the Government’s wide ranging reform agenda.

We also have a substantial private law practice representing large Government departments such as the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). These teams deal with high profile group actions, actions under ECHR, personal injury, clinical negligence, misfeasance in public office, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and other claims.

Litigation Business Management (BM) Teams support all our Litigation Group functions. Each of Litigation Group’s four divisions has their own BM Team led by a Senior Business Manager. We also form part of a wider BM Community across GLD, consisting of over 200 BM colleagues.

The Business Management Litigation Support Officer (DV) role involves successful candidates supporting the work on high profile cases within Litigation’s Defence and Security Division. You will be required to support lawyer colleagues and Deputy Directors within the Group, work as part of a close team, and can learn and adapt to achieve completions and deadlines.

You will have the opportunity to develop confidence in a wide range of complex administrative tasks and develop an understanding of how processes within Government Litigation work in practice.

This is a very exciting time to join the Business management team within Litigation Group with many opportunities in the pipeline.

Optional Engagement Session – 30th January (5:30pm-6:30pm)

This is an optional, virtual session to find out more about the role of a Litigation Business Management officer from GLD Litigation colleagues, as well as an opportunity to understand more around what the requirements are of being DV cleared. If you would like to attend, please contact harry.flint@governmentlegal.gov.uk who can provide you with the MS Teams dial-in details.

The Role

We are recruiting for Business Management Officers to provide litigation support services for the Defence and Security Division. The role holder should currently hold/ be able to gain DV security clearance within the role and attend the office at least 4 days per week.

The BM Litigation Support Officer role involves working closely with Litigation lawyers and Deputy Directors. This role will enable you to develop a good understanding of litigation in the Defence and Security division, and how legal work is delivered to the Government. National Security is complex and varied and no two days are the same. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone that wants a new challenge in a supportive and friendly environment.

It will enable you to begin or build on your existing Civil Service career, working in a varied and important role that is primarily focused on supporting the complex work of our lawyers and Deputy Directors. The work requires a strong skill set in organisation, communication, the ability to multitask and adapt to a fast-paced environment with confidence in being able to meet challenging deadlines. All-round IT skills are needed combined with a high degree of attention to detail. We offer a supportive induction process which will ensure that you are well equipped during your time with us.

The posts will also involve working closely with Business Managers, other Business Management colleagues, and a legal division/team. Teams can vary in size, and all roles are within the Business Management function and do not include owning your own legal cases or paralegal work. One of the roles advertised may also involve supporting a Deputy Director directly with their administrative duties and diary management.

Our Business Management staff are expected:

• To provide a high quality, professional and efficient support service to enable caseworkers to meet their targets and deadlines, thereby achieving client satisfaction and contributing to the achievement of organisational, divisional and team objectives.
• To comply with policies, standards, procedures and service level agreements set at GLD, divisional and team level.
• To comply with GLD Time Recording Policy and to meet chargeable hours target set by Division.
• The handling of sensitive court documents.

To succeed in this role, you will have a passion for administration and business management, be highly organised, responsive, and attentive to detail, and driven to deliver results.

Main Responsibilities

To manage a broad range of varied casework support activities, including:

• Creating and indexing documentary bundles required as evidence for Defence and Security claims.
• Liaison with solicitors, clients, witnesses and tribunal offices
• Delivering classified documents to courts, counsel, and clients in accordance with security guidance
• Dealing with communication requests from the Special Advocates Support Office, as a conduit between client departments and Special Advocates
• Arranging and sourcing counsel for Defence and Security cases
• Attending court hearings to take notes
• Filing, labelling and locating documents within with our document management system (CMS), secure storage and secure intranet system
• Undertaking relevant research
• Preparing schedule of costs for cases to give indications of the value of compensation being sought to ensure retrieval of costs
• Supporting the wider GLD’s business management community
• Providing secretarial, administrative and diary/inbox support
• File Management of physical documentation and electronic files on CMS

This list is not exhaustive, and the successful candidates will be required to provide ad-hoc support where and when necessary.

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role.

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

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

• Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour)
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service (interview only)

Experience - Essential Criteria

• The ability to meet tight and challenging deadlines, managing multiple workstreams, and working well within a team
• An understanding of/ the ability to deliver a high-quality administrative service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,199, Government Legal Department contributes £7,494 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, Strengths and Experience.

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application which can be accessed via CS Jobs. This should be completed no later than 12:00PM Midday 5th February 2024 and will require submitting 2 behavioural statements with reference to the behaviours listed and a personal statement:

Delivering at Pace (Lead Behaviour) – Maximum 250 words explaining how you manage competing priorities and tasks to successfully meet deadlines, with reference to the behaviour Delivering at Pace

Working Together – Maximum 250 words explaining how you collaborate with others to promote inclusivity, and improve ways of working, with reference to the behaviour Working Together

Personal Statement – Maximum 500 words explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience suitable for the role, with reference to the role summary, main responsibilities and essential criteria.

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. Should we receive a high number of applications then we may only sift on the lead behaviour and personal statement; in the case of a tie-break in a full sift, we will prioritise on the score of the lead behaviour also.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours and experience outlined in the person specification.

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, alongside scenario based exercises and strength-based questions. Candidates invited to interview will be given further information on the day and time to prepare.

• Behaviour: Delivering at Pace
• Behaviour: Working Together
• Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service

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 developed vetting (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.